So.. that happened:
It’ll be interesting to see which held its value more by the end of the year. This or the cash it took to buy this.
If you think being prepared is expensive, it’s downright cheap compared to the cost of being unprepared.
Notes From The Bunker
Ah the good old Emperor Franz Joseph!
These are not the first European gold coins you showed, if I recall correctly. A few months ago you had a Swiss 20 Francs piece.
I would really love to have an American Buffalo (even a fractional piece), but here my country the premiums for American coins are crazy high.
The easiest gold coins to stack here in Europe are British sovereigns, and they are the most recognizable type for lay persons and non specialized shops.
Thanks from Italy,
Daniele
Indeed. Those 1915 Ducats (.1107 oz) have the lowest premium for small gold coins.
Generally cheaper than 1/10 eagles. (.10 oz)
My go-to for a year.
We’ll done, sir.
Gold and silver are great for retaining wealth while fiat money is printed into poor grade John Wayne Toilet Paper (it rough, it’s tough and it take NO Shit off anybody).
But unless you’re going to ROB me when food is the issue at hand, it’s a sellers’ market.
Rule of threes stuff. My set reads like this:
3 seconds without security (a knife in the back or getting shot)
3 minutes without breathable air
3 hours without shelter if bad weather (said only because ya know)
3 days without safe water (day one feel weak, day two wish you were dead, day three your wish is granted)
3 weeks without food
3 YEARS without Gold and Silver.
Going to take a long while if shit REALLY hits the fan before folks will have enough EXCESS Food and such to be worried about Gold and Silver.
However, Gold does have a weird effect on folks, they maybe starving but they will *still* kill you over it.
In 3rd world missionary trips, I’ve traded my wedding band (10Karat, plain) for police “escort” to a hospital for myself and an injured friend. Really just a bribe to get past the roadblock, but in Rome do as….
On my second Missionary trip I brought several cheap wedding bands. If I offered a gold coin or a wad of cash, they might think I have MORE, but wedding bands?
One ounce today is about 2K dollars? Walmart has 8-pound bags of dry pinto beans for around 6 dollars, 20-pound bags of white rice for 8 dollars yesterday. 5-gallon pails with lids at about 6 dollars. I know a 5-gallon pail will hold 20 pounds rice, an 8-pound pinto and have plenty of room for less than a dollar 26 oz salt, jar of multi-vitamins, jar of Vit C, jar of bullion, box of tea, 4-pound bag of sugar, can of pepper, one liter of cooking oil (please double bag in Gallon Zip Locks and put on top of pail) AND room for some hot sauce and so on. I call them Mercy Buckets and they are around 50 dollars for a 30 MAN DAYS X 2K calories and ample protein. The Mk2 version adds a second pail with only white rice and beans of various types for around 30 dollars that DOUBLES the 2K Man Days of food to 60 days.
Search Busted Knuckles for Mercy Buckets for details.
SO, 80 dollars and 60 man days worth of food. That means ONE Ounce of Gold 2000/80 = 25 sets of this (roughly) X 60 Man Days = 1500 Man days food OR About 4 Man YEARS worth of food.
When the Normies wake up, THIS will NOT be true.
Not gourmet but rice and beans feeds South America pretty well 🙂
For those thinking “I’ll JUST TAKE those Beans” remember most folks are not stupid. If they are trading in bad situations, THEY have Firepower too. Just saying.
If they have fire power to take stuff, what’s stopping them from just taking the gold? Down in Mexico a college kid locked up in the drunk tank (think really bad 20×20 cell with 30 other guys) gave the guard his last $35 so he could make a phone call, the guard took the money, laughed and walked off, no phone call.
Jimbo THAT’s the ISSUE of post SHTF trading.
Establishing enough trust and peaceful society to ALLOW excess food to be grown and trading with others.
Without a basic moral compass or Rule of Law those with the power advantage simply forces the other. The RESULTS as any feet on the ground historian type would tell you is a General Failure to Thrive in that “society”.
There is ALWAYS those that want to dominate and those that don’t. BUT in the long-term TAKING vs ruling destroys the situation. Crops burnt or taken and wasted means your “Serfs” die or flee and then YOU starve later.
Proverbs 14: 28 A large population is a king’s glory, but without subjects a prince is ruined.
As Robert Heinlein said “Never appeal to a man’s better nature, He might not have one. Appeal to his Self Interest for that’s a sure bet”.
A GOOD TRADE is when both sides feel they got the best part of the trade. I Traded something I have too much of for something I needed and vis versa.
Even in our Walmart level trade where I trade an hour my medical skills for a several bags of rice and beans there is the Rule of Law (or Honor code) that supposes I shall not simply roll my shopping cart out the door without paying.
Maybe that’s why we are so enraged (or sickly amused) at seeing the barbaric behavior of Black Friday? Maybe that’s why California with its Flash Mob mentality of robbing luxury stores without penalty has become a 3rd world shithole?
Societies losing their moral compass or rule of law are FAILING to Thrive. Humans without rules or internal motivations like sense of honor behave as brute animals AKA Lord of the Flies. They never build anything, just muddle along allowing things to fall apart or be destroyed by their greed and violence.
Good Leaders use mostly persuasion in the Self Interest as so everybody gains and thus those Leaders gain the trust and loyalty of their friends.
Trusted friends, skills, seeds, tools and faith (moral compass) can make you a “Rich” man in the Great Depression 2.0
guess it boils down to if you can’t enforce good behavior you are at the mercy of those you are dealing with. Which reminds me of this scent in the Dogs of War.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOr9FerD5JQ
While I have over the years stocked up on some silver, I have never had enough coin to stock up on gold.
I have however spent 30 years cultivating organic fruits and vegetables and practicing seed saving. That is my gold 😉
Don’t know if anyone else has noticed but Fraudmart has had some super deals on Ball canning lids and rings. Just an fyi.
In the PM store. Getting some precious. Over heard an order for 200k. Yikes.
I for one applaud the Commander for not buying more guns.
Mr. Dakin,
Ever hear of the “5 G’s?”
God, Gold, Guns, Gas, Groceries, How you wish to rank them from 1 to 5 is your choice.
Regards,
With the impending semi-retirement of the metals pimp, do you have any other metals dealer recommendations?
Not for mail order. For local: https://www.grizzlygoldandsilver.com/ , ask for Bob, tell him Commander Zero sent you.