Soon, under the watch of dozens of armed guards, thousands of bars of gold and silver were hauled out of the bi-level 6,000-square-foot vault. All told, there were 379,036 ounces of gold, stacked ...

Data from the World Gold Council supports what Rose witnessed. Demand for gold bars and coins in the US hit a 13-year high in the second quarter, according to an August report the Council published.

Nearly $500,000 in cash and $150,000 in gold bars were strategically concealed throughout his cluttered New Jersey home, including a hefty stack of bills crammed inside a Timberland boot.