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Gold Or Silver - Do You Have A Preference

9K views 92 replies 27 participants last post by  Wicked109 
#1 ·
Spot Gold at $1255.50 Buy $1312.70 1 oz Gold Buffalo face value $50.00
Or you can buy 1/10 oz Gold Eagles for $142.60 face value $5.00
Spot Silver at $16.50 Buy $19.38 1 oz Silver Eagle face value $1.00

You can buy 1 Gold Buffalo. Total face value $50
You can buy 67.7 (67) 1 oz Silver Eagles for the price of 1 Gold Buffalo. Total face value $67
You can buy 9.2 (9) 1/10 oz Gold Eagles for price of 1 Gold Buffalo. Total face value $45

Food for thought - Which would you buy and what's your logic?
 
#44 ·
I am NOT a precious metals dealer or salesman. I do NOT advocate that everyone must own precious metals. I have said that the USSA is the one country where gold is the least popular, because the banksters have brainwashed almost everyone in this country into believing that gold is bad to own. Yet, the banksters own thousands of TONS of it.

If you don't want to own gold, then don't. I'm only pointing out that it always has been, and will continue to be MONEY. If anyone doesn't need money in a collapsed socioeconomic world, then good for them. History shows that folks with money in such a scenario do tend to come out of said scenario better off.

I have no reason to wear my fingers out on the keyboard trying to convince folks to have something they don't want. All I have tried to do is explain why people have historically put their faith in gold and silver. Our own Constitution made it the law of the land. President Thomas Jefferson warned us that Central Banks would be the ruin of our nation, and would steal the nation from the people. It has already been DONE, because the people believed the banksters and the corrupt gubmint liars.

Digital wealth works as long as the "system's" credibility stands. In an economic panic, that credibility goes out the window. Gold is insurance for those instances.

I didn't invent this stuff, or write history. I am only pointing out what has happened and worked in the past. Those that believe in the "this time is different" story usually find out the hard way that it is not.
 
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#46 ·
Not sure how I missed this thread before, I find the subject fascinating and I was just jousting with Ten Man in the cashless society thread about the very thing and he mentioned this one.

So I have always been of nearly the exact mindset as ncnascarlady, as well as a die-hard Tony Stewart fan so she gets extra credibility. :p I just couldn't figure out what good gold or silver would do for me in a post apocalyptic society.

Ten Man, the banksters haven't brainwashed or convinced me of anything other than not to trust them and they have nothing to do with my lack of precious metals in my bug out bag so to speak. I keep enough money in my business checking account to facilitate cashflow in my business and pay my main money source which IS a big bank (AMEX) and I never owe my suppliers a dime. If trouble hits and I can't pay, AMEX takes the hit and not anybody I know and have a personal and business relationship with stretching back three decades. I won't have financial enemies in that terrible day, only allies that have been paid in full. In short, the banks trust ME, I don't trust them. AMEX gets paid weekly, not monthly, and I never pay a cent in interest. They take the risk and if it boils down to it they'll eat that risk and my relationships will be intact.

So now that we know that I didn't drink the kool-aid... Let's explore the reason for having precious metals and why one is a better choice. As we talked about in the other thread, I can see where having something more monetary in nature might be useful if the US economy collapsed and let's say for example the EU stays afloat. I would have something that is tangible to purchase things that are available in other places right? But... like what and how would I get my metal to them? So I think physical metals would have to be bartered here in the US, hence my current interest in silver over gold. Volatile yeah, but always useful. I think I can handle 10% of my net worth being volatile.
 
#47 ·
Unlike ACFixer, we live pay check to pay check. We don't have credit cards, and in no way, shape or form are well off. If we have any gold, silver or gemstones, they're buried in the creek in the back yard, quietly soaked in mud. And while I think about panning for it on occasion, that's as far as it gets.

That's why I don't get the whole put 10% of your reserves in gold or silver. I do get living by barter and trade. That's why I'm a big proponent of it instead of having gold or silver. And maybe that's short sighted of me, but I know what I skills I have, what I can produce by my efforts, and what it would be worth in the future. And given my age, I doubt I'd be around by the time a monetary economy would come back into being.
 
