SHTF Silver

I saw the other Silver (and Gold) thread in GD and skimmed through but wasn't what I was looking for.

I was handed down some silver that I just plan on keeping because...well...who knows.

So from a SHTF perspective what do you like for your silver?
ASE
Silver Rounds/Bars
Junk Silver

My initial research says opinions vary greatly on what to stock and while any is good, there are some interesting perspectives on ASE vs rounds vs junk (which I got a mix). And I also suspect how you think it will hit the fan and how the fan gets clean again plays a factor.

One additional question beyond just gathering opinions-All the ASEs I was handed down come in the nice blue box with the little certificate. Takes up quite of space so was thinking about transferring to the plastic 20 round tubes and ditching the bulk packaging but is that a bad idea since all that packaging gives more proof to the ASE authenticity and hence more value?

Thanks

Moving bars or high quantities would be hard. "Junk silver" would be where its at, imo.

Yeah, larger bars in SHTF would be tough because you can't really make change. I'd guess coins but I don't really know what we mean by "junk silver".

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Originally Posted by izzy

Yeah, larger bars in SHTF would be tough because you can't really make change. I'd guess coins but I don't really know what we mean by "junk silver".

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_silver

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Originally Posted by CavSct1983

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junk_silver

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Ahh see, I used to have a ton of those nickels, can't remember what I did with them.

Junk silver and small, marked (quality/weight) bullion for SHTF bartering.

ASE or larger bullion for wealth preservation across a currency change during SHTF type scenario.

As for ASE boxes, if they aren't anything special, just the "I bought 1 at a time" box and whatever, don't worry about it. If it's grading or collectors stuff, leave them as is.

As for junk silver, it's less common, but check your change when you pay with cash. Anything pre-64 is worth a hell of a lot more than the face value. I ate out a few weeks ago, and got a pre 64 quarter and dime back. Basically paid for me to have my meal.

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Originally Posted by CavSct1983

Moving bars or high quantities would be hard. "Junk silver" would be where its at, imo.

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Originally Posted by izzy

Yeah, larger bars in SHTF would be tough because you can't really make change. I'd guess coins but I don't really know what we mean by "junk silver".

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IF one needed to move PM's due to an economic issue. It wouldn't matter what you had, weight / size wise. When there's a panic people will buy /pay any amount they feel necessary to have said item. PM's are not excluded from that realm.

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Originally Posted by Grant H.

Junk silver and small, marked (quality/weight) bullion for SHTF bartering.

ASE or larger bullion for wealth preservation across a currency change during SHTF type scenario.

As for ASE boxes, if they aren't anything special, just the "I bought 1 at a time" box and whatever, don't worry about it. If it's grading or collectors stuff, leave them as is.

As for junk silver, it's less common, but check your change when you pay with cash. Anything pre-64 is worth a hell of a lot more than the face value. I ate out a few weeks ago, and got a pre 64 quarter and dime back. Basically paid for me to have my meal.

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The stuff I have is just standard ASEs but would like to slim them down. Just wondering if in a bartering system with silver if the certificates add any confirmation of their value to some people. I'm leaning towards ditching the boxes and putting them in tubes.

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Originally Posted by Great-Kazoo

IF one needed to move PM's due to an economic issue. It wouldn't matter what you had, weight / size wise. When there's a panic people will buy /pay any amount they feel necessary to have said item. PM's are not excluded from that realm.

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But the goal is to have something when money is no longer a thing as we know it. The coinage has no value as far as its denomination, but represents a known quantity of silver at whatever the market price would be. Having a gold or silver bar would be like trying to move a lot of money at once on a single transaction. Better to have smaller amounts in larger quantity.

I suppose it depends on ones definition of SHTF.

In my world, in a SHTF situation, I’d rather have commodities like ammunition or spare firearms to barter with. Until the S un-H’s the F I don’t know what anyone would do with silver anyways.

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Originally Posted by Grant H.

Junk silver and small, marked (quality/weight) bullion for SHTF bartering.

ASE or larger bullion for wealth preservation across a currency change during SHTF type scenario.

As for ASE boxes, if they aren't anything special, just the "I bought 1 at a time" box and whatever, don't worry about it. If it's grading or collectors stuff, leave them as is.

As for junk silver, it's less common, but check your change when you pay with cash. Anything pre-64 is worth a hell of a lot more than the face value. I ate out a few weeks ago, and got a pre 64 quarter and dime back. Basically paid for me to have my meal.

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^^^This.

Day-day
Reserve
Stash

If you're unarmed you are a victim

I go with small denomination silver bars/rounds 1, 5, 10 ounces. It's good for SHTF but also retirement investment or something to bequeath children that government can't track well and tax.

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Originally Posted by ray1970

I suppose it depends on ones definition of SHTF.

In my world, in a SHTF situation, I’d rather have commodities like ammunition or spare firearms to barter with. Until the S un-H’s the F I don’t know what anyone would do with silver anyways.

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Ditto
But I’m not selling what was passed down so I’m keeping it in its basic form (might slim down some items but keeping it silver for silver)


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Originally Posted by KevDen2005

I go with small denomination silver bars/rounds 1, 5, 10 ounces. It's good for SHTF but also retirement investment or something to bequeath children that government can't track well and tax.

