Every way to get gold bars in the Red Dead Redemption 2 story: treasure maps, the Strange Statues puzzle, the train below Granite Pass, Limpany and Braithwaite Manor. What a bar is worth, which four Fences buy it and how much gold you can collect in one playthrough.
Contents
- What a gold bar is worth and where to sell it
- Every way to get gold bars in the story
- Treasure maps: 9 bars from three chains
- Strange Statues: 3 bars for a puzzle
- The train below Granite Pass, Limpany and Braithwaite Manor
- How many gold bars are in RDR2 in total
- Tips: when to collect gold and how to sell it
- RDR2 gold bars FAQ
What a gold bar is worth and where to sell it
A Fence pays $500 for each gold bar. Regular stores don’t buy gold. A Fence buys stolen goods; besides gold bars, he also takes other valuables, such as loot from bandit camps.
| Fence | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Emerald Ranch | Heartlands, New Hanover | The first Fence in the game: unlocks after the Chapter 2 mission "The Spines of America", where you meet Seamus. The only one who buys stolen wagons |
| Rhodes | North of town, Scarlett Meadows, Lemoyne | Handy when you’re playing in Lemoyne |
| Saint Denis | Lemoyne, in the city itself | Guides give different landmarks: the east, the northeast next to the Trapper, or by the letter "S" in the city name on the map |
| Van Horn Trading Post | The northernmost building by the dock, Roanoke Ridge, New Hanover | Far from the main routes |
Clemens Point is not a Fence. Clay and Clive Davies work there as horse fences (from Chapter 3, after "Horse Flesh for Dinner"). You can’t sell them gold bars. According to Red Dead Wiki, the Fences in Rhodes, Saint Denis and Van Horn are technically available once free roam opens (after "Eastward Bound"), but Epicdope and gameskinny name Emerald Ranch as the first one; no source mentions a Fence in New Austin or on Guarma.
Every way to get gold bars in the story
The table only lists sources confirmed by at least two or three guides. Chapters are given where they are known.
| Source | State and landmark | Bars | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Hall Gang treasure map | Ambarino, an islet on O’Creagh’s Run lake | 2 | From Chapter 2 |
| Poisonous Trail treasure map | New Hanover, the cave behind the Elysian Pool waterfall | 4 | From Chapter 2 |
| High Stakes treasure map | Ambarino, the cliffs above the river near Bacchus Station | 3 | Chapter 3, after "The New South" |
| Strange Statues puzzle | Ambarino, a cave in the mountains; the clue is a drawing near Window Rock | 3 | From Chapter 2 per mein-mmo; Gamepressure recommends the epilogue |
| Derailed train | Ambarino, the gorge below the Granite Pass bridge, near Cotorra Springs | 2 | Not specified |
| Sheriff’s office in Limpany | New Hanover, a burned-out town in the Heartlands | 1 | Early, from Chapter 2 |
| Braithwaite Manor | Lemoyne, the ruined estate south of Rhodes | 1 | After "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern" (Chapter 3 or 4) |
| Le Trésor des Morts (bonus) | Lemoyne, a crypt in the Saint Denis cemetery | 5 or 6 | Starts from Chapter 2, the finale is easier from Chapter 4 |
One more source is random lockboxes: according to rdr2.org, they sometimes contain a single bar, but there are no specific locations.
Treasure maps: 9 bars from three chains
The three regular chains are the main source of gold: 9 bars, or $4,500, in total.
| Chain | Where to get the first map | Bars |
|---|---|---|
| Jack Hall Gang | The stranger Maximo near Flatneck Station (Stranger mission "All That Glitters", Chapter 2) or a Fence | 2 ($1,000) |
| Poisonous Trail | A lockbox under the bed in Cairn Lodge, Grizzlies West (Chapter 2) | 4 ($2,000) |
| High Stakes | A treasure hunter, a random encounter from Chapter 3, or a Fence | 3 ($1,500) |
Where each map leads and where to dig is covered step by step in the RDR2 treasure maps guide.
Strange Statues: 3 bars for a puzzle
The Strange Statues puzzle is a cave with statues in the mountains of Ambarino. According to rdr2.org, it lies north or northeast of Bacchus Station, and its clue is a drawing near Window Rock, northwest of Fort Wallace. Gamepressure describes the spot differently — "western Ambarino by the river" — so the guides’ landmarks don’t match.
Solution: activate the statues that have 2, 3, 5 and 7 fingers. Red Dead Wiki, Epicdope and rdr2.org all say so. The clue is hidden in the drawing near Window Rock: according to the wiki, you count the tail feathers of the birds and ignore the upside-down ones. The 7-finger statue is missing an arm and stands right in front of the central harpy statue.
