Have you ever seen billions of dollars in gold bars? A video -- made in the name of science -- gives a glimpse into the massive gold reserves at the Bank of England.
University of Nottingham professor Martyn Poliakoff loves the elements. The eccentric science wizard works with others on a popular Web site and YouTube channel known as The Periodic Table of Videos; one latest video focuses on one of the most valuable elements in existence -- gold.
To further our scientific knowledge (and inadvertently make everyone feel really poor), Poliakoff visited the massive gold bullion vault within the Bank of England and filmed the jaw-dropping contents within. The U.K. stores about 197 billion British pounds ($315 billion) worth of gold bars in various rooms of the vault, with one of the oldest bars originating from 1916.
Can't get enough of gold? In 2010, CNET writer Daniel Terdiman visited the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and got up close and personal with the mega collection of gold, which you can explore further in his gallery below.