32 million dollar for a 8cm wide porcelain cup

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Platapus

"Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it." Either Publilius Syrus or Leonard Nimoy

You've been playing Civ4, weren't you


On the other hand, if the civilization breaks down and my coins become worthless, silver can still be used as raw material for makeshift electrical machinery

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Betonov

You've been playing Civ4, weren't you


On the other hand, if the civilization breaks down and my coins become worthless, silver can still be used as raw material for makeshift electrical machinery

Which is good, if you can generate the electricity.

The problem with the SHTF scenarios is that there are many different ways in which it can occur and each different scenario impacts the planet and society in different ways. A global EMP for example would make unshielded electronics useless, but a virus would leave them intact. It would really depend on how far back in our progress we are set.

I could see things like Gold and Silver being worth something in the first few years, since the vestiges of pre-collapse life would mean that people would still associate them as having a value. However the necessities of post-collapse life would soon make other items more valuable than Gold and Silver, things like food, clean water, somewhere safe to sleep. If you look back at the Feudal systems of old, the peasants don't generally handle much gold, but without them the Lords would have no-one to work the land and provide materials for him to trade to other Lords. So, he (or she in some societies) provides safe living and access to just enough food and water for survival for the peasants, and in turn they provide materials for the Lord, if either one removed themselves from the picture then trouble would occur, the peasants would find themselves at the mercy of bandits and rival Lords (although depending on the armed forces and ability of the Lord in question they probably would anyway) and the Lord would find himself having to plough his own fields.

Furthermore, if for some reason the S does not HTF, much to the disappointment of many, then there's good enough reason to suspect that in the far future the value of Gold will plummet as mining of our local asteroids and planets commences. Other metals or even gases will become more valuable as time progresses, right now in fact Platinum is worth more than Gold due to its scarcity, but few people advise to buy platinum.
Right now, an ounce of Gold is worth at the most $1313, the same weight of Platinum is worth $1440.

The next big thing? Helium. Right now the prices are relatively low, people can buy it and make party balloons and silly voices with it, but that's only because the US is keeping it low to sell off the reserves it has built up. Once that stops, well, if you'll pardon the pun, the cost of Helium will balloon. Lithium too will likely be a big thing in the future.

But you could be right for a different reason, since silver, compared to gold, is massively underrated in price.

Errrrrr.....no.
Gold compared to silver has been massively overrated in price recently, for the 2nd time in 30 years.
Its a simple process which is easy to understand and benefit from.
When the doomsayers of von misery and the Beckian horde are shouting buy gold buy gold buy gold now, you get ready to sell gold.