Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed malignant melanoma

- Stage IIB, IIC, III, or IV disease

- Patients free of disease after surgical resection must meet 1 of the
following criteria:

- Refused high-dose interferon alfa

- Recurrence while on interferon alfa

- Patients with stage IIB, IIC, or III disease must have already undergone
initial standard therapy (i.e., surgery) for the disease

- Choroidal (uveal) melanoma allowed provided 1 of the following criteria is met:

- Basal diameter > 16 mm

- Basal height > 8 mm

- Involvement of the ciliary body with tumor

- HLA-A*0201 positive

- Negative serum antidouble-stranded DNA antibody screen

- No known brain metastases

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

- Karnofsky performance status 80-100%

- Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3

- Absolute neutrophil count ≥ 1,500/mm^3

- WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3

- Lactic dehydrogenase ≤ 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

- Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL

- Bilirubin ≤ 2.5 times ULN

- Albumin ≥ 3.5 mg/dL

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception

- Weight ≥ 25 kg

- No preexisting choroidal eye disease

- No serious underlying medical conditions that could be exacerbated by study
participation (i.e., active infections requiring antimicrobial drugs or active
bleeding)

- No allergy to gold (i.e., gold jewelry)

- No evidence of any condition at the proposed site(s) of vaccine administration that
might interfere with the interpretation of local skin reactions, including any of the
following:

- Damaged skin

- Moles

- Scars

- Tattoos

- Marks

- No prior medical condition or use of medication (e.g., corticosteroids) that might
make it difficult for the patient to complete the full course of treatment or to
respond immunologically to vaccines

- No history or evidence (within the past 5 years) of a physician-diagnosed chronic or
recurrent inflammatory skin disease at the proposed site of vaccine administration,
including any of the following:

- Psoriasis

- Eczema

- Atopic dermatitis

- Hypersensitivity

- No history of keloid formation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- At least 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or radiotherapy (6 weeks
for nitrosoureas) and recovered

- No prior immunization with any class of vaccine containing gp100 peptide

- No other concurrent investigational agents

- No other concurrent systemic therapy or radiotherapy