Quote Originally Posted by Sh0tsf1red View Post
What makes this metal so precious? Push comes to shove it's just as worthless as a paper dollar, even less actually, you can use a paper dollar to help start a fire.

Gold/Silver have no intrinsic value, if the dollar crashes you should more concerned about how much lead you have....
(Most ammunition uses lead)
This logic only applies in those moments of total chaos. During those moments a farm is useless too because for every second you try working and not defending yourself someone is going to blow your brains out. For every other scenario the same mechanics that have been in effect since ancient times, the "intrinsic" value in gold is that it is much more scarce than nickel and has many more uses. Gold has properties other metals don't and is used in electronics (Google the stats, the usage is huge) and many other things, and it doesn't perish. For the same reasons it has been highly values since the first civilizations. If there is an economy and there is trade, every type of good gets its own value. As a bonus gold is the most sought after type of jewelry. It's not a fad if it has been going on for millenniums.