One of the things that I have always blogged about is being ready for disasters. A disaster that involves the collapse of society is the one that preppers seem to find the most “sexy” and they spend their time planning on it- stockpiling guns, ammo, food, and the like. The thing with that is, it is also the disaster that we are least likely to experience.
The most likely disaster that we are likely to affect is a personal one. A disaster that affects just you, or your family. A personal disaster may be something as small as a flat tire, or as personally destructive as cancer, or simply being laid off from your job. We cannot know what that disaster will be, but there is a pretty good chance that the best way to fix it will be… money.
Even if that disaster is more widespread- say one that affects your neighborhood, your town, or even the entire county, whether it is a tornado, earthquake, or hurricane, a wildfire, or a chemical spill, one thing that you are always going to need at some point is money.
That’s why it amazes me that 57% of Americans can’t even deal with an emergency that would cost them $1,000. Sure, stockpiling food, ammo, or some other piece of cool gear is more fun, but money is going to be your friend in most disasters at some point. Having $1000 in emergency cash is going to help you out of more disasters than that new ACOG or that second 1911. I know what you are thinking- “Divemedic, didn’t you say that the dollar is in trouble? If I stockpile too many dollars, aren’t I at risk of it becoming worthless?”
You sure are, but it is still important to have a reserve to get you through those personal disasters. The ideal emergency savings fund is to have at least three month’s expenses, but having a year’s worth gives you a level of financial independence that we are all looking for.
Here is what I did, and what I recommend. Put away a few bucks a week. For this example, let’s say that you have $4000 per month in expenses. Soon, you will have emergency funds if you follow this plan:
Have a week’s expenses available in the house in the event of an immediate problem. Not a week’s pay- a week’s expenses. In cash. Seal it in an envelope and squirrel it away somewhere. You can put it in the gun safe, or you can make a “poor man’s safe:” mount an add-on electrical box in the wall, and put a CATV or phone jack plate on it. You can hide the cash in the empty box. For less than $10, you have a place to hide things that thieves won’t look at twice. With $1000 in there, you have emergency cash that is readily at hand, likely won’t be stolen, and it puts you ahead of 57% of Americans. (EDITED TO ADD: I use mixed bills, so in an emergency I have change: 20 $1 bills, 10 $5 bills, 13 $10 bills, 10 $20 bills, 7 $100 bills /End Edit) Now you just have to forget it’s there and not touch it when you need a few bucks to pay for pizza. Self control. That money is for disasters, not as a slush fund.
Now that you don’t have to worry about a flat tire or a broken window. You have a cushion that will make sure that you don’t have to hock your wedding ring, your handgun, or have to go hungry just because of that flat tire. Just remember to replace it if you ever need to use it in an emergency.
Now that you have that emergency stash of a week’s cash on hand, you need to work on hitting a month’s cash. For that, we keep it in a savings account. We have a savings account at the local bank where we keep the rest of a month’s expenses, but we exclude it from being able to be touched with an ATM, so we have to go into the bank during banking hours to get it. That makes sure that we aren’t tempted to spend it for something that isn’t important. Ask your bank, they will tell you how to set it up that way. Putting that money in the local bank means that you have access to it within a day or two. Three week’s cash isn’t so large that we need to worry too much about inflation killing it. Sure, it doesn’t earn any interest to speak of, but it’s only $3000 or so. Not gonna break you. Now that money can be used for a bigger disaster. Your home’s air conditioner just broke, and now you can deal with it. You broke your arm and need to pay the doctor. Something like that is no longer the big problem that it would have been. So you have a week’s cash in the house, and three weeks in the bank. That’s your first month, and now you can deal with $4000 worth of disaster. You are now more prepared for financial catastrophe than 65% of Americans.
Once you are here, use all of your savings money to eliminate your credit card debt, if you have any. Credit cards charge such large interest amounts that they are poison to your financial future. Get rid of the balances on them before you go any further in saving for emergencies. Then start working on the second month of emergency money.
For your second month, you can put it somewhere that makes it less convenient for you to raid. If you have a large disaster, you can get to the money within a week or so, and you can seek out a place where you will get interest. I recommend an Internet bank like Ally, Synchrony, or Capital One. They are offering rates of 4 or 5 percent, and you can transfer the cash into your checking account within a couple of business days if you need it.
