“And I could easily carry $100k while still looking like a common, unwashed peasant.”
The problem is, if there is a collapse, no one will want it. Its price will drop to nothing in days.
I agree that it won’t be worth much DURING the collapse. At that point, only food, water, and shelter will matter.
As a previous poster noted, it’s value will be for AFTER the collapse has stabilized, and society as started to rebuild. Gold has been a store of wealth for thousands of years. That won’t change anytime soon.