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Agree. No big ingots. Everything is in 1 oz form. But the ASEs vs rounds still makes me scratch my head. Or even higher value ASE. I don’t see a need for them beyond wealth management.


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I use my 20 oz ASE rolls for weight training to keep from getting fatigued during 12 oz curl beer sessions.

Come shit hit the fan we can prepare and plan all we want, no one knows how it will play out. Diversity in barter items offers the best chances. Small rifle primers for a couple silver coins sounds reasonable. a gallon of drinkable water could be too.

My paychecks go to lead brass powder and primers...oh and TP and sawyer water filters, always good have!


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Originally Posted by DFBrews

I use my 20 oz ASE rolls for weight training to keep from getting fatigued during 12 oz curl beer sessions.

Come shit hit the fan we can prepare and plan all we want, no one knows how it will play out. Diversity in barter items offers the best chances. Small rifle primers for a couple silver coins sounds reasonable. a gallon of drinkable water could be too.

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+1

The idea behind barter items is sound, until your barter partner has no need or want of what you have = enter gold or silver. Mankind is fairly consistent in his historical use of a fungible proxy (read: money), and once one gets over the mental hurdle of junk silver being a coin, and having not coin value but value as to what it holds (precious metal), the idea of it makes perfect sense. This is why the "Federal" Reserve has pushed to simply have it be a fiat currency rather than actually contain precious metal, and that socialist rat Roosevelt/EO 6102 came to pass. "Money" made from the same material which is strung along every roadside instantly devalues the money as a fungible proxy in a non-standard economic situation.

I'm not sure how ingots satisfy the idea of wealth preservation any more than that same amount of silver or gold in smaller, more manageable quantities. It is like one saying it's better to have an artillery round instead of cases of 5.56; it supposes one can find someone with a howitzer or other use for the round vs the manageable trade value of carbine rounds in quantities of say... 10.

Since the initial stages of a SHTF/bartering/silver/gold situation would see high demand and low supply, an ingot or high quantity of silver would be like having a $1000 bill at a yard sale with no ability for the seller to make change. It's so valuable it becomes worthless in a practical sense.

And one can never fully prepare. There is always something they forgot or didn't know they'd need or didn't have enough of. Is one really going to trade a silver ingot for an asthma inhaler or a set of extra prescription glasses, or whatever...?

There's also the fact that not engaging in the barter/buy market tips ones hand as being full of goods everyone else wants. So in this sense, engaging in the market is a hedge against tipping ones hand to the market as being fully supplied. This also brings up a point I've often thought about -- appearing to maintain weight or even gain it while everyone else is losing weight. Say you have 3 years worth of food... DO NOT EAT LIKE YOU HAVE 3 YEARS WORTH OF FOOD. As such, fasting to engage in a psyop is probably advisable until most are dead or too weak to put 2 and 2 together. Don't starve yourself, but definitely think about the image you present in a situation.

Another good item: cheap vodka or whiskey. Lasts indefinitely and has multiple uses (medical, trade, keeping the local alkie from getting DTs, etc.)

There are tons of "what if" scenarios. Frankly, that what if might be, "what if I just die within the first few minutes; what do I do when I do, whenever that is?" On that note, the best disaster/SHTF preparation is a solid spiritual life.

No one escapes death. So that is the best thing to be prepared for, as it's much more inevitable than James Wesley, Rawles deepest, darkest nightmares. It's more inevitable than malaria in Conrad's darkest Africa or being raped in Lawrence's Arabia. No man escapes it.

I've got enough other metals to worry about moving in a SHTF situation. To me, silver is a good speculative investment to make money with. Just wish the wife would get on board the idea too.

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Originally Posted by muddywings

Agree. No big ingots. Everything is in 1 oz form. But the ASEs vs rounds still makes me scratch my head. Or even higher value ASE. I don’t see a need for them beyond wealth management.


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I do think ASE have their place and I have a few rolls, but I think silver at the lowest cost possible is your best bet for retirement investment or having a savings account you can't just tap into. I personally like having an investment that isn't followed by big brother. If I need the money in an absolute crappy situation I can take my silver to a lot of places and get paid out for it, again why I like small denominations so I only sell what I need to and again not tracked. I have never done this and wouldn't do this unless I had absolutely no other choice.

As far as SHTF, anything is possible. CavScout's response hits a lot of the points I also believe in. Barter is gonna be a big thing in those situations with the things people have done for 1000's or millions of years. Whiskey and such is also a good barter item as he pointed out.

I try to keep a broad spectrum of preparation for anything since no one knows. I think retirement planning should be a the top of the list.

CavScout's response hits a lot of the points I also believe in.

That was a really good post.

CavSct1983 - Fantastic post [Beer]

Thanks for the kudos guys. My post was nothing more than a coalescing of the great info I've learned here and elsewhere over the years. The true test, though, is not regurgitation of theory but application when the world is exploding and imploding around us.

If you want a crash course primer on economics and how to hedge against the eventual implosion, check out Ann Barnhardt's video on the subject:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruiK7A2Xwi8

Yes, it's long. But Ann is a great presenter and is very entertaining.

You can tell by the way she is dressed she is nuts!