by ZenOps » Mon May 13, 2013 7:45 pm
I'd say for most of 1866 to 2000, the US nickel would have been considered a good safety net.
Post-2000 though, its more of a false sense of security. Even if a nickel quadrupled in spot value per capita - each person in the US would still only have $32 worth of intrinsic value ($8 worth of face value nickels) of which to buy things like oil.
But on an individual basis (as a hoarder) there is really no comparison to the nickel. Protects against inflation and deflation, bank holidays, electronic transfer interruptions, and yes - is a small amount of insurance against outright monetary collapse of the electronic and paper dollar. And I say small, because noone can technically sell a house and get $200,000 worth of nickels (except Adam Young and Kyle Bass) within a reasonable timeframe.
Will there ever be a quote "Should I go into debt to buy nickels?" I'm betting I will hear it within my lifetime.
Its amazing how much confidence 2 Billion nickels can instill.
Beaver collector