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A comment on Texas Repatriates Gold at Federal Reserve in New York to Texas. Parent comment

Re:Texas Repatriates Gold at Federal Reserve in New York to ... by 67726e on Saturday June 13, 2015 @07:31PM (#9713159)
Perhaps my cynicism, but wouldn't material goods with more utility be worth even more? I'm sure in a some End-of-Government scenario in which people would be in a barter economy, I would value things like food and water, tools, firearms, and ammunition a bit more than I would a shiny metal.

Stephen Colbert made segment about gold, along with a mocking commercial asking folks to diversify their portfolio (with Women and Sheep...) but the idea that shiny metal holds value better than a magazine full of 5.56 and a rifle seems a little off. One can hunt or defend oneself with a rifle and ammunition, trade the ammunition to others, and even become a bandit. All gold does is allow one to trade. Hell, in the Metro book/video game series which takes place in a post-apocalyptic Moscow, the units of currency are military grade, pre apocalypse, ammo and, at a lesser value, post-apocalyptic ammo.

Is there more to the notion that gold is valuable than "history" and "shiny"?

[0] - http://thecolbertreport.cc.com/videos/ufq6qh/prescott-financ...

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Re:Texas Repatriates Gold at Federal Reserve in New York to ... by lttlrck on Saturday June 13, 2015 @10:40PM (#9713649)
All gold does is allow you to trade? That's sounds quite valuable if you are in need of a magazine and a rifle.
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Re:Texas Repatriates Gold at Federal Reserve in New York to ... by 67726e on Sunday June 14, 2015 @01:12AM (#9713782)
My questions is why wouldn't something lime ammo be considered more valuable? In the US at least, you have fairly standard calibers, most rifles are going to be .308 or .223, and a couple others. A 30-round magazine of .223 carries much more value than a gold bar, so why would anyone value that brick more than that magazine of ammunition? Once you get into a scenario where you're having to barter for goods, you're not having an organized system of governance. I see some comments about fleeing wartorn for stable ones, but I'm asking in the context of an end-of-government type scenario.
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