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Can anyone name a period in recorded history when silver was without value not able to be used for barter?
[quote=”sprite”]Can anyone name a period in recorded history when silver was without value not able to be used for barter?[/quote]
Yes, that would be the Stone Age, the Bronze Age, and the Iron Age. In other words, all of human history until maybe the last two thousand years.
In dire enough times, silver will truly be a flash in the pan.
[quote=”jmcbuilder”][quote=”Sailor”]Interesting post…..I purchase diamonds. Very easy to store in ice trays, in the freezer; cannot be seen and secure![/quote]
14 days to Tahiti, a nice sailboat sound great. Why not Uranium, much more valuable than gold. Kwhite, Costa Rica is a true gem don’t you think?[/quote]
Definatley a true gem my brother. Move over and make room on the bench for me!
[quote=”jmcbuilder”][quote=”VictoriaLST”]Uranium will poison you and darn quickly too. Not a good idea. The rare earths are a good investment – provided there is an industrial need for them, and there wouldn’t be if things collapse.
How about books? Gunsmithing, cooperage, soap making and other basic formulas?[/quote]
Agreed, Uranium is not for most but the worlds appetite for these types of rare earths is growing very fast. I’m not sure how yellow cake is handled. The Chinese are building 40 reactors. Does that scare anyone?[/quote]
Not sure if anyone would be interested, but there are EFT’s that offer yellow cake as an investment. Not sure I would jump onboard with that investment. With my luck, my piece of yellow cake uranium would be a dud and worthless and I lose my (soon to be worthless) USD.
kwwhite1,
Yes, Costa Rica is a gem. Tahiti is only about a 12-14 day sail from Guanacaste. I’ll keep you in mind! Also, the greatest fact about investing in diamonds: No IRS reporting, easy to secure and transport! Pura Vida.Whether we’re talking about precious metals, gems, rare earth metals, or uranium, don’t they all have value only because someone else says so? In that respect, are they not just like paper money which, too, only has value because we all agree that it does? (Sprite, have you sent waggoner all your paper money yet?)
With very, very rare exception, those who hold any of those commodities cannot make any practical use of them themselves, can they? I mean, Sailor, what practical use can you put your diamonds to? Victoria, just what’s your plan to use your gold yourself?
I suppose you could fashion them into jewelry, if you had the skills, or you could use them in some industrial application (again, if you had the skills and knowledge), but the vast majority of us don’t have those skills and knowledge. And then there’s still the matter of finding a market, a demand, for the finished product (if it’s any good).
For your diamonds or my platinum to be valuable, doesn’t someone else have to want them? And isn’t whatever you can get for your diamonds a mutually and arbitrarily agreed upon value between you and the buyer just as we might mutually (and arbitrarily) agree that my dollar bill is worth your sack of potatoes?
I guess I’m not seeing a real world difference between the practical value of holding scarce commodities and holding money. Either one only has the value someone else imputes to it.
Or am I wrong?
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Whether we’re talking about precious metals, gems, rare earth metals, or uranium, don’t they all have value only because someone else says so? In that respect, are they not just like paper money which, too, only has value because we all agree that it does? (Sprite, have you sent waggoner all your paper money yet?)
With very, very rare exception, those who hold any of those commodities cannot make any practical use of them themselves, can they? I mean, Sailor, what practical use can you put your diamonds to? Victoria, just what’s your plan to use your gold yourself?
I suppose you could fashion them into jewelry, if you had the skills, or you could use them in some industrial application (again, if you had the skills and knowledge), but the vast majority of us don’t have those skills and knowledge. And then there’s still the matter of finding a market, a demand, for the finished product (if it’s any good).
For your diamonds or my platinum to be valuable, doesn’t someone else have to want them? And isn’t whatever you can get for your diamonds a mutually and arbitrarily agreed upon value between you and the buyer just as we might mutually (and arbitrarily) agree that my dollar bill is worth your sack of potatoes?
I guess I’m not seeing a real world difference between the practical value of holding scarce commodities and holding money. Either one only has the value someone else imputes to it.
Or am I wrong?
[/quote]
David, I somewhat agree with you, your possesions are only worth what you and the buyer mutually agree upon for the price or barter for that item.
However, I would much rather hold an item such as gold, silver, platinum, uranium, diamonds or the like, than a piece of paper like a Zimbabwe 10 million dollar bill. I would think your batering leverage would be greater on an ouce of silver than a worthless devalued paper currency.
I remember reading at one time in Europe the paper money was so worthless that people used it as building blocks or firewood. Wouldn’t it have been better to have a tangable material in your possesion than paper money firewood? Although, whatever you have is still only what someone is willing to give you for it.
Short of a world wide economic crash in all currencies, some countries currency will hold some value of some sort, to be used for some purpose of buying something you would need to survive.
Interesting points, kw1, but lemme just ask . . .
If you were faced with the option, would you prefer to keep your self warm and dry with (1)a gold ingot, (2)a cake of yellow cake uranium, or (3)a couple of million otherwise worthless one dollar bills? As you say, you could at least use the bills for shelter or firewood. Have you ever tried to get out of the wind behind a diamond?
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Interesting points, kw1, but lemme just ask . . .
If you were faced with the option, would you prefer to keep your self warm and dry with (1)a gold ingot, (2)a cake of yellow cake uranium, or (3)a couple of million otherwise worthless one dollar bills? As you say, you could at least use the bills for shelter or firewood. Have you ever tried to get out of the wind behind a diamond?
[/quote]
Assuming that there was no currency on the earth that had any value, then the dollar bills would be just dandy for firewood. But that is highly unprobable.
