Last Updated: June 8, 2026
Picture St. Patrick’s Day: leprechauns, shamrocks, a rainbow that leads to a pot of gold. These holiday emblems have some fascinating history, and the Garfield Refining team was naturally drawn to the “pot of gold” part. Here are some fun facts about St. Patrick’s Day, curated by your favorite precious metals experts!
The Origin of St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick was a patron saint of Ireland and is credited with converting many of the Irish people to Christianity. By the time he died on March 17, 461 CE, he had established Christian churches, schools, and monasteries in Ireland.
People say that St. Patrick used a shamrock to explain the Trinity, which is how it became one of the first images to represent his holiday. In the early days, the Irish would wear a shamrock, green clothing, or maybe even some clover jewelry to commemorate the holiday. When Irish immigrants came to America, those traditions came with them – and over time evolved into the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations we know today.
In the mid-19th century, Irish-Americans began ramping up St. Patrick’s Day celebrations to further honor their heritage. Several major cities became famous for their parades, including our home city of Philadelphia. These days, “St. Paddy’s” festivities include all sorts of fun – corned beef and cabbage, green beer, and even green rivers (looking at you, Chicago)!
So, how do pots of gold fit into the story of St. Patrick’s Day? It all starts with the legend of the leprechaun.
The Man, the Myth, the Leprechaun
Leprechauns originate in Irish folklore and are often described as small, cunning, and sometimes cranky fairy creatures. Portrayed as shoe cobblers for other fairies, leprechauns are paid for their work in gold coins. In most legends, leprechauns are male.
The legends say that leprechauns keep their gold hidden – and if a human were to catch a leprechaun, they could force him to reveal where he hides his pot of gold. Of course, leprechauns typically vanish before revealing the hiding spot, but the legend continues to be shared through generations.
Gold at the End of a Rainbow
We’ve all seen that quintessential image of a leprechaun sliding down a rainbow into a pot of gold. The concept of gold at the end of a rainbow comes from a famous Irish folktale, involving two poor farmers who stumbled upon a leprechaun after a rainstorm.
As the farmers (a husband and wife) pulled their last carrot out of the ground, a leprechaun came up with it, dangling from the roots. Albeit by accident, the farmers captured the leprechaun – so he offered them one wish in exchange for his freedom. But the farmers couldn’t come up with just one thing to wish for. They wished for many things – new tools, a new house, jewelry and more. Shocked by their greed, the leprechaun told the farmers that they could have everything they wanted if they found his pot of gold, which was hidden at the end of the rainbow. (Of course, there is no “end of the rainbow,” as rainbows are an optical illusion with no physical or defined endpoint.)
As with most famous folklore, there’s a moral to the story: don’t be too greedy. After all, leprechauns work hard repairing shoes to earn their gold. And they’re wise to do so, because gold has been a historically great investment asset!
How Much is a Pot of Gold Worth?
One can’t help but wonder: if someone did find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, how much cash would it be worth? This would depend on the size of the pot, whether it’s completely filled to the brim with gold coins, the weight of the coins, and of course, the current spot price of gold.
At the time of writing (March 2026), gold prices are soaring – over $5,100 per ounce. For example’s sake, let’s imagine a pot of gold that contains 300 one-ounce coins. At today’s prices, the pot would be worth more than $1.5 million!
We may not be leprechauns, but Garfield Refining is fully stocked with gold coins. If you’re interested in investing in precious metals, browse our selection of gold and silver bullion today!
Garfield Refining has been North America’s premier precious metals refinery since 1892. If you have unwanted precious metal items to sell, our team will help you get the highest return for your material.
Written by
Allie BowmanAllie Bowman is the Content Lead at Garfield Refining, where she translates more than 130 years of precious metals expertise into clear, accurate, and practical content for individual sellers, dental professionals, jewelers, and collectors. A Dean's List graduate of the University of Delaware's Media Communication program, Allie has built her career around making complex subjects accessible to a broad audience. Her experience spans nutrition science, lifestyle magazine publishing, and precious metals refining, giving her a unique ability to transform technical information into engaging, trustworthy content. At Garfield, Allie brings editorial rigor and subject-matter expertise to every piece she produces. She works closely with Garfield's refining specialists and senior leadership to ensure that technical topics - from karat markings and assay methods to precious metals markets and spot price mechanics - are explained with both accuracy and clarity. Since joining Garfield's marketing team, Allie has written extensively on precious metals refining, dental scrap recovery, gold and silver bullion, estate and inherited jewelry, and industry-specific topics for dental and jewelry professionals. All content is reviewed by Garfield's leadership team prior to publication, ensuring it reflects the company's standards for accuracy, transparency, and industry expertise.
Reviewed by
Morgan KerrisseyMorgan Kerrissey is the President of Garfield Refining, one of North America's most longstanding and trusted precious metals refineries. For over two decades, Morgan has built his career at the intersection of commodities markets, metallurgy, and precious metals — earning a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable voices in the refining industry. Morgan joined Garfield in 2008, bringing rigorous operational discipline to a company built on exacting standards since 1892. Named President in 2014, he has guided Garfield through volatile gold, silver, and palladium markets, while modernizing its workforce and technologies and diversifying its metal supply chains. Under his leadership, Garfield has expanded its refining capabilities across the full lifecycle of precious metals recovery, entered new markets, and expanded services while maintaining the same customer forward approach that has made Garfield a mainstay for more than a century. From hedging strategy to daily refinery operations, Morgan commands high levels of technical depth and market fluency. Morgan grew up outside Boston, graduated from Harvard University, and has lived with his family in Philadelphia, PA for almost 20 years.