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The reactivity of allenyl carboxylates, Ar(R¹)CCCH(O₂CR²) and their isomeric equivalents the terminal propargylic carboxylates, ArC(R¹)(O₂CR²)CCH, in gold-catalyzed carbocyclization to indenes provides information on 1,3 and 1,2-carboxylate shifts associated with their interconversion. Allenyl carboxylates transform specifically to 1H-inden-1-yl carboxylates in high yields, under Au^I-catalysis. Their equivalent propargylic carboxylates give complex mixtures of indene isomers and elimination products. Mechanistic tests indicate that interconversion of the terminal propargylic carbonate to its allene is at best slow in this case.