on that bust of Jay Gould "the only ikon in the house" in Lot 49 and remembering Pynchon on gold in other works. Found while not looking.

[Mark Kohut]

Jay Gould was perhaps the best fisher of them all, pulling a fortune in
commissions from the pool. Cold-hearted and clear-eyed, Gould was “one of
the most sinister figures that ever flitted bat-like across the vision of
the American people,” according to journalist Joseph Pulitzer. The
speculator knew gold prices would fluctuate depending on the fortunes of
the Union Army, rising after a defeat and falling after a victory. “During
the war of the rebellion, Gould’s firm…made a great deal of money
speculating in gold. Gould had private sources of information in the field,
and he was able to turn almost every success or defeat of the Union army to
profitable account,” wrote one biographer.