No, coins are the best. Divisible to a degree, widely recognized, minted by governments, and with readily available authenticity tests.Indeed. Perhaps gold chains with easily separable links would be more practical than bars, as you'd be able to use one or more links to buy something useful. As for portable wealth, aren't high-quality diamonds the usual thing? Better value density than gold. Perhaps not a great investment vehicle, liquidity issues, etc.Actually gold frequently has use during the event itself as well. Gold could buy a horse and buggy out if Atlanta in 1864, exit papers to go into neutral Switzerland in 1939, a seat on a chopper in Saigon 1975, etc.
Diamonds are a definite no, lack of standardization, etc. Gold is pretty compact, 100k fits in a toilet paper tube.
Statistics: Posted by rogue_economist — Tue Feb 04, 2025 6:12 pm