#49 ·
Well the reason I don't live paycheck to paycheck is that I don't get a paycheck ncnascarlady. ;) I've managed to get out of debt and stay out using Dave Ramsey's principles, and the only credit card I use is the AMEX which must be paid off monthly. Am I "well off"? You know I suppose I am in a sense for the reasons mentioned, no debt. But I have to buy my own health insurance and I have no retirement fund or 401K or any of that jazz and I'm 55 years old so I need to make it work for here on out. Trust me, there are lean financial times around here... but it's summer and it's time to prepare for winter for literally and figuratively. :)

My plan is big on the barter system, it's as old as time. Barter with what though? Well I'm an HVAC guy and although people scream and cry about it in the summer let's face it it's a luxury when it comes to survival and the demand for my services would likely be nonexistent especially if the electric and natural gas grids are gone. That leaves me having to invest in things to prepare for tough times that I CAN barter with. Food, water, shelter, fuel, and ammo. Well I've done that to a fair degree, some better than others, but I hear so many people I respect suggesting gold/silver that I have to wonder if it's worth throwing 10% of my preparations in that direction.
 
#53 ·
Over the last 10 years I have observed that the folks that do NOT own precious metals are the ones that always say it won't do you any good in SHTF scenarios. The banksters have done their job on these folks, very well. The folks that DO own precious metals are the ones that try to decide how much and which types. They know the banksters have lied to them, and are not going to get caught flat-footed when the financial world goes crazy.

I have been an advocate of owning precious metals, because history shows that is what ultimately passes for real money on this rock.

This advice is about as close as one can get to the functionality of precious metals in your SHTF preparations. Except that gold is especially good if you plan to survive the immediate scenario and thrive in the future, after the chaos has subsided:


Being the chronological age I am now, my priorities have shifted since I first dealt with this issue. We already WENT THROUGH a SHTF scenario, in 2007, and I did very well with gold.

We are likely to go through an even worse SHTF scenario within the next year or two. Gold will be good to have as the dollar continues it's collapse that started just recently.

Traditionally, late July and early August are the best times to BUY gold. Early December is the best time to sell gold, IF you are a speculator. If you are buying gold to hold for it's store of value, then buy NOW, and don't worry about the "paper price" of worthless dollars. Hold onto it like it is priceless, until you absolutely HAVE to part with it.

As always, DIVERSIFICATION is the best option. Some gold, some silver, some lead, and some steel, are ALL wise to have. Of course, you need to balance these with food, durable goods, and MOST importantly, CLEAN WATER.



Specifically answering your question, buy an equal number of ounces of both gold and silver bullion. If you can get NON-governmental bars or rounds (no official government coins), you get the most metal for your money. You pay LESS premium for bullion than you do for official coins, AND you get PURE metal, instead of alloyed for circulation. Also, you want to buy One Ounce denominations. The premium you pay for 1/2, 1/4, and 1/10 ounce coins is very stiff. I would only buy partial ounces if I was exclusively buying gold. Silver value is small enough that you would not have to divide a one ounce round. You would just accept more "product" or some other items as "change" for the balance of the round, OR just write it off. If you are concerned about having smaller denominations, because you intend to be actively trading/bartering, then spend $500 for a bag of "junk silver" (U.S. silver coins of pre 1965 denomination). Half dollars, quarters, and dimes minted in the U.S. before 1965 are 90% silver.

The reason I said buy equal number of ounces is because you will be using silver for transactions that require "money" to purchase items that can't be bartered for. Gold would only be used for very LARGE purchases, i.e. a vehicle, land, livestock, etc. That, and silver "prices" tend to fluctuate wildly, while gold prices are fairly stable. Gold is usually 75 times as expensive as silver (currently), so if you had equal number of ounces of each, when the SHTF, the value of silver will go up faster than the gold (because, historically, the gold silver ratio is 16:1), and you will make faster value gains on the silver as the G/S ratio declines from it's current 75:1 ratio down to it's 16:1 ratio, which is going to give you more purchasing power in daily use. Folks will not be able to "make change" for gold rounds, unless they have lots of silver, or smaller than one ounce denominations, and are willing to forego the premium.
Yup.

I think the key here is to live your life well, do lots of great stuff, and don't put all your eggs in one basket.

Meaning have enough gold and silver to tide you over for nondurables for a couple of years (nondurables meaning food and energy--and not necessarily at your present consumption rate but at your no kidding max conserve crisis levels--so we're probably not talking about huge quantities). But enough to get by.

And it's something that will hold its static value for years so can be passed on if nothing bad happens.

I'm blessed in that (thankfully outside of my professional life) I have HUGE failure rates of equipment; particularly electronics. Perhaps because I spend much time mobile and do a lot of things. But it always seems to quit or hang up when I need it.

And debit cards/credit cards are simply electronic ones and zeros.

Paper money is, well, paper. And have you seen what happens when a major stores' computer system simply goes down. All the electronic stuff that processes paper AS WELL AS credit cards/debit cards goes down too.

It's usually on a pretty small scale, but could easily be on a pretty large scale.

So it's nice to have something there to trade with which really doesn't go away.

And all the durable equipment in place you think you'll need.