For your third month: You can start stockpiling precious metals. The problem with PMs is that you can’t buy and sell for what the metal is worth. The other party to such a transaction wants to make money on the deal, so there is a penalty to buying and selling, but that is an advantage. You see, we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to emergency savings when we spend it for something that isn’t a true emergency. If you lose a little when you sell a PM, you are less likely to be frivolous with your emergency fund.
So for that third month, silver rounds are a great choice. With silver running about $20-25 an ounce, stockpiling half and full ounce silver rounds is a good way to save. Buying a few of them at a time is relatively painless. There are 20 rounds to a tube. Six tubes of one ounce silver rounds, and four tubes of half ounce rounds will weigh in at 160 ounces (ten pounds). That’s $4000 of PM that you can convert to dollars at a slight loss, and if there is a TEOTWAWKI event, you have very tradeable silver “coins” that you can use for trade. If you need cash in dollars, you can sell the rounds (at a slight premium- say 10% off melt value) within a couple of hours or days. When you complete this, you will have an emergency fund that will carry you through an entire quarter without a job, or cover a pretty significant issue like “the house needs a new roof” without getting killed financially. This is a level of independence that three quarters of America don’t have.
Once you get to this point, all of your extra money should go to getting rid of car payments and other major expenses. You don’t have credit card balances, you have 90 days worth of emergency money, not get that monkey off your back. Do you really need a new car every two years? Pay that off, get rid of that monthly payment. It will be easier to save for the next step that way. It will also reduce your monthly expenses by quite a bit, and will allow you to stretch those emergency funds.
For month four, five, and six, we have less of a need for trade, and more of a need to store value. So gold is where you can store a bit of emergency money. Don’t get coins. The premium for coins means paying 5 percent more than if you buy gold bars. Larger bars mean less premium, so the key here is to keep larger bars to reduce the amount you lose while buying and selling, but still make them small enough to be useful for trade. Gold bars are concentrated wealth. They are easy to store or hide.
For month four, buy 5 two gram bars, 4 five gram bars, and a 1 ounce bar. That gives you some flexibility to cash out what you need without cashing out an entire month’s worth of gold. The best part is that together, they weigh only about 2 ounces.
For month five and six, buy a four of the one ounce bars. That is another $8,000 or so. Now you have almost $25,000 in emergency money. That’s enough to get you through half a year of having no money, and gives you a level of financial independence that gets you to the point where losing a job, a major illness, or a pretty significant disaster will not be the major problem that it would have been.
Now concentrate on paying off that house. Pay extra payments towards that mortgage. With no mortgage, your six month’s worth of funds is now a year’s worth, because your monthly expenses are minimal.
It also makes you more stable than 95% of the American public. You can do it with a minimum of heartache, and the peace of mind it gives you is incredible, and now you have “fuck you money” because your house is paid, you have a year’s living expenses in the bank, and you don’t have to worry about the money it will take to deal with most disasters.
Now, the disclaimer: I don’t advertise, and receive nothing for my reviews or articles. I have no relationship with any products, companies, or vendors that I review or recommend here, other than being a customer. If I ever *DO* have a financial interest, I will disclose it. Otherwise, I pay what you would pay. No discounts or other incentives here. I only post these things because I think that my readers would be interested
35 Comments
It's just Boris · June 25, 2023 at 6:11 am
Solid advice here DM. Depending on your situation you might want to go heavier or lighter on the precious metals, but they key points of getting out of debt, and having an emergency fund and savings so you don’t need to go back into debt, are powerful ones. (Mrs B is a financial pro, we have a cordial disagreement on the utility of PMs. But that’s another discussion.)
Two related suggestions. One, think about where you keep the precious metals. The cable jack trick is great for the $1000 stash, but a room with 50 extra outlets might strike someone as odd. The gun safe is great to a point, if you have one, but thieves will already be looking there first thing.
Two, don’t talk about how well prepared you are financially. This might include your wife/husband/*friend as well as co-workers, the bartender, etc. DM’s post about his lying ex brings that home, but even if you can trust your husband/wife/*friend to not pilfer the stash, you need to think about who they might tell. Every family has a “lovable misfit” Cousin Larry or Uncle Hunter who will sponge off whoever they can; if they learn you have a safety net, you will not have peace.
Re cars, Mrs B and I try to keep ours for 10 years. We make “car payments” to our “car fund” bank account each month, so when it’s time to buy we can pay cash. It works pretty well. The trick is getting to that point, but it’s certainly possible.
