What will precious metals be worth if SHTF?

It depends on the scenario.

1) A scenario where the world will be restored to some sort of country based system, including governing bureaucracies within 5 years.

2) A secnario where the worst has happened and everyone is out for themselves.

In the first scenario gold may be valuable, but only after you have lasted the 5 year storm. In this time you will need basic supplies or the ability to live off the land.

In the second scenario gold will have little value because it has no use. People will happily trade food, fresh water, tools, seeds, sanitary products and all sorts of other things for a mountain of gold. Consider your offering to someone who needs food. You offer them gold and someone else offers them a full leg of ham. Who exactly do you think they will choose?

Gold only has value because we place value upon it. In the modern age it has a very clear use in electronic components, in past ages it had value as jewelery but only in cultures with a stable economy.

reply to post by NexGenRevolution


I agree. I got some good advice a few days ago. This guy said if you don't have all the SHTF supplies you need right now, you have no business spending your money on "precious metals." Seriously, think about it. What good is having some gold or silver if you don't have any water, a water source, food to last you some months, hunting skills, any guns/ammo, camping equipment, first aid supplies. etc etc. The list goes on.

And I was reading the Bible... don't know if you're Christian but I happened to land on a very relevant passage about hoarding gold and silver! Check it out:
(Ezekiel 7:19 )They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the LORD: they shall not satisfy their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumblingblock of their iniquity.

And anyway, how will you know it's real silver or gold when bartering? How much will it even be worth after a complete collapse of civilization as we know it? In a situation where you can't communicate with the rest of the world, you can't check how valuable silver or gold is.

So buy all the supplies you need now because we could be hit by an EMP or X-flare that will knock out the grid, and all that money you got sitting in your bank account? You can kiss that bye-bye, you won't see that anymore most likely. Spend what you got NOW on what you NEED. And if you got anything left over, then if you feel the need, buy precious metals.

But personally, I'd much rather barter with supplies. (Have on stock things other people might not think they need, but probably will. These will be new "precious metals")

reply to post by SeekerofTruth101

When SHTF ELE happens and you survive, your best asset is yourself and those whom you can trust.

1. Form a group and pool your resources.

2. Get to higher ground, with no virus or radiation or etc, but with arable land to grow crops and rear animals.

3. Ensure there is enough water supply.

4. Build defenses around your area, which should be of a size you can defend easily with simple weapons and traps.

5. Set up rules and laws so that each in your group will understand and cooperate.

6. Search for more survivors and help them to your community and expand it.

7. Rebuild civilisation.

Pretty much my plan in a nutshell.

1. I have my group pre-defined (my friends and family). We all know how to shoot, and all have a pretty diverse group of skills. I just hope most of them can get here in a SHTF event, but they know they are welcome.

2. There isn't really any "high ground" in FL. I'll either be dead, or we'll survive it. As long as the land is still there, I'm certainly bunking down on our ranch. We're working on getting a good garden going too.

3. We have a well, so we're good (and I'm devising other water stores).

4. Just a few acres, but with a small group, pretty defensible, and already have pretty much 3 layers of fencing to get to the house.

5. Still working on these. A lot of this would depend on the nature of the SHTF scenario, whether it was a short-term or long-term situation...but the basics we've all kind of discussed.

6. Nice thing about being in the country is knowing your neighbors. Another thing, is that they are used to also being more self-reliant than average city folk.

7. If a long-term situation, there you go. My friends have kids, so we'll have a good generation mix (and diverse enough gene pool).

Of course, I hope we NEVER have to actually USE these plans....and it all depends on the nature of the SHTF event. My prep plans are pretty much more for about 12-20 people surviving WELL for 3 months, with the flexibility of longer-term solutions. I do it under the guise of prepping for Hurricane season (so each year, during Hurricane season, I have some good excuses to maintain, add to, our preparations). Or I occasionally joke about a Zombie Apocalypse (not a real fear of mine) while we watch Walking Dead.

However, the added side of it, is increasing our self-reliance, and saving some money (like with the garden). Besides, gives us something to do with the manure from horses! There are some real practical benefits NOW to being a "prepper". We can buy food in bulk, and have learned how to rotate it, to keep things fresh, but always stocked. Most of my friends, although they know they can come here, really don't know the amount of thought and planning I've put into it. I don't really advertise it (and only to my friends, and rather anonymously through this board). But, we've all agreed that we need to be together as only a group will survive, and that I've got the best setup (location) for it.

You also learn how to do a lot more things yourself. I just added being a lawnmower mechanic to my resume over the weekend, after fixing it myself, hehe... (Nice to have the do it yourself pride along with money saved too).

Precious metals, in my opinion, would be worthless in most scenarios. At least until the new civilization stabilizes somewhat, or in a temporary SHTF scenario. Even then though, not worth the investment. I can see someone coming up and wanting to buy food from my group with gold....

I'd be like, "What else do you have?" (simply wouldn't have much use for it). (and he'd probably end up trading me some ammo or survival goods for some of my food and cigarettes).

I mentioned it earlier, but cigarettes are my preferred thing to stock up on if a SHTF scenario is imminent. They are small, easy to carry, I have no use for them, they are highly desired by addicts, and easily divisible. Everything you'd want in a currency.