[Evil Slayer]

Okay, say the dollar is worthless and gold is the standard metal for buying anything. Say I got some gold in the form of one ounce "certified" coins worth $3K each that I paid for. How do I buy groceries or purchase gasoline, etc with my gold coins? What if the cost of my groceries, gas, utility bill, mortgage payments get accepted and paid for with the one ounce pieces of gold? Remember, each ounce is supposedly worth $3K. Do I get myself an ounce scale and cut up the pieces of gold? Do I put the gold in an envelope and mail them with a stamp that has to be paid with gold as well? And how will the clerks at the grocery check out lane know what I'm giving them is the right amount when the value of gold keeps going up and down?

I think this whole thing of feeling secure because I gave gold to replace the paper dollar is kind of spooky and unreliable. In other words, hopeless.

[Jim Noble]

How do I buy groceries or purchase gasoline, etc with my gold coins?

And how do you dare reveal to the butcher, the baker, or the candlestick maker that you have a supply?

The problem, under the Mad Max scenario, won't be using it.

It will be keeping it.

[justa-hairyape]

You start you premise with - the dollar is worthless. So in that case, what can you do with dollars beside use them as toilet paper ? At least gold will retain its value. Worse case scenario, you sell a gold coin for paypal credits. Then go down to the local grocer and slide your paypal debit card for payment. My guess is we will have a gold or silver backed online service. How about paygold or paysilver ? Eventually you will be able to buy groceries with silver eagles. Otherwise known as, real money.

[hinckley buzzard]

How do I buy groceries or purchase gasoline, etc with my gold coins? What if the cost of my groceries, gas, utility bill, mortgage payments get accepted and paid for with the one ounce pieces of gold...

Your question implies a collapse of government currency. In such an apocalyptic case (which will not happen), you arrange for the gold to be held as collateral in a credit account with whomever. Exchanges would spring up in no time, probably organized by banking institutions. Local scrip would replace the dollar for small purchases, as it did during the Great Depression, only now based on gold held in trust by third parties rather than on full faith and credit of the goobermint.

[silverleaf]

If you are concerned about using precious metals for barter in a survival scenario, then don't buy large value coins, buy small one- 1/10 or 1/20 OZ or even by the grain

There is an extra premium but there is also greater flexibility.

Also look at silver, especially junk silver. A mercury dime is worth about $3 in meltdown value of the metal at silver $40 an oz, a silver quarter (pre 1964) is worth about $7. That is maybe worth a loaf of bread or a gallon of gas or a bottle of aspirin.

Even pure copper coins are heating up- copper is $4 a pound but who gets to buy and hold industrial copper and who wants to try to trade in big bars of metal? Coins are $1- $2, have the chance to become the poor man's silver (as silver is the poor man's gold)

Our society is used to seeing gold silver and copper (esp coinage) as money and as having value.

[Ernie Kaputnik]

“How do I buy groceries or puchase gasoline, etc. with my gold coins?”

Answer: You wouldn’t use gold for such small transactions. Rather you would use silver coins (nickles, dimes, quarters, half-dollars and dollars).