Divemedic · June 25, 2023 at 9:13 am
PMs do a couple of things. There are advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage is that there is a buy in/out penalty. Say gold is selling at $2000/oz. You will buy Gold Eagles at $2100, Maple Leafs at $2080, and bars at $2050. If you buy fractional coins and bars, the premium is even higher. You get a similar penalty when you sell. With gold at $2k, you will sell Gold Eagles at $1900.
It’s precisely this penalty that I use to my advantage. I am unlikely to liquidate my PMs for frivolous reasons, because there is a built in penalty to doing so. Therefore, I do a better job of saving. I am, like most people, my own worst enemy when it comes to stealing my own savings in order to buy stupid shit.
Gold is a great hedge for inflation, but remember that it is a non-performing asset. This means that gold is NOT an investment, it is a store of value. I did a post on that almost a year and a half ago.
https://areaocho.com/store-of-value-versus-investment/
Michael · June 25, 2023 at 6:31 am
A very well done article. A few add ons if you like.
Great Depression Unvarnished teaches us a few things. That no matter how bad things are the TAXMAN and the BANKER Always gets paid. They WILL be protected by law enforcement as THEIR PAYCHECK comes from those taxes and debts getting paid.
A more polished version of the Mobster’s “Your kids sick and your short this month?, *uck you, PAY ME”.
Many an otherwise successful (non-Dustbowl) farmer was forced off their property and did the “Grapes of Wrath” homeless family thing heading west. After watching their farm and equipment “Sold” for pennies on the dollar of their go buy it value.
There is a GOOD REASON that the murderous thugs known as Bonnie and Clyde were thought of and cheered on like HEROS. It’s not like they gave a single dime to help folks pay their taxes but they were STICKING IT TO THE MAN.
Always have the ability to earn “The COIN of the Realm” as to keep the Tax man and Bankers off your doorstep.
Even as they Gov.com runs short of services and such they WILL ALWAYS SEEK to collect their Taxes and their thugs, err law enforcers WILL try to collect as it’s THEIR PAYCHECK and their family’s healthcare and so on.
Thus, as an amateur historian I chuckle at folks that say MY Sherriff is a Constitutionalist AND will not comply with….
LOL, He has a family to feed and health concerns to insure against. UNLESS YOU’RE paying him HE’s NOT YOUR Sherriff.
Don Curton · June 25, 2023 at 6:45 am
Good advice.
Here on the gulf coast, the #1 emergency fund need is hurricanes. Not TEOTWAWKI, just a simple evac and living on the road for a week or so. Imagine massive areas with no electricity, no way to run a credit card, and all of a sudden have several thousand in cash makes a lot of sense. I’d recommend having a stack of hundreds, sure, but also a good stack of 20’s and 10’s. Cause when you’re trying to buy snacks at the only convenience store that’s open, don’t expect them to have enough cash to change a hundred when you only want a couple drinks and some snack crackers.
Divemedic · June 25, 2023 at 9:19 am
That’s what I do, I just didn’t mention it. I have now.
Jonathan · June 25, 2023 at 8:48 pm
Don’t forget change and $1s. People are unlikely to have change and you can save by avoiding the round up.
In a tornado/ hurricane situation, food and the ability to cook it, plus keeping clean, will be a huge asset to have.
Divemedic · June 25, 2023 at 9:58 pm
Change is too heavy for what it is worth. $1 bills are OK in moderation, but take up a lot of room for little value.
Jonathan · June 26, 2023 at 8:25 am
I’m not talking huge amounts, enough to make exact change for a few days when power or internet is down.
Last year I was in a big grocery store just before Christmas. Their card readers were down and most people couldn’t check out but I had cash and breezed through.
dc · June 25, 2023 at 7:17 am
I’ve been acting on this sort of plan for the past six years, to the day. 590K mortgage from July 17, owe 207K today. Every extra dollar goes to mortgage. The precious metals thing I have not been doing, but will look into it. Year’s worth of food in air conditioned space. I’m really hoping that I am wrong about all of this…
Divemedic · June 25, 2023 at 9:22 am
I wanted to frame my mortgage satisfaction letter and hang it on the wall. When your mortgage is paid off and you have an emergency fund, it makes life feel so much better. It gives you a feeling of security that is hard to describe. That’s when we saved to buy a second house as a rental, so we would have some passive income. Now that it’s nearly paid off, we will have money coming in for little effort.
