And what about the people who invest in gold/silver certificates?! Do you think when the crap hits the fan they’ll just be able to walk up and say, “Can I have my gold now please?” I wonder if they think they’ll ever be able to walk into the grocery store and buy bread with gold? When the dollar ceases to have fiat value and you walk into a grocery store with gold you’re dead - you’ll be far out numbered. Gold is beautiful, but it only has value in a stable economy.
From what I’ve read gold and silver have been quite oversold. I’d be surprised if people who have purchased certificates even get their money back, forget about ever seeing the actual metals.
10 times more gold has been sold than they have.
The country won't stay in a state of chaos forever - probably less than three years. After that time - and probably before - lines of communication will be set up. In the first days gold won't have value - as you say - it can't be eaten - and it's worthless in an unstable environment. But that instability - at that level - won't last. And when it starts falling away, gold will have value. Our currency collapsing doesn't imply that every currency in the world will collapse as the same time. Gold will still trade for Canadian dollars - and those might hold their value.