[grania]

I'm wondering if the best way to have gold and silver is in ones possession and in a form clearly identified as to its worth.

Silver dollars and stamped 1/10 oz gold bullion cubes do that.

Anything else in times of crisis will have a value that can be disputed. Think what happened when people cashed in grandma's jewelry for melt-down value. They were at the mercy of the person buying it. And gold mutual funds or certificates saying it's being safely stored.....well, that's just plain dumb.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Pre-1965 dimes, quarters and halves are what you want in silver and fractional gold coins. I would not collect bars.