Question for you all...

[David M.]

This is a question that crossed my mind the other night while watching the news. Have you all noticed the "Gold commercials" that aire every night? There was 5 different commercials in 30 min on Fox. Here's my question, If you had a solid investment, such as gold, why would you want to exchange it for the so-called worthless American dollar? The pitch men and women try to convince you that the dollar is shrinking in value, and it's only a matter of time before it collapses....so, why would you want to exchange your gold for that useless piece of paper? I wonder what the gold companies are doing with all these dollars that are flying in, because there is a waiting list to get "your gold". I have a theory. In the thirties, the govt. confiscated all the gold they could get their hands on. If the dollar does collapse, and rendered worthless, don't you think they'd do it again? Here's the kicker, they won't match dollar for dollar. You'll get pennies on the dollar if your'e lucky. I look forward to your replies.

[prkchp76]

you have hit the nail on the head this time david i have said the same thing right gold is next to guns guts and glory right so im with u

[Dracos]

Gold and silver are very good investments. The companies that advertize on TV don't "actually" want you to buy gold. They want you to pay for the gold that they will kindly store for you in their vault. That would be a very foolish thing for you to do. In an emergency they would have the gold and you would have a worthless piece of paper.
As to the price of gold, here is a good analogy. If you are in a boat and it gets a hole knocked in the bottom of it will begin to sink. If you are in the boat it will appear that the water level is rising. However if you look at the big picture you will see that the water level stays the same. The ship is sinking. The ship is the US dollar. As our government borrows and prints money the dollar's value sinks lower. The value of gold seems to rise, but in fact it only stay the same. There are situations where the dollar could become almost worthless. Check out Germany after WWI. Check out Zimbabwey today. Gold and silver have been currency for thousands of years. They will continue to be in the future. Just make sure it is YOUR vault.

[David M.]

But, that still doesn't answer the question. If you had all the gold, why would you want to trade it for paper money? And, if so, what are you doing with all that paper currency?I agree gold is good, I don't have any, and so be it. If the dollar collapsed, and you had gold, and you wanted gas or bread or whatever, are you going to "shave off " a little to buy what you need? Still curious....

[Big_Saw]

Buy gold and silver coins......that's it....as a practical realist, and not an investment counselor, I would say keep away from "gold investments".......

[herbalpagan]

No one smart would want to trade their gold or silver for paper moeny right now. If you buy from these places, don't spend your money unless they actually give you the gold.
I have found a smart bar of silver though that answers the "how will you spend it" question. It's called "Stagecoach Silver" and it's an ounce bar and it has markings on the back so you can slice it into quarters.

[David M.]

You hit the nail HP. No one smart would want to trade their gold for paper money right now, so, the question remains unanswered. I'm not in the market, I've invested in another group of metals, brass and lead. I'm just asking why THEY want YOUR dollars for THEIR gold...It's quite puzzling to me. You'd think if you had gold, you'd sit on it.

[Big_Saw]

Figure it this way: These gold companies bought when gold was uber low....now it's uber high......sell high, and double or even triple the investment capital....all the while their subsidiaries are buying it from Joe Blow for a medium price while Joe sits in the unemployment line.....it's a good return for them once the circle is complete.....

[Dracos]

David M asks a good question. How do you use silver and gold? At present, if I wanted to buy something with my Precious Metals I would take them to a dealer and convert them to cash. The time may come when no amount of cash would make me part with it. It would be a tradable commodity. Like guns, ammo or toilet paper. The advantage of gold it is so portable. Anyone can carry $100,000 worth of gold.

[David M.]

Dracos, can you imagine giving Habib at the 7-11 some gold dust for a roll of toilet tissue? I can't see gold bartering. Unless you know how to test for purity, those taking the gold in on trade are running a high risk of rip off. I don't want us to lose focus on the original question: Why would they want the paper? I see what 'Saw is saying, but whoever is holding the paper in the end gets reamed big time, if it does collapse.(Which I believe is coming) There again, if you got it for real, why not sit on it?

[hubste5]

There is a multitude of the population who do not think like we do, their logic is based on today and tomorrow, not next week, or next year. They do not belive that there is a storm coming...

[Big_Saw]

Dunno....but I wish I had 100,000 bucks worth of it :D .....as for bartering with it-there are a dozen simple tests to authenticate gold purity, from drop tanks to simple chemical swabs...even the old fashioned bite test....silver is actually harder to verify...but figure this: In a post-shtf world, where real justice has returned....I sure as hell wouldn't wanna be caught slinging false coin.....jmo

[Dracos]

Well, I'm glad you are thinking. There are stamps put on gold bars. They can be faked but are generally trusted. But one thing that can not be faked is the specific gravity of gold. You can put some water in a graduated cylinder and put some gold in. The water level will rise by EXACTLY the amount of water the gold displaces. Easy. Cheats would be caught and dealt with. I'm not likely to buy toilet paper with gold. But I may buy the store.

[Big_Saw]

Well, I'm glad you are thinking. There are stamps put on gold bars. They can be faked but are generally trusted. But one thing that can not be faked is the specific gravity of gold. You can put some water in a graduated cylinder and put some gold in. The water level will rise by EXACTLY the amount of water the gold displaces. Easy. Cheats would be caught and dealt with. I'm not likely to buy toilet paper with gold. But I may buy the store.

In a shtf scenario, I wouldn't trade my TP for any amount of coin anyway :D ....

[monet861]

I know this is off the original question, but the trade issue is why I keep 20 lbs or so of silver dimes. A gold coin might be worth $1k, but a couple of dimes might be good for some food or ammo. Or you just fill your sock and whack away.

Like I said off OP topic.