Noway2 · June 25, 2023 at 2:13 pm
Having a paid off mortgage is a wonderful feeling that does provide A LOT of security. As you pay it down the faster the principle owed dwindles too, which is positive reinforcement. However, it is still important to have several months, preferably six, of expenses covered from a source that you can draw from. If something bad, still being able to make the payment is more valuable than having paid down the principal balance, and let’s face it, the note holder is going to care about the former rather than the latter. Consequently, I think paying off the mortgage is excellent, but don’t sacrifice your emergency fund for it.
Horny the Clown · June 25, 2023 at 8:05 am
As a youngster saved up a few grand as a grocery clerk just by hiding a little bit in a jacket pocket hanging in a closet with each paycheck, got my first car with the money.
The collapse of the KWA will be relatively bloodless like the former CCCP in 1991? (honk!)
These things happen when Long March traitors try to repeat the Bolshevik Revolution in a place that just isn’t meant for socialism/communism.
O/T-All quiet on the Putin hater front, sad trombone. (honk!)
DrBob · June 25, 2023 at 9:53 am
Great article. I taught most of these ideas to a high school class this past semester. I hope it sank in, but probably not with these kids. Their lives are too easy and their parents never did without. The true story I told about hunting for soda bottles to redeem to buy something to eat, flew over their heads. Of 12 kids in the class, only one had the common sense to avoid college. He is becoming a welder. I made the rest of the kids figure out their college loan payoffs. The punchline was that if the welder saved the same amount every month that the college graduates’ payments, he would be a millionaire by 40. Now that is ‘fuck you’ money!
Woody · June 25, 2023 at 10:07 am
I would suggest a small notebook for everyone who spends your money and use it to track every penny spent. Most people can track their bills and think that’s it for expenses while ignoring the vending machine/Starbucks etc. People are often surprised at the amount of money that they spend on everyday habits. Go to the library and read some financial books. Follow the above advice from all the commenters, small steps now will lead to long strides later.
EN2 SS · June 25, 2023 at 11:06 am
Thanks for the great information, but I have enough popcorn on hand to watch the slow motion demolition of western civilization to the end, at the rate it’s being destroyed. 😉
Dirty Dingus McGee · June 25, 2023 at 11:19 am
Some 25 years ago a local radio talk show host used to talk about the “dollar bill” savings plan. Here is how it worked; You started out your day with no $1 bills in your pocket. If you bought something, coffee/breakfast etc, you took the change but didn’t spend any $1 dollar bills you got as change. At the end of the day you put any $1 dollar bills in a jar. Repeat this for a month and see what you had in the jar.
I tried it and found at the end of the month I had over $200 in that jar. It taught 2 things; You CAN save money and also taught some restraint. That $1 dollar cup of coffee was now effectively a $5 dollar cup of coffee. Do you REALLY want that coffee?
There are other places to use as hiding places for your cash. I have a couple boxes that once contained food stuffs, muffin mix, hamburger helper type boxes. Remove the contents, put in your cash and hot glue it back closed. Money in the pages of a book(an old trick but it works). Precious metals can be stashed in a speaker box. Think big, old fashioned speakers. Nobody will notice a few ounces in the already heavy speaker.
I have a small safe I use as a diversion. In it are several “gold clad” tribute coins, a fake Rolex and several gold plated rings. There is also a couple banded stacks of cash that have big bills on the outside and ones on the inside.My thought is if someone was to make that far into my property, they will likely take that score and not look further for more.
Elrod · June 25, 2023 at 2:02 pm
This goes back decades, but….I was teaching a class and the issue of shift differential came up because non-exempt employees got a 10% bump for off-shift but only for one two-week pay period (exempts got no bump for anything); spend longer than 2 weeks on 1st (to take a required class) and the 10% goes away until you’re back on off-shift. . Much complaining, etc. I tried to get as many classes on off-shift just because of that, but depending on whom was teaching what, sorry, for this one I have to use the local community college and it’s 5 weeks on 1st.
So, you got a 10% bump? What are you doing with it? Answer; Spending it.
BZZZZZZ wrong answer. You were surviving (for various values of surviving) without the 10%, so bank it when you get it. It ain’t “found” money, it’s the first tiny, baby step toward FU money.
“I’ll have my car paid off in 2 months.” OK, what then? “I can buy….this….that….take this trip, that trip, etc.”
