Posted on 10/29/2005 10:13:52 AM PDT by Travis McGee
The gold is for after the shooting is over. I've chosen Kruggerands. (coins)
No doubt! The rule would be "Don't EVER show your hand!"
I think in the event of crisis, the first few days or weeks would be the worst. After that, things might gradually return to some sense of normalcy.
If half the folks in my neighborhood are starving, I AIN'T gonna go out on my front deck and start grilling bratwurst!!
I remember reading Pearl Buck's book; The Good Earth*, where the villagers come to the subject's house when they think she has food.
(*Ya, it was the first edition too, written on reed paper)
Even after the initial shooting is over, ya need some lead if you wanna keep your gold!!
You point out many of the reasons (Y2K fallacies) which make this essay from Argentina so invaluable.
I think the Japanese experience with face masks is that they prevent the wearer from blowing his spores all over kingdom come.
If you are in a supermarket etc and everyone is masked, everyone is safer....from each other.
Though ski masks in a convenience store make me a bit edgy...
The problem pointed out in this essay is that "the shooting" might go on for years and years, at a low level. If anyone sees you with a Krugerrand, ever, anywhere, and words gets around, you may be the target of a large coordinated home invasion. In that case, they will torture you and your family to death, on the hope that someone will reveal where the rest (if any) are hidden or buried. His point about common gold rings as survival currency is a good one. Pulling out a gold ring is a plausible "everyman" action. Pulling out a Krugerrand is like paying with crisp $1,000 dollar bills. For that reason, I've also bought pre-1965 "junk silver." A silver dime is now worth about a buck, or a can of soup in SHTF days.
But as the author points out, that's not easy, for a single family guardian to accomplish. You can't be on guard 24/7 and also do life's chores. And if the bad guys get wind of your Krugerrands, food stockpile etc, it makes you a target, BIG TIME. And the idea is to keep a low profile...so just having lots of gold, food etc is great, but keeping it and not being killed for it will be hard.
RE: junk
I have a dealer who specializes in making medallions, etc.
I can buy junk from him for a bit less than melt, I got 300 face yesterday for about 7.40 oz.
You can also get the US or Canadian gold in tenth ounce pieces. Easily concealed, and more in line with buying something like a cord of wood. I've heard about people buying 1000 oz silver bars thinking they can get something for them if the shtf, yeah, you might be able to get something for them, only if you use it to smash the guys head in with it!
Yup, I know. I have old quarters.
Gold "dimes" make a lot of sense, filling the gap between silver rounds and bars, and one ounce gold coins.
I'm getting into this a lot in my new novel. A lot.
Forewarned is forearmed. Guns, gold, geography, etc.
It's interesting, the gold/silver price ratio has historically been about 15 to one. Now, it's about 60 to 1.
But during the oil crisis of the late 70's, when gold rocketed to 850, silver tok off and peaked at about $52 and ounce... which is right in the 16 to one range...
if it were to equalize now, silver would go up to somewhere 30-35 an ounce.
$850.00 an oz then would equal about $2,000.00 an ounce today.
My gold guy said that $2,000.00 will happen about 2008 and about $850.00 in 2006.
bump
I have more than I would ever use in both .22 LR and Magnum. Enough for most purposes in 9mm and 6.5 Swedish Mauser, but not enough for trade. An adequate amount in other calibers.
NW Florida contains enough springs for water for everyone although it might require a little travel. The early settlers all settled near a spring for obvious reasons.
The simple fact is there is not enough food for the entire population to survive until people learn to plant and breed animals. A huge number will starve to death. No way to get around it.
We'll still need to get our generator!
Just a general observation on "food in the pipeline":
In the last 25 or so years, "logistics" and "supply chain management" have become big, big business. An important aspect of this is reducing the amount of material / inventory in warehouses and the "pipeline" (on truck, trains, ships, etc).
Doing this helps reduce the capital tied up in funding this inventory, for a business. Businesses are making an effective, rational (for them) business decision by investing in efficient supply chain management techniques.
Just a good thing to realize, as you improve your long-term-storage food supplies. I had already decided mine needed upgrading, after watching this year's hurricanes. This article, and some of the other items I've come across through it, just cements that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.