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Brute fact about money gold and silver

7K views 53 replies 39 participants last post by  IceDemon 
#1 ·
I find it strange that so many survivalists place such an importance on money,gold or silver in a post shtf scenario. This way of thinking is in my opinion no different then the way the sheeple think. Why is so much value placed on these objects? Think about it. Who taught us that these things were of any value?

The government has brainwashed most of its people into believing its institution of lies. For instance, the fact that a piece of paper is money,and that it will be valuable in a true shtf situation is absurd.

That piece of paper will only be money as long as the members of that society believe that it is so. Being money is an institutional fact,that the government has embeded into our brains. If shtf and we are serious about survival and change then we must start thinking as free people now.

The brute fact is that the only things of value post shtf are...

Preps
Skills
Knowledge
Shelter
Family,and friends
Health
Freedom

And the preservation of the great vision our forefathers had for this country before it got all twisted and perverted by the corrupt leaders of our society.
 
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#5 ·
While what you say is LARGELY true, it's not COMPLETELY true. Yes, money, gold, and silver pretty much only have value because people think they have value; but keep in mind that that belief, at least for gold and silver, is backed by thousands of years of human history. It's embedded in the human psyche. Pull out a gold coin and wave it under someone's nose, and you're going to get a reaction. In an immediate crisis skills, preps, all the things you list may be the difference between life and death; but in a less severe situation, or in its aftermath, a concentrated form of wealth like gold and silver may also be a life saver, or at least a life enhancer. Especailly as a medium of exchange. Bartering goods and services for other goods and services is certainly workable, but tends to be clumsy and occasionally difficult. Being able to trade gold or silver coins for what you want, especially if you're trying to trade with a guy who wants none of the other goods or skills you have, certainly would make things easier. A prudent prepper, therefore, might be well served by including some precious metals in his preps, even if just a roll of silver dimes; after all, the goal is to be as prepared as possible for WHATEVER might come along.

And yes, you CAN eat gold and silver. It just doesn't do much for you. :D:
 
#6 ·
That is a good post although many who are deeply embedded in society will strongly disagree and will probably always think money and gold are very important.

Society as it is now places much, far too much importance to money and all that is related to that. Possibly many will learn, even the hard way, how important money is such as people in the past did. Such as in the Great Depression many learned to live without much money. Such as my grandparents, who were extremely frugal, always had a large garden, canned food, had a root cellar, hogs, chickens etc. in the middle of a small town in Colorado even!
They were survivalists long before the word was even invented in the seventies. And they did survival because they Had to and not just for a hobby.

But about gold and silver is that people can have some IF they have money left over after they have all their more important preps, stored food, water filter etc. And I would say if people can afford gold and silver they should be able to afford some land and at Least have a vacation cabin or a good place that is also their survival retreat and Then last of all have some gold and silver as part of their "portfolio"

I had some gold but sold it so I could buy this > http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=84562
Silly, crazy, nuts but I would rather have a good remote, well located and well stocked survival retreat than 100 ounces of gold.
 
#9 ·
Here is an illustration.

The government and media convinces people that there is a pandemic, and that you must take the vaccine to survive. If you believe this then that is your reality, and the vaccine is valuable to you.

If you chose not to believe the lies that are being fed to you by the government, then the vaccine is totally worthless to you.

As a fellow survivalist I think that our mentality has a few kinks in its Armour. In some ways we are still thinking like the sheep. I think the survivalist community needs to reevaluate some of the things it has been taught. We must keep the emphasis on what really matters, and place the highest value on those things.

In a shtf scenario, and I mean a really bad one, our preps,knowledge,and skills will be worth more then any piece of paper or precious metal.
 
#10 ·
No those are not brute facts...

Those are only assumptions...

For all you know...rocks and dirt might be the only possessions that carry any value post SHTF....

Who knows...maybe there's a slightly purple cow who farts a blue methane cloud of gas that we humans are able to capture in a glass jar...

And we use that for currency post SHTF....
 
#15 · (Edited)
So, in a post SHTF world if the first fella you walk up to is selling loaves of bread and wants 300 winchester magnums, 50 rounds for one loaf and alls you have is gold coins, and he says pound salt, whats that gold worth now? Or better yet he says 10 1 oz coins per loaf, are you going to tell him to pound salt and wait who knows how long for the next guy selling bread, with no one in sight?
 
#17 ·
I don't know about you...but all of the survivalists I know aren't hoarding gold coins exclusively...

It goes back to what I already stated..

Who knows...maybe there's a slightly purple cow who farts a blue methane cloud of gas that we humans are able to capture in a glass jar...

And we use that for currency post SHTF....
I'm saying there are no guarantees....I'm willing to accept that gold could be on par with dirt for all I know....but I wouldn't bet money on it. (no pun intended)

Adaptation is an asset.
 
#19 ·
1. Gold and silver are not money because we are told they are money -- they are money because humans have valued them for thousands of years.

2. Paper money is money because it works at the moment, but it has a demonstrated track record of value shrinkage, punctuated by catastrophic failures when you needed "a wheelbarrow to buy a loaf of bread". Count on it for nothing beyond tomorrow.

3. It is true that gold & silver won't be your primary concern when you are cowering in your basement trying to protect your family & praying just for another sunrise. But if such a terrible future does await us, you will be amazed at how quickly you find other survivors trading with gold & silver as a convenient, portable, and readily accepted medium of exchange.

