What use is gold in say an EMP strike?

I was chatting to a friend earlier and we were discussing the obsession regarding hoarding gold. Both of us agreed that if we woke up one day and nothing electrical worked then there would be chaos and looting all over. I live in the UK, and certainly where I am I'd imagine the first few hours/day would be confusion as nobody (including emergency services) would know what is going on, then panic.

In normal circumstances I do not condone looting or other criminal behaviour, but if by say 10:30am I've figured out that the UK is down, no vehicles working, no electronics etc, and accepted my society has changed forever, then my friends and I will certainly take as much as we can in an attempt to survive.

We then discussed what we'd take, and quickly came to the conclusion that antibiotics, pain killers, alcohol, and tobacco products will be the new currency on top of food. So yes, while gold is nice n shiny n all, if you have a festering wound and want to stop the infection your shiny sovereign isn't gonna interest me or anyone else to trade for my medicine. I may consider alcohol or food, but gold? Nah, keep it.

So ATS, all you hoarding gold in the event of total societal collapse, what do you think anyone else will want it for? I can see no reason I would ever trade useful life saving items, or even alcohol or tobacco products for your shiny element.

Apologies in advance if I don't reply too much, this is purely a question and I'm just interested in why people think it's worth spending their money on gold instead of Morphine, Codeine, Antibiotics, alcohol, or tobacco. That, and food/water will be the new currency for many years if it ever all goes tits up.

Gold hoarders will be the last to be looted, well by anyone who wants to live of course.

a reply to: InceyWincey

antibiotics, pain killers, alcohol, and tobacco products will be the new currency on top of food

In my country we are already using those as currency.

a reply to: InceyWincey

Water will be #1 followed by Med's.

The thing about the situation you're envisioning is that the 'barter economy' stage wouldn't last very long before pretty much all of the goods used in bartering ran out or decomposed (how much tinned food would exist? How long a shelf-life do medicines have? etc).

What would happen then is anyone's guess, since it has never happened before. But the fact that currency has been invented by nearly every civilisation, ever, suggests that sooner or later money would start circulating again. And since gold is so rare, it will naturally reappear as a 'base currency'.

This is probably the one scenario in which gold could be a useful investment, as it is a notoriously poor one in the current investment system.

originally posted by: Gargoyle91
a reply to: InceyWincey

Water will be #1 followed by Med's.

Yes agreed. When the pumps stop in Britain the taps will run dry. Half mile walk for me to nearest fresh source. A litre/kilo of water will be worth more than a kilo of gold, that is certain.

a reply to: audubon

Wouldn't that 'rise of society' again take so long that it would be more prudent hoarding 'useful' items instead of a shiny inert element?
Or are you thinking of a scenario where you survive long enough until it becomes useful to your kids or grand kids?

a reply to: InceyWincey

Pleased to meet you

I'll never be wealthy enough to be storing gold for a rainy day. However, if I was, it'd be a good idea to bury a stash somewhere and have the location passed down as a family secret for when society gets back on its feet.

You're right about the priorities though. I had a batten nail through my foot a month ago and carried on regardless...for two days. That's how long it took to blow up into an infection that needed antibiotics to clear. In the notorious SHTF scenario the infection would have cost a leg at least. Gold wouldn't have been worth a damn. It actually made me wonder at how such a small injury could become life-threatening for everyone who's ever lived without access to antibiotics.

a reply to: Gargoyle91

Security will be number 2, the strong will take from the weak when there is no Government. Human nature at its finest.

a reply to: audubon

What would happen then is anyone's guess, since it has never happened before.

I don’t believe we need a history lesson to make a good conjecture what will happens.

Most in the hospitals and elderly will die - within the first day, days and week.

From there those with medical needs? They’re out as soon as there meds are out (not all but a large portion).

By this time there’s no water anyway in most cities so people who can are migrating ‘out’.

Those in areas where water is plentiful and food stocked? Have no need of gold but loyal people to support them, arms and skills.

All hell will break out pretty much as I don’t see FIMA being any great help. Hard to say.

I’m not exactly on with this but I’m sure not exactly wrong either.

a reply to: Skorpy

22 cal would be the smartest but would eventually run out of ammo - Bow's and Arrows, sling shots, Blow Guns need to be stashed away also. But I didn't put security as 2 because it's #0 a given.

