Survive Infinite Dangers: The Family Survival Guide of 21st Century Dangers (19 page)

However, as I wrote, at some desperate point, food is the only thing of value. Near the end of WW2, starving “city people” gathered up their silver and gold jewelry and silverware and headed out to bargain with farmers. They initially assumed one solid gold spoon would buy all the food they needed for the next year. They learned all of the gold and silver they had might buy enough food to last a few months. The war ended with some very, very rich farmers with “city people” begging to buy their family heirlooms back from the farmers. “No problem! The price is now $5 million American dollars”. Many great fortunes changed hands in Germany that way in the last days of the war. So do not, repeat not, think buying $50,000 in gold coins is all you need do to weather any disaster that comes along. See the “Bartering” section later in this chapter for what to wisely do. In a nutshell, gold and silver are multi-generational investments.

If you’d like to know my favorite current sources for the lowest markups and best service feel free to e-mail me at
[email protected]
. It seems to keep changing as U.S. mint authorized distributors run specials; buy at low spikes and so forth. But caveat emptor as I’ll only tell you what I’m currently doing. I do not run a metals advisory service but I also don’t want to see my readers ripped off by dishonest coin dealers who hit you with huge markups and generally jerk you around. Right now I prefer silver and have been buying types I’ve not bought in 20 years so situations change. Oh yes, back to FDR for a moment. His law could not take gold coins of foreign countries or rare coins that had value to coin collectors. Because of this some gold buyers (Glenn Beck said on TV some of the gold he buys are antique gold coins for this reason) buy only rare coins. This can cause a one ounce gold coin to cost $2,000, or more. I’ve written Glenn Beck but no answer. He is losing money! If he is worried about the FDR law being brought back (unlikely) buy coins of foreign countries that are stamped as legal tender. My current favorite is the Austrian Philharmonic one ounce gold coin. It sells for about the same as the American eagle one ounce coin. If you want foreign currency for any reason that’s a good choice (in my opinion but be aware many buyers won’t know what it is). FDR could not have touched those coins either. In a time of civil unrest a one ounce gold coin is not going to be worth much more because it is a rare 1877 coin unless you find a coin dealer. If the FDR law scares you, there are certain foreign coins the law can’t touch and you won’t pay extra to buy an old, rare coin. If anyone knows Glenn Beck, please break the news to him. He needs to cash in his rare coins while he can and buy foreign coins. Anyway, new laws can be passed that confiscate most anything the government wants. Sources for these coins are sometimes difficult to find. E-mail me for help.

Also, I have posted a number of Youtube videos to my Youtube channel (WØTM – the 0 is a zero) having to do with precious metals investing as well as survivalism. I invite you to watch those videos as well as videos produced by others. Youtube channel SGTbull07 has some excellent videos on silver. LEARN as much as you can! Investing in anything should not be taken lightly. Learn everything possible and don’t be shy to ask questions. Keep in mind my comment about American silver eagles. If you are concerned about people not recognizing a silver coin, buy that coin only.

Here are a few random comments about storing anything of value. Do not put it in a bank vault or a bank safety deposit box. Any civil problem or even a “bank holiday” where your fiat American dollar, say, gets devalued by 99% (it could happen) all banks and ATM’s WILL close. Your gold and silver are off limits plus the government may come through and take it all leaving you an I.O.U. at the new value of fiat currency post-devaluation. All I can say is “never say never”. Where do you hide your truly valuable assets? First of all, good luck on getting insurance on, say, $200,000 of precious metals stored at home but call your insurance agent just in case. He may have a rider that works if you have a safe buried in concrete (they make them for home use). Just hide it well. Don’t buy gold certificates or have it stored in some vault at JP Morgan et al. Same problem as all of the above plus you never even saw it. Plus, just like the bank safety deposit box, the government can clear a quick trillion dollars by turning all accessible gold and silver into devalued fiat paper. Don’t think they’d do it? Does a dog like to bark?