But if there was a currency of any value, or if my gold, uranium, or silver was perceived to hold some usefulness to someone, I would rather have the tangable asset. I can use wood for fires, and build a shelter. Although I would love to have a shelter built out of gold, then bling it out with diamonds. I bet I would be the only kid in the jungle with that!
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]
I guess I’m not seeing a real world difference between the practical value of holding scarce commodities and holding money. Either one only has the value someone else imputes to it.
[/quote]
This discussion reminds me of the original “Americans” (I prefer “[b]O[/b]riginal [i]I[/i]nhabitants”) and wampum. As Bernard Bailyn points out, this is a centuries-old economic system based on a bunch of shell beads with holes in them. Lots of OIs died for arranged shell beads with holesTheir value comes from the difficulty of preparation. We base our economy of shiny minerals (gold, silver, diamonds) that currently have an agreed upon value unrelated to their metallic worth or sparkle.
The [b]OI[/b] Ticos undoubtedly had a similar system.
PEH[quote=”kwhite1″]Assuming that there was no currency on the earth that had any value, then the dollar bills would be just dandy for firewood. But that is highly unprobable.
But if there was a currency of any value . . .[/quote]
[b][size=200]Aha![/size][/b]So you assume that there will continue to be a currency, a [u]fiat[/u] currency at that, since they’re [u]all[/u] fiat currencies (right?) that will have value. And just what currency will that be? The world’s bankers pretty much all think it’ll be good ol’ U.S. Dollars or they wouldn’t keep investing in them.
So now I’m hearing that you’re preparing to convert your metals, diamonds, etc to something spendable like (say) U.S. Dollars.
Why not just hoard Dollars? You look like a pretty big guy. You likely sleep on a pretty big mattress.
[quote=”DavidCMurray”][quote=”kwhite1″]Assuming that there was no currency on the earth that had any value, then the dollar bills would be just dandy for firewood. But that is highly unprobable.
But if there was a currency of any value . . .[/quote]
[b][size=200]Aha![/size][/b]So you assume that there will continue to be a currency, a [u]fiat[/u] currency at that, since they’re [u]all[/u] fiat currencies (right?) that will have value. And just what currency will that be? The world’s bankers pretty much all think it’ll be good ol’ U.S. Dollars or they wouldn’t keep investing in them.
So now I’m hearing that you’re preparing to convert your metals, diamonds, etc to something spendable like (say) U.S. Dollars.
Why not just hoard Dollars? You look like a pretty big guy. You likely sleep on a pretty big mattress.
[/quote]
Sorry to burst your bubble my friend. I am trying to get OUT of the USD. Not sure what you heard in my post, but I am not preparing to convert my metals into the USD. I think the USD is doomed.
You are assuming that whatever currency is valuable is going to be a fiat currency. Not quite the case in my opinion. I think currencies will have no choice but to resort to some tangible asset for backing, maybe it will be oil, or seeds, or little beads with holes in them. The fact remains, fiat currencies cannot and will not last.
I have been buying metals, (with USD), in preparation of the USD declining. I had posted earlier in another discussion the difference between the Colon and the USD exchange rate, the Colon has gained substantially again the USD, if the USD was the currency of choice, why would it decline? Why is Russia, China, and Iran trading outside of the USD for oil if the USD is the king of all currencies?
The problem with most is that they do not have the insight to realize that the reign of the US and USD is coming to an end. Most countries that dominated in world history did not last longer than 200 years, we are a little past that and losing ground fast.
I realize that living in your perfect paradise you do not have the advantage of seeing things develop first hand, you are limited to the internet and CNN for info on what is really happening. I will tell you, unbiased opinion, we are in a double dip recession, unemployment real numbers are in the 17% or greater range. The status of this once great country is as bad as it has ever been.
Busting chops aside, I volunteered to defend this country, willing to die for freedom, every home I have lived in I fly the American flag out front (still do). But I will tell you, I do not feel I could defend it today, things have change for the worse. Most people, citizens, don’t care about freedoms anymore, they are more concerned with who is winning on American Idol or the score of the game. It is a sad time.
:arrow:Speaking of someone considering moving to Costa Rica in the next year or less, living in America; there are many reg’s going on here and laws. Many are leaving as controls in government are not good, neither are the politicians who get nothing done.
:?:Yet the question is raised. If those wishing to move already have a stock of certain precious items and want to move to C.R., then what are some basics to get it done?[img]http://garden.warn-radio.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/platte-river-eagle-pictorial_thumb-305×300.png[/img]
You mean, how do you sneak it out of the country? According to some posts, you just declare that you are taking more than $10k out? Don’t recall anyone talking about cash vrs. metals but could be wrong.
As for me, I think I would make a big shiny necklace and a belt out of gold coins, linking them by encircling them with wire, and simply put them in the big tray that goes through the xray machine. 🙂 The toes of my work boots? The head of a cane? I know – gold fishhooks!
[quote=”VictoriaLST”]You mean, how do you sneak it out of the country? According to some posts, you just declare that you are taking more than $10k out? Don’t recall anyone talking about cash vrs. metals but could be wrong.
As for me, I think I would make a big shiny necklace and a belt out of gold coins, linking them by encircling them with wire, and simply put them in the big tray that goes through the xray machine. 🙂 The toes of my work boots? The head of a cane? I know – gold fishhooks![/quote]
Thanks for the reply, but I don’t sneak! As an American and one from the “Wild ole West”, we spit in the eye of the guy” of the overpowering war lord. Yet, in the essence of what we are talking about, I do not want to blatantly ignore Costa-Rica laws. As for America, she will continue to get more like Nazi Germany all the time. Why do you think Americans are leaving this country in droves.
During WWII, Rich Jews would sneak their gold, silver, and diamonds out of the area with them stuffed in their particulars. From clothing to orifices. 😡
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