The order differs between guides: Gamepressure gives 7 → 3 → 5 → 2, rdr2.org and Prima go in ascending order, 2 → 3 → 5 → 7, and Red Dead Wiki and Epicdope give no order. If one sequence doesn’t work, try the other.
The reward is 3 bars, $1,500, and here the sources agree; according to the wiki, solving the puzzle also refills your cores. There is no agreement on when to go: mein-mmo says the puzzle is available from Chapter 2, Gamepressure recommends the epilogue.
The train below Granite Pass, Limpany and Braithwaite Manor
Derailed train — 2 bars. Train cars lie in the gorge below the Granite Pass bridge (Grizzlies East, Ambarino). The gold is in the one standing on end; another car holds jewelry, not bars. The guides’ landmarks differ: Inverse says "near Cotorra Springs", mein-mmo says "Granite Pass north of Valentine", but it’s the same gorge.
Limpany — 1 bar. A burned-out town in the Heartlands (New Hanover). In the ruins of the sheriff’s office there’s a lockbox under the desk. It’s one of the earliest sources of gold.
Braithwaite Manor — 1 bar. An estate south of Rhodes (Lemoyne). After the mission "Blood Feuds, Ancient and Modern" the main house stands burned, with a lockbox holding a bar inside. Mein-mmo and Inverse place this in Chapter 4, Sportskeeda after Chapter 3.
How many gold bars are in RDR2 in total
Guides give different totals, up to "36 locations" on weaker sites. We only count the verified sources from the table above.
| Collected | Bars | Fence value |
|---|---|---|
| Three treasure maps | 9 | $4,500 |
| Strange Statues, train, Limpany, Braithwaite Manor | 7 | $3,500 |
| Total without the bonus edition | 16 | $8,000 |
| With Le Trésor des Morts | 21 or 22 | $10,500 or $11,000 |
Random bars from lockboxes aren’t included in this total. Train and bank robberies in the story give money and valuables, but no guide names them as a source of gold bars. Likewise, there’s no gold in "Geology for Beginners", the hunting requests or on Guarma. Some sites mention bars as a reward for finishing the story, but this isn’t confirmed: all that’s verified is that about $20,000 in cash shows up in your account after the main story.
Tips: when to collect gold and how to sell it
- Start in Chapter 2. Jack Hall Gang, Poisonous Trail and the bar in Limpany are available early — that’s 7 bars, or $3,500, right when money is tightest.
- Pick a Fence along your route. In Chapter 2 Emerald Ranch is the most convenient, in Chapter 3 Rhodes. The Saint Denis Fence is next to the Trapper, so you can hand in both bars and pelts in one visit.
- High Stakes is a Chapter 3 job. Lasso the treasure hunter; if he gets away three times, just buy the map from the Fence.
Other ways to earn are in the how to make money in RDR2 guide, and everything you need to collect for full completion is on the collectibles and RDR2 100% pages. The regions in the tables are easy to check against the RDR2 map.
Landmarks of Riches and Elemental Trail are Red Dead Online treasures and have nothing to do with the story.
RDR2 gold bars FAQ
How much is a gold bar worth in RDR2?
$500. You can only sell it to a Fence — in Emerald Ranch, Rhodes, Saint Denis or Van Horn Trading Post.
Can you sell a gold bar at a regular store?
No. Regular stores don’t buy gold, and the horse fences near Clemens Point only take horses.
How many gold bars are in the RDR2 story in total?
Verified sources outside the bonus edition give 16 bars, or $8,000. With Le Trésor des Morts it’s 21 or 22, because guides disagree on its reward (5 or 6 bars).
Where can I find gold bars early in the game?
In Chapter 2: the Jack Hall Gang (2 bars) and Poisonous Trail (4) treasure maps and the lockbox in the Limpany sheriff’s office (1). $3,500 in total.
What does the Strange Statues puzzle give you?
3 gold bars, i.e. $1,500. Activate the statues with 2, 3, 5 and 7 fingers; guides give the order differently.
When does the first Fence unlock in RDR2?
In Chapter 2, after the mission "The Spines of America": it’s the Fence at Emerald Ranch.
Sources
- Official: Rockstar Games, Rockstar Newswire, Rockstar Support, Take-Two Interactive
- Databases and guides: Red Dead Wiki, RDR2.org, GTABase, PowerPyx
- Press: GamesRadar, PC Gamer, IGN, VGC, Game Informer
Every fact is checked against official sources or at least two independent ones; player-sourced data is labelled in the text. Images are official Rockstar Games material. GTA Top is not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.