Humankind has traded in silver and gold since the dawn of civilization.
These precious metals will likely retain their intrinsic value even in a worldwide crisis, so keeping some coins and bars as an emergency stash is a good idea.
Save the following seven tips to barter with gold and silver when the you-know-what hits the fan.
7 Gold and Silver Bartering Hacks for Crisis Situations
When you think of an SHTF situation, you may imagine a total collapse in which anything you can’t eat, drink, or use as a tool is worthless.
However, on the spectrum between reality as we know it and complete chaos, there may be many scenarios in which gold and silver are still valuable.
In a prolonged crisis, society will eventually settle into some kind of new normal. People may barter goods or skills, but they’ll still likely need universally accepted tokens of value.
Gold and silver naturally fill this niche thanks to their long history and wide recognition. Keep reading for some ideas on using precious metals for bartering.
1. Keep Coins or Small Silver Pieces for Everyday Trade

The first known coinage originated in Lydia (modern-day Turkey) around 630 BCE, and humankind has used coins ever since.
There’s a good reason why coins have stood the test of time: they’re small, lightweight, and easily recognized.
Even when coin mints are out of trade, you can still use junk silver (old coins minted before 1965) or small, standard-weight silver pieces to barter for goods and services.
Divisible bars (like CombiBars) are handy for this purpose since you can easily split them into 1-gram pieces.
When it comes to comparing silver and gold, silver is much more convenient than gold for small transactions.
Gold holds far more value per weight unit, but you may find it difficult to produce “change” when trading everyday supplies for gold.
2. Carry Gold When Crossing Borders

It’s also possible that a severe crisis engulfs the U.S. while other countries remain relatively untouched.
You may decide to make your way across the border and leave most of what you own behind.
In this situation, gold could be more useful than silver (although it’s still good to have some silver on hand), since even a small amount packs a lot of value.
You can hide gold in discreet places on your body or sew it into your clothes.
Then, when you relocate, you can use it for bartering or exchange some of it for local currency if it’s still stable.
3. Bundle Metals and Goods for Bartering

If the world goes back to a barter-based economy, exchanging goods and services will likely become more flexible.
People will swap miscellaneous supplies and labor based on what they need and can give in return.
Adding precious metals to barter can help even the scales if the items or skills you’re trading are somewhat less valuable than the other side’s offer.
For example, let’s say your neighbor is a skilled workman and you’d like him to repair your roof.
You might give something valuable, like food, fuel, or tools in exchange, but a reasonable trade-off for your neighbor’s work may be more than you can spare.
In this case, you may offer some supplies and some silver or gold, and he can trade the metals later as he sees fit.
4. Use Precious Metals as Collateral for Borrowing or Leasing

In a world where traditional loans are no longer available, precious metals can serve as collateral for alternative borrowing.
For instance, perhaps someone near you has a chainsaw, an impact driver, or another valuable tool you want to borrow.
Your neighbor might hesitate to let you use their prized equipment, especially if a replacement would be hard to come by.
You may leave a quantity of gold or silver with them as a token of trust, with the idea that they keep the metal if you fail to return their tool in its original condition.
You could use the same approach if you want to lease a plot of land for a season: leave some gold or silver with the landowner and agree that you’ll get your precious metal deposit back (perhaps minus a certain amount) once you vacate the land and leave it in its former state.
5. Set Up a Community Bank

In hard times, it’s easier to survive and prosper as a community.
If you’re pooling resources with a group of people, each one can contribute some gold or silver to set up an emergency “bank” from which members can borrow based on rules everyone agrees upon.
Having a larger amount of silver and gold at the group’s disposal may make it easier for you to barter on a larger scale.
For instance, it might allow you to acquire a tractor, negotiate a big project like building a house, or do other things that might be out of your reach if you’re operating solo.
6. Agree on Bartering Value

Although you may expect gold and silver to stay valuable even as the economy crumbles, it can be hard to predict exactly how much worth precious metals will hold.
Will an ounce of silver be enough to pay for a crate of vegetables or a gallon of fuel?
Of course, the value of precious metals largely depends on whoever is involved in the transaction: if both sides say that a certain quantity of gold and silver is a fair trade-off for goods or services, then it is.
But a completely arbitrary barter system might also create uncertainty and disputes.
If you live in a community like a village or a cluster of farms, you could agree that a specific amount of gold and silver should cover certain goods and services, e.g., a silver dime for a loaf of bread or an ounce of gold for a bred heifer.
This approach can add clarity to bartering and make sure everyone gets a fair deal.
7. Offer as Gifts To Build Relationships

Although this isn’t bartering per se, you can offer gold or silver items as gifts to foster relationships and build trust.
This could be useful, for instance, if you’re settling into a new community and want to show that you’re ready to contribute resources for the common good.
In this situation, jewelry, medals, and collectible coins that can be stashed on a budget could work just as well as bullion.
