On gold:
Think about it, there are only two real advantages gold and silver have to cryptos.
1) Value over time across cultures. That is a lot of momentum. (this is of course due to its luster and scarcity from the lack of metal asteroids we get)
2) Usefulness in electronics.
It does not stand on anything else.
1) "Rare". Minted coins are also finite.
2) Store of wealth. This is no different than anything else anyone agrees is valuable. There is no intrinsic value beyond electronics. Bullets, water, and other commodities are really the only real stores of wealth for someone that is concerned with anarchy.
We don't want governments to collapse _completely_. Who is going to have a standing army to guard infrastructure then? Is everyone going to cruise around with solar inverters and netbooks? Weak is fine for social shifts. Total anarchy is bad for everyone but the survivalists.
For people that buy gold and silver via proxies. Do you honestly think you will have access to that in a social collapse? Unless it was delivered to your doorstep... and then, unless you have gold coins... what are you going to do, chip of flakes to transact with people?
I just don't see much appeal to precious metals. The quantities by which you can invest for anyone but the super wealthy means it is often purchased and held through trusted parties anyway.
My 2 cents after considering investing in precious metals. I think you either buy bullets and water and MREs or you buy cryptos. You prepare for worst case or you have the expectation the government is still around.
its a store of value worldwide precisely 'because ' it has not a lot of other uses.
shtf scenario is possible but not likely
the likely scenario is everybodies purchasing power on average diminishes by a lot.
I think a loss of confidence in the fiat currencies will be the big difference here .
it looks like the East with not so much debt will move towards a currency backed by pm's so what happens in the West might not matter.
the thing is that although i think pm's are safer to get into, its a lot harder and time consuming.
if markets take a plunge it might be easier for the masses to obtain cryptocurrencies.(i keep thinking of the surge when cyrus had the bail in)
Thingymygig will probably argue a better case than i put forward.