BZZZZZZZ wrong answer. You’re making it with the car payment coming out, so keep making it but make it to yourself. We have a credit union, set up a savings account or, better yet, they’ll sell employees a “time-in” CD – as long as you get the full CD amount paid in within 6 months you get the full higher interest amount on all of it, and a 6-month can be incorporated into a 12-month that has a higher interest rate while you make the next 5 months of payments. It’s easy with payroll deduction. Yes, it will cost you painful interest and a hard penalty if you take it out too soon so don’t do that. Figure what you can afford ans stay within that number. Oh, BTW, every paycheck put $10-$20, $30, whatever in the bottom of your sock drawer for those “surprises” and when you get a couple hundred ahead, see the credit union for a standard savings account, preferably one that requires an in-person visit M-F 0830-1630 to withdraw funds. Add some difficulty to protect the money.
Tax refund? BZZZZZZZZZZ wrong answer. Adjust your withholding so you get less than $100 back, or better yet, so you owe less than $100 on April 15. It’s you rmoney, make it work for YOU.
There was a time when, first, parents taught this stuff to their kids and second, some of it came as part of the regular high school curriculum. Not any more.
No wonder we’re doomed.
Unknownsailor · June 26, 2023 at 4:57 am
The W-2 changed a few years ago after the 2017 tax cut bill went into effect. Adjusting your withholding with personal exemptions is not a thing now, personal exemptions were removed from tax laws.
Divemedic · June 26, 2023 at 6:52 am
I just filled mine out for the new job. The W4 now asks:
So you can still adjust your withholding.
Unknownsailor · June 26, 2023 at 8:53 pm
You can’t set it up so you underpay like you could with the old one. The new W-4 is built around the assumption of a $0 net for the tax return, and there is no way to deliberately structure withholding so you owe on the return.
Divemedic · June 26, 2023 at 9:05 pm
Under step 3. Just claim more kids than you have.
Unknownsailor · June 26, 2023 at 4:58 am
Sorry, W-4 changed, not W-2.
Grumpy51 · June 25, 2023 at 2:17 pm
Good advice.
For those who live in states with property taxes (TX is one) – as soon as you pay your taxes, immediately save for next year’s and set aside. In TX, the only entity which truly owns the land is the sheriff (don’t pay your property tax and tell me who shows up with notice —- a deputy wearing a gun – now you know who REALLY owns your property).
I know of someone who has a couple of the portable fire safes scattered about the house. All have weight and rattle — and are filled with rocks…. the ones with actual value are placed in boxes of “something else” (think box for “sleeping bag” or similar).
I also have a friend who spent time in the sandbox in clandestine work. They wore gold jewelry as means of E&E resources. A historical note – FDR exempted gold jewelry from the “turn in your gold” decree.
Rick T · June 25, 2023 at 5:23 pm
OPSEC is important too. Nobody talks about having stashes, what might be in them, etc.
There is a lot of good info about saving money but I disagree with putting money in places that are harder to get too. Savings are important but it is MORE important to develop the discipline to not spend every dollar in your wallet (or checking account) for impulse purchases. Plan ahead, save, and do your research so when you do spring for a high-dollar item you know why you are getting that specific thing.
It is freeing to go on a bucket list trip like diving the Great Barrier Reef knowing that the whole trip will be paid in full with the next credit statement.
Divemedic · June 25, 2023 at 6:09 pm
People who say that frequently don’t save anything. They always say that they are working on discipline, but frequently fail in doing so.
Rick T · June 25, 2023 at 6:18 pm
Agreed. You have to have the discipline to leave the money alone before you can keep it some place with easy access. If you can’t leave it alone in your wallet, don’t have it there. My father was a ‘spend it if you have it’ guy which drove my sister a bit crazy when she started helping with his financial affairs late in his life.
One other route for having disaster money is to open a home equity line of credit with your local credit union but leave the balance at zero. That way you have access to tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars at low interest if you need it.
Divemedic · June 25, 2023 at 9:56 pm
The idea is not to have to rely on credit for emergencies. It’s one of the few subjects where I agree with Dave Ramsey. Debt is the enemy that steals from your future. The idea is to be debt free.
Larry · June 26, 2023 at 10:57 am
Thank you for another detailed informative post. One question, though and it is meant, it as a serious question not a detractor.
With so many supposedly sophisticated people cheated by “fake gold bars” (gold on the surface tungsten underneath) and similar things, how do you protect yourself?