Remember the ammo and mag runs that happened not that long ago ? Who were the folks who continued to shoot ? Folks who were carrying the inventory--whether that was ammo on hand, reloading components, or both. Now they maybe had to switch calibers around but continued to do stuff they liked to do. And weathered the storm.

Same as in life. You don't need to lose your life planning for something that will never happen, but carrying enough to get by for whatever circumstance you're likely to face in life is part of being ready for life. Just enough to tide you over to prevent fear and panic, while you figure out what happens next.
 
#55 ·
......I think the key here is to live your life well, do lots of great stuff, and don't put all your eggs in one basket........

Meaning have enough gold and silver to tide you over for nondurables for a couple of years (nondurables meaning food and energy--and not necessarily at your present consumption rate but at your no kidding max conserve crisis levels--so we're probably not talking about huge quantities). But enough to get by.

And it's something that will hold its static value for years so can be passed on if nothing bad happens.........
That's my whole spiel in a nutshell.

If things get ugly, and you have nothing BUT gold and/or silver, you are probably going to suffer.
 
#54 ·
Land ownership and it's usefulness is directly proportionate to it's desirability, no secrets there. You can buy 640 acres of land in northern Nevada for about $20K but you may as well own land on the moon because you're not going to live on either one. There's a reason nobody lives on that land now and it's a good one...
 
#57 ·
I've thought it through enough times to agree, without a sense of community from like minded neighbors you won't last a week. Some Jeremiah Johnson cat in the Yukon might, but that's not you and that's no kind of life.

I can't say I agree with their theology, but there is much to be learned from Mormons. They have a lot of earthly things right.
 
#58 ·
Some years back, my state department had a big IT project going, and the main contractor had a lot of White South African programmers. Their reports of the happenings in SA were chilling.
Even before that, my view of Mandela was that he was essentially a Communist-backed terrorist masquerading as a "freedom fighter". No different from Lenin and Castro, he just got caught before hitting the bigtime.
His wife is even worse. She has a lot in common with Shrillary Clinton. She knows where the bodies are.
 
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#62 ·
If you have a good amount of brass and lead, you can get silver and gold....... ;)
 
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#63 ·
Exactly. I get the part about wanting something of value when "SHTF", other than government paper currency. But why silver? What could possibly be more valuable than guns and ammunition? I can't think of anything. If you have guns, you can get anything you want. And history supports this. For example, back during the California Gold Rush, new Colt Single Action revolvers were an almost legal tender. With many selling in some places around San Francisco for over $400.00! And remember this was in the 1850's, when they retailed back in Conn. for something like $37.00.

Many shipments of guns from the eastern factories never made it to the west coast. They were taken by Indians and highway marauders. There is nothing more valuable than a firearm and ammunition for it when you have something, or someone to protect. It won't take long for word to get out you have silver. Without weapons to protect it and yourself, you won't have it for long.
 
#65 · (Edited)
Something else to think about. Just go back to the 2008 elections after Obama was elected. How long did it take for gun shop shelves to empty of ammo, and most any magazine fed semi automatic weapon? I live just 2 miles from the Glendale, Arizona Cabela's. They are one of the largest, if not THE largest firearms and ammunition retailer in the nation. Within just a couple of weeks, there wasn't a box of 9 MM or .45 ACP ammo to be had in the place. And the guy wasn't even sworn in yet! The Black Friday after the 2008 elections they sold over 450 guns from open to close. Their gun rack was picked clean. (Cabela's gun rack is over 100' long).

This continued for well over 6 months. And when they finally got some ammo in, purchases were limited to a box or 2, at over double the pre election price. Guns were being purchased before they got them out of the boxes to catalog them in. They were selling crappy, no name plastic 30 round AR-15 magazines for over $30.00 EACH. Now you can have 30 round Mag Pul P-Mags delivered to your front door all day long for $8.50 a piece.

Look at .22 ammunition. It became scarce within just a couple of weeks after the Sandy Hook shooting.... And it's supply still hasn't returned to normal. And that took place on December 14, 2012... Almost 5 years ago.

Now try to imagine what would happen to firearms and ammunition if a real calamity took place. Hell, try to imagine what would have happened if Hillary won instead of Trump. Instead of all of these AR's and ammo going at discounted rates, you would now have people standing in line to pay over triple what they are going for now. No matter how you look at it, the first thing people want when things start to look bad, is guns and ammo. If you doubt that, ask yourself this... Did you see any runs on silver at the coin shops after Obama got elected? There's your answer right there.
 
#79 · (Edited)
I think the point is we just don't know what will happen when stuff stops working. We got some glimpses of what CAN happen in some microcosms (like natural disasters, credit crunches, widespread software failures, etc.).

And stuff like this remains the most likely failure mode.