Never buy sizes smaller than one ounce. The higher prices, commissions and markups are expensive. Ingots or raw bars are always a little less than a U.S. Mint (or foreign mint) coin as there is no mint markup. There are private mints who also buy directly from gold and silver mines. They usually cast rectangular “ingots” stamping their information on it. Never buy an unmarked coin or ingot. Currently, I like the silver dollar U.S. mint green colored “monster box” that disappeared from the market for years then just as suddenly reappeared with a relatively small market. Each “monster box” contains 500 brilliant uncirculated one ounce U.S. silver coins. Split up among 10 friends and relatives and everyone can have some real money on hand without breaking the bank. DISBURSE AND HIDE! Ask ten friends where they would hide coins – then don’t hide them in any of those places. You may end up entrusting some of your precious metals with friends or relatives who live even states away. Disburse what you have and make them impossible for anyone else to find. Simple! Your home is THE worst place to store valuables.

As an aside, whether buying or selling gold or silver avoid at all costs these “We Buy Gold – Top Dollar Paid!” shops that are popping up all over the country. I’ve yet to find an ethical one. They are legal but ethical and honest they are not. They prey on people who don’t know the value of their gold or silver jewelry or sell junk metals (much lower than .999 pure). If they suspect you know nothing about precious metals they might offer you, say, 20% of the true worth of the family heirlooms you brought in for appraisal. $10,000 sounds GREAT! You say “yes” not knowing with five minutes of melting they extract $100,000 worth of precious metals. Deal only with well established (ten years, or more) dealers on the Internet who do nothing but this for a living. They publish the “spot” prices of precious metals then show the types of coins, ingots, bars and so forth they have for sale along with today’s prices. Price varies by the minute in precious metals. Be prepared to bank wire them money to obtain the best price. It is really a very simple procedure. Personally, I have bought from Internet dealers such as
www.gainesvillecoins.com
,
www.monex.com
and
www.apmex.com
for years with zero problems and I’ve never read of a single problem any of them have had with a customer’s order. There are other ethical and honest dealers on the Internet. Use Google to find them. I personally trust the ones I listed but do your own “due diligence” on these as well as any other dealer you decide to buy from. Shortages are beginning to appear at least in silver as people (a guess) are beginning to lose confidence in the currencies of their countries and wish to have some of their assets in a form that has been “money” for over 5,000 years. My favorite for the last year has been Gainesville due to their selection, low markup and friendly service. But make up your own mind. I do not personally vouch for any dealer no matter how much I trust them from prior experience.

Will paper money keep going down in value (things cost more) and will gold and silver keep going up in value? You got me. One of the many question marks of life but you can get good “advice” from past history. Keep your precious metals safe, hidden and decide what you are going to do after the government has cleaned out bank vaults and safety deposit boxes of gold and silver plus offers those who store at home $20 of a nice new devalued paper mini-dollar (or whatever they’ll call it). I’ll think about it but mine is already well hidden and would sure be inconvenient to fish/dig/blast/chew/melt/freeze it out (did I give you enough clues to find it?). The next section is “bartering”. Silver and gold (nor food, water, guns, ammunition or anything you might need is NOT for bartering for the necessities of life. Keep it all having something ELSE on hand to use as barter items!

BARTERING

No matter how well you plan you are going to forget something (if society completely breaks down and you are totally on your own. Or you just want some fresh bread and heard the GROUP down the street is offering some by barter. This book and survivalism in general should adhere to the “K.I.S.S. principle” (look it up).

I recommend stocking up on just two items to use to barter: vodka and honey. Both have shelf lives of more than five years (more like 20+). 60% of all liquor sales are vodka so just buy vodka even if you don’t like the stuff. In fact, especially if you don’t like vodka. If any member of your group has ever had a problem with alcohol or you think could, scratch vodka. But liquor will go up faster in value than ammunition and gold in a time of civil strife. After exhaustive research (my cousin owns a liquor store and I asked him) I recommend Luksusowa Polish vodka in airline sized 50 milliliter bottles even though liter and half liter bottles provide more vodka for the money. For barter you’ll be going to “barter areas” in your community that will “spring up” after things calm down. Perhaps the local Walmart store that was looted and picked clean but shelves and a roof remain. A bag of small bottles is much easier to carry and trade than large individual bottles. A case of airline sized bottles is 120 bottles. They are small and the bottle thick as a brick. I paid 90 cents a bottle buying ten cases and I live in a high liquor tax state. That is less than half the cost of Smirnoff and I’m told tastes better! Because of the Lyme disease I have all liquor tastes like vinegar to me (I sure miss the taste of good wines!). I predict a 90 cent bottle will quickly be the equivalent of $10 in a time of civil strife if US currency is not accepted as money.