You have accurately deduced a SHTF situation- metals are junk, food and water is king.
Where I live, water isn't hard to come by- but in the dead of winter, heat is- and food is harder.

Now, if the situation was a lot less awful, metals make more sense. Say a natural disaster takes half the country offline- but not the other half. There will be aid available, but not enough. Those who have it will most certainly loot and hoard, but once they have more than they need they may be interested in trading it for something that might help them out after the lights come back on.
Or, say the whole infrastructure goes down. If you can survive ten years, there WILL be markets popping up. Barter town will most certainly accept gold, although it won't buy you anything close to what it costs today.

I think it's worth keeping a few hundred bucks worth of silver handy, at any rate. Could save your life one day. I keep an ounce in my pocket, supposedly contact with silver is good for you.

a reply to: Kandinsky

Hi, likewise.
I agree, and I'm the same as you, if I get an injury I'll wash it and dress it to see how I go, probably 90% of the time no infection...but that 10% oh my, no antibiotics then it gets scary! I have beaten infection before by scraping out affected flesh while using antiseptics, even anti-bacterial handwash, but it is painful, shockingly painful.

That said, I'd rather have a hundred purse sized hand sized gel sanitizers than a bar of gold if society has collapsed. Hell, a bottle of neat vodka would be worth more than gold, I can clean a wound with that if I have to then pass out drunk after enduring the experience.

originally posted by: Skorpy
a reply to: Gargoyle91

Security will be number 2, the strong will take from the weak when there is no Government. Human nature at its finest.

Agreed. Weapons and ammo will be up at the top of the list of valuable commodities.

With a good gun and ammo, no need to barter with those that don't. Just being realistic.

originally posted by: InceyWincey
a reply to: audubon

Wouldn't that 'rise of society' again take so long that it would be more prudent hoarding 'useful' items instead of a shiny inert element?
Or are you thinking of a scenario where you survive long enough until it becomes useful to your kids or grand kids?

It's not an either/or situation. Hoarding both things would make perfect sense. And it is a definite fact that the barter economy wouldn't last very long. So either you'll have something to trade with, or you'll starve to death anyway.

But again, there is a reason that gold has emerged as a base currency throughout history, and it is not because separate civilisations have all made the same mistake independently over the course of several millennia.

a reply to: InceyWincey

You could make your wife or girlfriend some nice jewelry to shut her up for 5 minutes and not have to listen to how she is missing "the Bachelorette" because the tv got cooked by an EMP Strike. Just a thought

Gold was extremely valuable before there was any electronics in the world, right? Don't you think it would be valuable if there were no longer any electronics as well? Meds might be a form of currency for awhile, but if they're not making any more, as a consumable item they will run out. It's a temporary solution at best, not long term.

a reply to: schuyler

I've always wondered why gold was so valuable when it had no use other then It looked good and was easy to work with. Wonder if it's just a subliminal thing that we carry from our forgotten past.

originally posted by: InceyWincey
Half mile walk for me to nearest fresh source. A litre/kilo of water will be worth more than a kilo of gold, that is certain.

For a half a mile walk? Please point me in the direction of a half kilo of gold and I'll hump that trail hard.

I feel for the folks that have decided to live in civilization and urban hell. If an EMP hit Alaska tomorrow, I'd feel inconvenienced at that's about the full extent of it. It would mean I'd see more time on my mountain bike, I'd have to work by lamp light once we start losing our 21 hours of functional daylight, and I'd need to break out the old crank record player or the acoustic guitar to enjoy music, and I'd be scrambling to put up more food for winter. Otherwise, meh, I'll take the gold and sit on it. Hell, it would give me something shiny to fart around with during the long winter months.

a reply to: InceyWincey

Have you read 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy? He nailed it. We'd all be right back to the pyramid of needs i.e. food, warmth, water and security. Decent meds and alcohol would be on the bottom alongside food and clean water and limited to what can be transported and carried.

Anyone in urban areas would be better off dead imo.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Location location location - The man carrying a pound of gold would gladly give it up for a glass of water where no water can be found.