Anybody invested in precious metals?

[Joe Demko]

Having some precious metals on hand isn't a bad idea.  Telling the world not only that you have it, but exactly how much and in what form...not so much.
Loose lips, gentlemen.

[Manedwolf]

Having some precious metals on hand isn't a bad idea.  Telling the world not only that you have it, but exactly how much and in what form...not so much.
Loose lips, gentlemen.

If someone wants to go try to rob a bank vault to get it, they're welcome to. It's covered.

[280plus]

Ditto... There's plenty of concrete and steel between mine and the outside world. 

And some very irritable bank ladies too... 

[yesitsloaded]

In all honesty, if the S hits the F bad enough and the sheep don't have guns and I do, I don't think I'm going to be trading so much as relieving them of their burden.

[CAnnoneer]

In all honesty, if the S hits the F bad enough and the sheep don't have guns and I do, I don't think I'm going to be trading so much as relieving them of their burden.

Good to know. Still, that strategy will get you killed faster than almost anything else. And you'll deserve it.

[Joe Demko]

In all honesty, if the S hits the F bad enough and the sheep don't have guns and I do, I don't think I'm going to be trading so much as relieving them of their burden.

Good to know. Still, that strategy will get you killed faster than almost anything else. And you'll deserve it.

Ideally, in the form of a rope around the neck.  In a situation like that, I wouldn't want anybody to waste a bullet.

[Manedwolf]

In all honesty, if the S hits the F bad enough and the sheep don't have guns and I do, I don't think I'm going to be trading so much as relieving them of their burden.

Then you'd be a looter. And personally, if I saw a looter taking stuff from innocent people at gunpoint after a disaster, their first warning that I'd seen them would likely be a .308 from a distance.

[Gewehr98]

I'm thinking 20-50K rounds of ammo, plus the components and reloading tools to make at least that much would stand me well in the post-apocalyptic society, vs. a few silver or gold coins. 

[Paddy]

I'm not even thinking of precious metals in a SHTF context.  I'm only considering them as a hedge against inflation, the declining dollar, and hopefully a vehicle for appreciation.

[zahc]

It's a better conductor,

Silver is a better electrical conductor actually.

[Bogie]

1) You can't eat it.
 
2) It's hard to move - my uncle's safe deposit box weighed over 180 pounds.
 

[charby]

I'm thinking 20-50K rounds of ammo, plus the components and reloading tools to make at least that much would stand me well in the post-apocalyptic society, vs. a few silver or gold coins. 

A couple of Kg of Cocaine or Herion probably stretch a lot further than precious metals.

I wonder what the shelf life is of those substances?

[Creeping Incrementalism]

I can see precious metals as an inflation shelter, but not as a SHTF precaution. Training and supplies would be far more valuable. If you offer me silver or gold for my supplies or services, I will politely refuse the trade while laughing inside.

True, but what about the post-apocolyptic post-barter pre-government stage of TEOTWAWKI?

[WeedWhacker]

During the Revolutionary - Civil War Era it was common to put a silver dime in a wound before bandaging.

Was that to prevent zombie-tude? 

Yup, silver has some antibacterial properties. Not sure how smart it would be to leave the dime inside a person, if they did that. Might cause some troubles getting through airport security.