Personally, I don’t allow liquor in my safe area (not even beer). Think of people in tight quarters for months on end and the reason is obvious. The vodka for barter is kept sealed and off limits to members of my group. You should do the same. And, when bartering vodka, be like a bartender and not “serve” someone who is abusing liquor they already have. Many people in survival mode will have guns and guns and liquor do not mix. As an aside, the Luksusowa I purchased came in glass bottles but someone told me their liquor store could only obtain plastic bottles. Except for bottled water do not store liquids in plastic bottles. Some types of plastic will “meld” into the liquid either ruining it or might even cause illness to someone who drinks it. As already mentioned keep all liquids and all vessels (with food or liquid inside stored in an area where temperature extremes don’t occur and NO sunlight ever hits the bottles. Sunlight causes growth. Who knows what minute bacteria were in the liquid a few years ago? ALWAYS keep the bottles sealed and if breaking the seal causes it to no longer remain safe to ingest after a week (or less) throw out what you don’t ingest! Never take chances with food or water or anything that goes into your body.

I’ve already written but it bears repeating. Wash your hands and keep your safe area antiseptic clean. A single germ can multiply and kill everyone in your group. Remember, calling 911 doesn’t work and the hospitals are probably all closed after being looted for drugs by mobs of very bad people. These are worst case scenarios of course but always exercise caution. You can never have too much bleach, chlorine, antiseptic soap and other germ killing items. Wash your hands every chance you get and always keep your hands away from your face. It was recently stated in a medical journal that over 90% of illnesses that are carried by germs get into your body by you touching something with the germ alive on the object, item or person (i.e. shaking hands with someone) then touching your face close to your nose or mouth. Germs must have temperatures well above freezing to survive. They thrive on the human hand for instance. Thus the risk of catching a cold from someone else’s sneeze is remote while shaking hands with them increases the chances a hundred times or more. Wash your hands numerous times a day along with your face and nasal passages using anti-bacterial soap then break the habit of touching your face plus brush your teeth then gargle with an antiseptic mouth wash (make sure the bottle says “antiseptic”) twice a day and you’ll notice that darn cold you seem to pick up every few months hasn’t appeared all year! Hmmm, maybe you’re onto something! 99% of everything that enters the body enters through the nose and mouth. The other one percent is the skin picking up bacteria of various types. A daily shower using antiseptic soap is always a good idea. The author uses Dial antiseptic bars of soap, various brands of hair shampoo and dentist prescribed mouth rinse named Peridex (requires a prescription but most dentists stock and sell Peridex. I buy a dozen bottles at $12 a bottle twice a year. The extra strong ingredients do seem to minimize the chronic strep throat I suffered from for many years. Bet you didn’t know that! One of many random helpful “factoid” found scattered throughout this book!

I’m dwelling on personal hygiene and all that is related because a germ-free environment and ingesting only that which is safe to eat or drink can mean the difference between life and death. Something as basic as a light case of the flu breaking out in your group may mean you’ll all be dead in a week! Use this in your daily living beginning today and you may discover you’re almost always 100% healthy instead of going from one cold to another with a few days of rest before the next one comes along.

Does your safe area smell dusty/musty (not clean) and maybe even moldy? THAT can kill you if you end up having to hide in that area for a few months. Use bleach and other means of clean surfaces to antiseptic clean but here is an inexpensive absolutely amazing gadget that will provide ozone, it’s an air purifier and is an ionizer. Run it a few times a week for a few hours and it will kill all mold and germs. Go to
www.ebay.com
and look up New Green Air Purifier Ozone Generator Alpine Cleaner. Buy that specific brand. They usually cost about $150 each. The author owns several and runs one in his bedroom during the day. Nighttime air is then totally pure and clean. If you suffer from allergies you’ll fight anyone who takes it away. Do NOT buy anything similar. There are many knockoffs that don’t work. Buy this exact brand. Keep it running in your area (it even has a timer) and the air will at least start out fresh and clean. Plus – no mold. This device kills all mold in a room up to about 14x14. Any food not totally sealed will last longer. The downside is it requires 115 VAC power so no electricity – it won’t function. Refer to the power and electricity chapter. Car batteries, photovoltaic cells for charging and 12 VDC to 115 VAC inverters will provide you a limited amount of QUIET 115 VAC 60 Hertz electricity for critical needs.