James Wesley,
I’d like your input regarding the purchase of gold and silver coins from third party vendors. Instead of paying $1,000+ for a single gold coin of one troy ounce. I’d like to buy ten 1/10th troy ounce gold (or silver) coins. I feel smaller denominations of “hard” currency promote better trade/purchase power. I have noticed in a multitude of Gun/Survival forums/magazines various companies that offer coins that are not directly from the U.S. mint but are [in smaller fractional sizes] than what you normally purchase from the US Mint.
I can foresee having a handful of one troy ounce gold coins [when] all you need is a dozen chickens. Any thoughts? – Christopher W.
JWR Replies: The situation that you describe is precisely what I showed in the Barter Faire (“For an Ounce of Gold”) chapter of my novel “Patriots“. A full ounce of gold is far too compact a form of wealth to be practical for day-to-day barter transactions. That is why I recommend that readers here in the US invest in small-denomination US pre-1965 silver dimes, quarters, and half-dollars, for barter. (Or get their equivalents, if you live elsewhere, such as pre-1948 (pre-decimal ) silver English coinage, or decimal or pre-decimal 1964 or earlier silver coinage in Australia.) The prospect of making “change” from gold coin transactions with a cold chisel is neither practical nor aesthetically appealing.