Money, money money

[Reservior]

You can get small ingots from £25 right up to £30,000.

I keep small coins, Krugerand or less. It's inflation proof as well and way better return than savings in the bank.

What a load of carp. I assume your small ingots you paid £25 for a very small and a £30,000 is much larger? I wouldn't describe a £25 'piece' of gold anything like an ingot. At the moment, retail, £50 will get you a gramm, not really an ingot, is it?

Krugerrands are gold coins which don't come into the small coin variety, not in value, anyway.

Inflation proof and a better return on savings? Pure speculation.

[icrcc]

Without a doubt gold and silver are the only way to go It you want a good return on investment and a currency that is inflation proof. Fiat currency does not hold its value but precious metal like gold and silver do. Fiat currencies can become worthless gold and silver have maintained their worth through the history of mankind. The problem is that gold and silver are currently so expensive that very few of us can afford to purchase any let alone build it into our preps.

[fromredtogreen]

You can get small ingots from £25 right up to £30,000.

I keep small coins, Krugerand or less. It's inflation proof as well and way better return than savings in the bank.

What a load of carp. I assume your small ingots you paid £25 for a very small and a £30,000 is much larger? I wouldn't describe a £25 'piece' of gold anything like an ingot. At the moment, retail, £50 will get you a gramm, not really an ingot, is it?

Krugerrands are gold coins which don't come into the small coin variety, not in value, anyway.

Inflation proof and a better return on savings? Pure speculation.

Another example of people on this forum jumping straight in with ill-informed negativity.

"Gold Bar" for £43 - here. http://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/gold-bar ... -gold-bar/

Coins from £73 upwards. http://www.bullionbypost.co.uk/gold-coins/

If you don't like what I do there's no need to trash it. You do things your way and I will do it mine.

As for my "pure speculation" that's just riduculous. Historic Gold prices are here for all to see: http://goldprice.org/gold-price-history.html

[TomW]

Perhaps, but historic price does not guarantee its future price. Anything can de-value just as much as it can increase. Past performance is no guarantee. That said the trend indicates an increase in value. But you also have to consider the human factor, there's a feeling that the price can't go much higher so people could stop investing. if a plateau is reached it may well be that confidence drops and as people try to unload their stocks the price too will drop. It's the same as any other investment.

The only worry I have about gold is what it might buy me if shtf. If it were me I'd probably accept a box of matches over a kg of gold. I mean what am I going to do with a kg of gold? Beyond currency what is/has gold been used for that it might be needed for in a shtf?

[fromredtogreen]

The only worry I have about gold is what it might buy me if shtf. If it were me I'd probably accept a box of matches over a kg of gold. I mean what am I going to do with a kg of gold? Beyond currency what is/has gold been used for that it might be needed for in a shtf?

That's exactly the point. It's a universally accepted currency. I keep gold in all sizes so I can buy small things or large.

You're unlikely to want to trade anything for £30k plus - a kilo - but you are likely to need to trade things for perhaps £1k and down.

You may need transport, fuel, food, shelter, anything. Keep me in mind if you ever do want to trade a matchbox for a kilo. I'll take it.

[Reservior]

Another example of people on this forum jumping straight in with ill-informed negativity.

Negativity, yes, but not ill informed

As for my "pure speculation" that's just riduculous. Historic Gold prices are here for all to see: http://goldprice.org/gold-price-history.html

Historic prices are just that. They are not a guarantee of anything in the future, hence me saying that that part of your post is nothing but speculation. Which is exactly what it is.

Good luck in your endeavours.

[daylen]

I think that which form of "money" you keep depends entirely on the scenario you're prepping for.

If you're prepping for a financial downturn then gold has historically been an excellent investment. It's definitely safer than stocks and shares.

However, in a wider breakdown of society - like a total SHTF, gold wouldn't be much use I don't think, at least not initially. Even then I think the exchange rate would be pretty poor given that gold is so hideously expensive at the moment. I can't imagine a gold coin buying with equivalent of £73 worth of goods at todays prices. I certainly wouldn't swap one small piece of gold for 70 litres of milk or a small solar panel unless I knew that I could get someone else to swap a similar amount of goods for it whenever I wanted them to.

In a SHTF scenario I imagine it would take a long time before people had confidence in any currency. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to tell real gold from fake and I guess that's the same with most people.

[Reservior]

In a SHTF scenario I imagine it would take a long time before people had confidence in any currency. I wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to tell real gold from fake and I guess that's the same with most people.

Leaving the investment stuff behind.

I will be accepting gold for trades. However, I'm not going to be giving you £50, post apocalyptic £50 worth, for £50 worth of gold bought at 2012 rates. If someone wants some food and all they have is gold, il take it in a straight swap . Why would I take it? Others might not agree with me here but whilst many don't see gold as having much value in that scenario, I do, but in the longer term. Societies/groups/communities/clans whatever you want to call them, will form and some will be more successful than others. Over time successful groups will become 'wealthier' and will start to think about luxuries . I agree that that timescale is a great unknown and ultimately, that, amongst other variables and factors might render my idea as worthless or even dangerous. As things stand right now, I will be accepting gold, for trades, but only for my advantage.

To answer some members thoughts, yes, I have no problem with Capitalism and entrepreneurship, today or in a post apocalyptic society

[Huntsman]

You can get small ingots from £25 right up to £30,000.

I keep small coins, Krugerand or less. It's inflation proof as well and way better return than savings in the bank.

What a load of carp. I assume your small ingots you paid £25 for a very small and a £30,000 is much larger? I wouldn't describe a £25 'piece' of gold anything like an ingot. At the moment, retail, £50 will get you a gramm, not really an ingot, is it?

Krugerrands are gold coins which don't come into the small coin variety, not in value, anyway.

Inflation proof and a better return on savings? Pure speculation.

Another example of people on this forum jumping straight in with ill-informed negativity.

I have to agree, I have begun to withdraw from this forum recently due to a small amount of members becoming increasingly negative and in some circumstances blatantly rude. I understand that some people may be stressed or depressed but I feel this is not a place to vent there frustration.

On another note, I have been accumulating a moderate supply of silver.

[icrcc]

Past history is the best indicator of future performance. The link to the site goldprice .org that fromredtogreen posted is a good one that I use daily. Now while it is true that the price fluctuates in the short term in the long term it only goes in one direction, up. At least there are some here that agree precious metals are just that, precious. Pre SHTF gold and silver are investment. As stated earlier post SHTF it will take time for currencies to develop. You can't eat gold but after a while you be able to buy a LOT of food for it. For those who are going the precious metal route what do you intend to trade when the food disappears and your family is hungry?