Gold is one of the oldest currencies in the world. In the past centuries, people bartered at markets with gold and silver to get what their families needed to survive. Today, people rely on paper money, which is frankly worthless. Paper money is only valuable when the economy is doing well, in Keynesian terms. In times of economic downturns (think 2008 recession and Brexit) and political upheavals like war, paper money loses value exponentially. Gold, despite not having been a currency for a while, continues to be valuable even today, especially when the value of currency stumbles.
The numeric value of gold can fluctuate with the market, but this precious metal has always held an intrinsic value. Gold is still used in pricey jewelry, and as a metal, is important for the tech and science industries. A savvy investor will therefore own some form of physical gold in his or her portfolio. When the time comes, this gold should be ready for bartering.
What is Bartering with Gold?
Simply put, bartering with gold means exchanging gold in return for goods or services. Since we do not live in ancient Greece, people don’t really go around carrying or accepting gold bars. Coins no longer use gold either. There are thriving local communities where people do barter with gold. For example, Farmers and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs, independent retail shops, merchants and people who trade in unconventional items do accept gold for doing business. You can research these groups in your local area. >>Prepare For The Greater Depression and What Will Follow
People mainly like to accept gold as a currency because it saves them the trouble of having to go to a dealer or the government to buy gold themselves. The gold you barter has value as a real currency. People who take the gold won’t have to pay premiums, and you will receive what you want at a desirable cost not subjected to currency value. It’s a win-win situation where both parties can benefit if the transaction is done properly.
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Buying Barter Gold
Barter gold is less than one ounce in weight per piece. The small size makes it easy to conduct in person transactions. There are several options for buying gold for bartering. Here are the three most popular barter gold currencies:
Valcambi CombiBar
You may have heard of CombiBar as gold “chocolate” bars. CombiBars are made by the renowned Valcambi Suisse refinery. They come as gold bars that can be broken into small fraction pieces, where each piece is stamped with weight and purity. CombiBars are known to have 99.99 percent of gold purity. You can buy a CombiBar as a 50g bar or a 1 ounce bar. The 50g bar is mainly used in Europe and can be broken into 1g pieces. The ounce bar is mainly used in the U.S. and can be broken into one-tenth of ounce pieces.
Canadian Maplegram
This national mint coin weighs 1g and contains a highly pure form of gold. Not only is the Maplegram great for bartering, it’s also one of the few gold coins eligible for IRAs. You can buy Maplegram coins in 25 sheets, where each coin has its own unique serial number.
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Fractional Gold Coins
Apart than the Maplegram, there are other gold coins—the American Eagle, Canadian Maple Leaf, and the Australian Kangaroo—that are available as 1 ounce gold coins ready for bartering. These are national mint coins that can be used in IRAs and other similar types of investments. Because these coins are widely accepted, it’s very easy to use them for bartering.
You can go to a reputable dealer yourself and buy barter gold. Or, if you have any goods or services to sell, you can join a bartering community and stock up on minted coins or CombiBars.
Article written by Brittany Deatherage for PrepperUniverse
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I am a hobbyist gold prospector here in Indiana. Its a great way to get a nice cheap supply of gold to put back. You will never get rich for it but it could keep you in food if the world crashes like everyone is saying. With a $10 gold pan and a little knowledge of how gold works in creeks and rivers you can start collecting your small nest egg with little else. And its fun and gets you out of the house. Anyway… you should do a article on gold prospecting for your site, maybe. maybe not, I don’t know if its something others would find of value. Take care.