4. Food, tools, skills, shelter, guns, etc., etc., etc., and pre-1965 circulated "junk" US silver coins FTW!
 
#20 ·
I find it strange that so many survivalists place such an importance on money,gold or silver in a post shtf scenario. This way of thinking is in my opinion no different then the way the sheeple think. Why is so much value placed on these objects? Think about it. Who taught us that these things were of any value?
I hope your not saying to not worry about storing money, gold and silver. Most people are prepping for such things like a hurricane, earthquake, riots, etc.. You need money during those times. The chance of a total break down in society throughout the world were it won't recover is very slim. Even a total break down of society in just North America, your going to need at least gold or silver when society recovers. Gold and silver has been used for thousands of years and I doubht it will stop being used for currency when society recovers. Not prepping with silver and gold I think is a big mistake.

Everybody (or every should) know that paper money is as good as the faith put into it and as good as the governement backs it up. That seems to be on a big decline nowdays. But not storing it (along with gold and silver) would be a big mistake I think.
 
#22 ·
I agree 100% that in a SHTF scenario PM's will disappoint many folks. The value of anything is 100% beholden to the laws of supply and demand. While the intrinsic value of gold is close to 0 (unless you are going to use it in a manufacturing type setting but I doubt any of us will be melting gold to make electronic components during a SHTF scenario) there is a case to be made for gold as a "store(er) of value" during economic periods. But that is where, in my opinion, the value stops.

In a SHTF scenario if you have gold but no supplies to live on, you are up the river. Furthermore, there is not some underground system for trading gold for bread or water so going to some marketplace with your gold is out of the question. Who are you going to trade your gold with? Will they accept it? Do they even care? What price will you pay for that water? If you are dying of thirst will you trade all your gold for a gallon of fresh water? Is that a good "investment" when you could have bought 1,000 gallons of water pre-SHTF for that 1 oz of gold? What if the government takes your gold?

I am planning to do a large video series on the difference between risk and uncertainty. The questions above represent uncertainty and therefore the issue needs to be avoided (in my opinion). There is no way to answer those questions so they go way past "risks" and there is no roadmap for a widespread SHTF scenario like we may be facing.

Just my 1/2 oz....
 
#24 ·
I find it silly to prep for defense of you home, prep for feeding yourself, prep for personal hygene, prep for water, power, skills and tools and not prep fiancially. No matter what gold and silver can be used to barter with and will buy something, while paper may not. It may buy more than you expected or much less than you expected. But to say it's useless is absolutly out the question.
 
#25 ·
As a survivalist, one must be prepared for a number of disasters. With that in mind, a recession/depression is a scenario that is a very real threat at this time. Gold and silver doesn't just hold value in this country but ALL countries. It's rarity and resistance to corrosion make it an excellent medium of exchange. (no shrinkage/spoilage). Personally, I prefer silver because it has many industrial uses, therefore it is consumed.
The very reason the US government stopped backing our currency with PMs is because they couldn't inflate it like a fiat currency.
 
#26 ·
>Again I’m talking about a very bad shtf situation.

No you are talking about TEOTWAWKI like I Am Ledgend or The Day After.

There are plenty of SHTF situations that are way more likely to occur where cash
is an absolute prep.

Think a hurricane like Katrina where you are running for your life. You need gas for your vehicle and the service station is not going to trade a bag of rice for a tank of gas. A nucular powere plant melts down and you need to get 1000 miles away. Motel is not likely to give you a room for a coupel of boxes 45 acp ammo.

McLOVIN
 
#28 ·
IMO, as others have said it depends on the severity of the scenario. If it is another terrorist attack(10KT detonated in DC)gold & silver would be a good commodity. However, if there is a nuclear exchange, I do not see it worth anything in a barter. The reason is there is no guarantee it will be worth something after the disaster. Durable goods would be worth much more in a barter situation IMO.

That aside, I will have some gold and silver saved, but mostly concentrate on durable goods, food, water, ammo, etc.
 
#29 ·
Folks, we have a perpetual supply of chickens and eggs and goats and milk, cheese , yogurt, goat meat......we'd love to trade for stuff we need( but it'll be the same stuff others need, besides food- feminine products, medicine, skills, etc), but if G&S is all they have, I'll take it. IF anybody has extra stuff and is in the market to make a profit, they WILL take gold and Silver.......Gold has never been worth nothing....imo, it certainly does NOT hurt to have some around.
 
#30 ·
There will always be people who think Gold/Silver is worth something and are willing to trade for it. Think of the gold rush of 1849. People who didn't have ANYTHING would basically walk across the country with the hopes of "striking it rich". Gold has had worth throughout human history. There's NEVER been a time in history that hold hasn't had worth. Why would SHTF be any different.
 
#32 ·
As has been pointed out in these threads numerous times already, the anti-gold crown insists on seeing this issue in unrealistic extremes. For example, they always discuss gold's value during nothing but a complete and total societal meltdown, and assume those with gold hold NO other preps, BUT gold.
If all social order,industry and government on Earth collapses completely,( which is virtually impossible,short of a giant asteroid), then I agree, gold will take a distant back seat,as food,water,weapons would be paramount. But for all the infintitely more likely lesser-grades of SHTF, gold will have nearly supreme value. Look at all the other societies throughout history where the SHTF,you'll see gold held value and was used.
Also, who is going to have prepped with many ounces of gold, but not have a single can of beans or a gallon of water, and then get stuck trading all their gold for them?
This is typical of the extreme,unrealistic arguments repeatedly made by the anti-gold crowd.
 
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