Don Diego may be right...................

You'll need to part with some of your precious metals to obtain food. I'll simply have to hint at parting with some ammo to get the same.

DonDiego is thrilled to learn that the "Hand of Faith" nugget is still on display. He had been under the impression that the Golden Nugget had sold their entire collection.
Hand of Faith

Hmmmm, . . . wrong on two counts.
__ Unfortunately, DonDiego possesses precious little actual gold; he did purchase a few nuggets on his Alaskan Cruise last Summer, but very little else.
__ On the positive side, DonDiego's investment holdings are fully paid for, . . . no margin calls will be forthcoming. He could lose everything, but he won't owe the broker anything.

I would think in the long run if there was a worldwide collapse and an end of days/changing of how we live then guns may only be good for only the short term. A gun is only as good as the amount of ammo you have for it. Once you run out of ammo a gun for the most part is pretty useless. I would personally put more value into food (canned goods, honey, twinkies lol, and other food that will last for years), water, batteries, silver, gold, medicine, knives and other weapons that remain useful.

DonDiego agrees.

Although ammunition itself might turn out to be a pretty good item for barter.
DonDiego recently read that the term "shot" as in a measure of whiskey originated in the Old West where a 45 cartridge was worth 12-cents and a 1½-oz measure of whiskey was also worth 12-cents. So ammuntion was used as a coin - a shot for a "shot". DonDiego has read more recently that this story is incorrect. He still likes the story, anyway.

But, beyond the limited utility of a gun, DonDiego would prefer barter to gunplay in any case.

Oh, and by the way, some posters seem to presume an absolute, total, apocalyptic collapse. In the event of a less extreme situation, . . . e.g. say fr'instance, 20% to 80% inflation for a few years or severe shortages of gasoline, useful items could still be used for barter for other goods and servcies.

That's the point I'm making for those who say to buy gold as a hedge for the economy collapsing and the US entering an Armageddon phase where roving bands of gunmen control the streets aka Mel Gibson in The Road Warrior and you'll need gold to trade for food and ammo (KayPea is not saying that Don Diego has suggested this as a likely scenario). Unless you're going to that vending machine at the Golden Nugget, you're buying paper that says you own gold with will not be worth any more in the apocalypse than green pieces of paper. Now, if we don't enter a third world economy, those pieces of paper may or may not turn out to be good investments.

Really?? and how do you know if I don't grow my own?

You DO know how many times that has been attempted and failed. - folks are STILL looking for gold from both the Myan and Incan empires. Gold still turns up in Egypt, and other lands people once thought had been already stripped of precious metals.

The promise of gold/riches has driven men to do things others won't, it has been that way for more than 7,000+ years.

Oh, Forkester. You are aware that they call those metals precious for a reason. They have only been traded for thousands of years. I'm thinking ancient Egypt here, you know when those men called pharaohs ruled the lands.

DonDiego appears to be an extremely erudite individual. Impressed.

The Mayan Calendar has been the root cause of the apocalyptic view of 2012 being the "End of the World". However, here is something to think about as we roll toward potential or partial oblivion--if the Mayans were so good at predicting the end of civilization, how come they missed the end of their own civilization?

Does not seem to be marked on their calendar. Oops, I guess. Also, the basis of the Maya's prophecy is the coming astronomic alignment of the Sun, Earth and the Black Hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy all along the ecliptic plane of the solar system. Could this alignment really be the cause of momentus changes?

Could the changes that this alignment brings (if it is the actual cause and really does have any perceived effect on the Earth and us) actually be Positive instead of the usual negative connotation that everyone seems to believe is a foregone conclusion? Dramatic Earth changes are happening yes, but there seems to be a sweeping positive current of people rising up for democracy, against dictators in the Middle East / Africa--in one of the most difficult places in the world. Could things be happening for the betterment for mankind?

Just postulating. And perhaps hoping.

Pecker also has invested in gold and silver mine stocks, they have done well.
Pecker also actually holds silver dollar coins that are at a all-time high. A few silver "bars"also. I will be ready to "barter" to eat and retain my weight if need be in the economic ruins!