Any thoughts are appreciated.
Divemedic · June 26, 2023 at 11:09 am
Weight and density. Fakes won’t be as dense.
If it’s gold coins, you can use a Fisch gold coin detector. I have the complete set for Eagles, Kugerrands, and Maple Leafs.
If you are buying bars, you can use a good scale and calculate the density of the bar.
For buying now, I recommend only buying from reputable dealers. Once the SHTF, I would definitely calculate density and test before accepting any PMs from anyone.
Larry · June 26, 2023 at 11:43 am
Thanks for the detailed reply.
The Fisch web site seems a bit confusing so, it will take a while to figure out what/which ones to buy.
What do you think of buying locally, to have more privacy?
Divemedic · June 26, 2023 at 11:45 am
Locally tends to be more expensive because premiums are higher. For example, I usually buy gold from SD Bullion. The local gold store charges spot plus 10% for gold coins.
I usually get silver from JM bullion. Feel free to compare prices with your local dealer.
Larry · June 26, 2023 at 12:59 pm
Again thank you for saving so much research time by sharing your knowledge.
True, dat. Even without looking, I can be pretty certain local = more $$$$.
OTOH, FDR & gold come to mind. And as we saw with solvent traps, and such, they are not shy to get records nor, are they shy about making it a criminal offence after the fact.
Any thoughts on that scenario?
Divemedic · June 26, 2023 at 1:58 pm
If it gets that far, it won’t be sales records that do you in. Someone you know (and likely trust) will dime you out for the reward $$.
Oh, and go ahead and buy the Fisch for both Krugerrands/American Eagles AND Maple Leafs. That’s what I did. The cost sounds high at $337, but if you buy a single counterfeit coin, you are out $2,000. I don’t have the ringer, because it hadn’t been invented when I bought my Fisch, but it looks worthwhile.
Larry · June 26, 2023 at 2:35 pm
Thank you! I appreciate you sharing first hand experience with the $337 Fisch package.
You are probably right. Am I right, in understanding, your PM stash was also lost when the boat with your all firearms was capsized, in a most unfortunate freak accident and a nearby diver took them all before, you had a chance to retrieve them? 🙂
Or perhaps one of those buryable containers you mentioned before is in order?
Han Shot First, He Was No Fool · June 27, 2023 at 12:54 am
“The problem with PMs is that you can’t buy and sell for what the metal is worth …”
This is not always true if there’s a considerable physical premium or size premium.
Gold and silver fractional coins fit these criteria and always sell above spot prices … in a normal market.
In a “canned food and shotguns” market involving financial gremlins, the coins are worth whatever someone says they’re worth to them, and it’s up to you whether that’s an acceptable price.
The same goes for fractional bullion “biscuits” of varying sizes.
In the US, pre-1965 90% silver coinage is more recognisable and easier to trade, and it’s up to you whether that’s junk silver grades or the rarer uncirculated grades.
But little Swiss fractional gram bars are weird things that jewellers and bullion dealers sell because people think they’re interesting, whereas what did USAF put into their nuclear bomber survival kits back during the Cold War?
British gold sovereigns, the most easily recognised gold coins in the world.
But some of your ease of trade depends on your buyers.
Mexican 1940s era 2 peso gold coins are small fractionals that are easier to trade than Swiss fractional bullion bars in the US, plus you can sell them to jewellers who need to resize people’s rings.
But I’d have trouble selling them to Eastern Europeans who would recognise French angels and Austrian 1 and 4 ducat coins much more readily.
So with that in mind, go to APMEX with your spot pricing and check out the physical premiums on fractional circulated silver coinage, specifically some of the most recognisable US silver coins made.
Start with 1964 Kennedy 1/2 dollar coins, 90% silver, easily stored in coin rolls you can buy at Hobby Lobby, and pick out a few rolls of 90% silver Mercury dimes.
Larry: about your 1933 Act fears regarding gold, check out the history of “1915” Austrian 1 and 4 ducat gold coins. They’re not all “1915”, in fact most of them were made in the 1970s, in the post-Bretton Woods era.
This is why there’s such a market in the US for “numismatic” coins, even the ones that are merely dressed up bullion coins. (We play let’s pretend games with the ducats, in other words, as we do with certain shiny tokens made by the US Mint.)
If you have enough gold that you can’t hide it from another round of this kind of thing, perhaps what you’re really in the market for is gold storage vault space in Singapore.
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