As does limited attacks against the US. Whether these be terrorist or the NK launching a nuke which hits a small area somewhere, natural disasters (the most likely thing), etc.

What I HAVE found is electronics often stop working. Whether that's because everyone is jamming everyone else with internet and cell phones, etc. after a happening, a system overload, a hard fail, a power outage, EMP, you name it. This includes ATMs and card readers.

And most stores, like I've said, kinda put cash in the same bin as ATM cards. They have SOME inventory control system which relies on computerized equipment and comms. SOMETIMES they can process cash devoid of this; ofttimes it shuts everything down.

And, like it or not, most of our money sits in ones and zeros somewhere. It's "backup" is paper whose value is only determined by what people think it is (not wholly unlike Baby Fark McGeezak's 'space cash').

So if you have a whole bunch of eggs in that basket (and the basket isn't even really with you or at your house) it's worth some consideration as to what happens if you can't get at them. This happens with enough regularity (and has happened across the world with other fiat currencies as well as the EU) it isn't wasted effort to think about the possibility.

So being temporarily self-sufficient (and being community self-sufficient for longer terms with your neighbors devoid of any formal structure) is worth thinking about.

As is alternate means of trade which gold and silver are.

It CAN be other stuff, but silver/gold is easily used and transferred, and also pretty much unaccountable (unlike cash or bank accounts; even cash has tracing stuff in it--although much less so that direct online transfers). It goes on bubbles like everything else, but if bought at the right price pretty much holds consistent value regardless of what fiat currencies do (and always has). So you might not need much, but I think having SOME is prudent as I've said.

And if you wind up not using it, it's pretty simple to let your kids know where it is. No probate, no traceability, no inheritance tax, no regulation, like some other stuff it just 'disappears' to someone who might find it useful at some point.

In fact, this lack of traceability (which has existed throughout history) made a bunch of paranoid progressives ban its possession in our nation when a REAL financial crisis hit us. They feared losing control over people and losing control of our monetary system. The fact that it WAS banned by a paranoid federal government (who also locked up US citizens of Japanese descent) ought to point to the fact it's something worth having.

Our currency system is designed around credit and inflation. There's no 'real' backing to it and it should be readily apparent that the US will never (and can never) pay its huge deficits and debts. It may be these get de-leveraged in a controlled fashion; usually this hasn't been what's happened throughout history and everything happens at once. It's not something we can control either; for every dollar taken in by the Feds, another 3 or 5 are leveraged or borrowed. When we reach our credit card limit, we don't pay down principal but simply raise the credit card limit. This will NEVER be dealt with until something forces it to be. NEITHER party cuts spending, and BOTH parties borrow as much as they can.

I think the REAL suckers in the equation are folks holding US debt; they'll get the interest and possibly SOME of their money back, but never as much as they put in. This bill will never be paid. Period.

Problem is it CAN take the monetary supply with it; whether that happens slowly or quickly no one knows.
 
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#88 ·
Can we just get it back on topic sure you can talk about what you view as more valuable post collapse compared to gold or silver. What we don't need are personal attacks.
 
#89 ·
I will admit I haven't read every post in this thread, so I may be repeating something here. However I do feel it is important info.

Silver has properties outside of just wealth storage or anything monetary.

I've read where you can place a silver coin in a bucket of water to help combat bacteria development, keeping it potable longer.

When hooked up with batteries in water and dissolved in specific ratios, you can make colloidal silver for consumption or topical treatment. Acts like a penicillin, combats infections. I know a specific case first hand, friend of mine had serious post-surgery infections. Army medical gave her tons of meds, no luck. After months her mom sent her colloidal silver, and after a few weeks the infection was gone. So in cases where bacteria have developed resistance to modern drugs, silver is still lethal to them.

I see no problem in maintaining a small amount of PM, especially if it may be converted at a later date, considering it's various uses. But to load down with it....too much weight lol.
 
#90 ·
I try to ignore the flack, and focus on the OP. I am retired, on a smallish pension, so live "paycheck to paycheck".
I have been "prepping" for years, but never saw the use of silver or gold, in my personal case.
If the government can keep some degree of "normality" going after a period of trouble, good. My preps help me through.
If a total breakdown occurs, what the hardcore call "WROL" or "Without Rule Of Law", then neither silver or gold will be of use, except in casting bullets.
So, I will still stock lead. I know I cannot hold onto my property and "stuff" alone. Lone-wolfing is cool in movies and novels, doesn't really work in real life. I haveca group of like-minded people with various skill sets. We will try to meet at one family's farm property in a nearby small town area. PMs won't be of any use there.
Food, medecines, tools, weapons, etc. will. Just my personal "Way".
Others will take a different path.
 
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