The use of barter in trade, is actually much older than actual ‘money,’ and can be dated back as long as written history exists. The Bible’s timeline, probably dates back about 4,000 years, and the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) uses the words ‘gold’ and ‘silver’ hundreds of times, not only as far as denoting wealth, but barter also. Jews’ use of gold and silver to embellish temples of worship are in Scripture. Jesus told his followers not to store up treasure on earth where ‘moth and rust consume,’ but rather store up treasure in heaven. Moth and rust cannot consume gold or silver.
Barter is used for trading value for value. Bartering animals for animals, vegetables for admission to the Barter Theatre in Abington Virginia, was barter. Barter between people, of necessity, has to involve valuable or wanted things. As far as the Barter Theatre was concerned, people had a surplus of vegetables or eggs maybe, and they gladly exchanged them for admission to a theatre. Trading livestock for other livestock, or for items desired, is barter, and not necessarily involving currencies. A farmer may have too many cows and not enough feed for them, so a cow for hay would be barter. Currently, in the American West, we are undergoing a severe drought, and believe it or not, a ton of hay is going for $300. Water is so short, than many ranchers are selling livestock because they have no water for them and feed has become too expensive. Robert, a friend of mine, in church Sunday, said that it will cost $600 to feed a calf all winter, and it is a total loss. Sell the calf, or trade it for something of value will make sense. Barter, in other words. This makes water expensive and meat less so, but that of course involves dollars, not gold and silver.
Barter has always occurred when a currency is debased, as has and is happening everywhere on Earth, but especially in Venezuela, Argentina, and Turkey currently. In a nation where the currency is unstable or going down in value or purchasing power, one must store their assets in something which has value, because barter will obviously become necessary eventually, and a currency always becomes worthless, due to its being printed endlessly. I look at my $20 trillion Zimbabwe note lots of times, as it is in my desk drawer and when I open the drawer for something, there it is. Most Americans currently, are storing their surplus assets in dollar denominated savings accounts, bonds, or maybe even under their mattresses, for future use. Not smart people. Everyone should have a few hundred or a thousand dollars in a safe place for emergencies, but not for future use, as the dollar and all currencies, are being debased by all governments, because all governments spend more than they take in with taxes. Politicians have always achieved votes by promising voters largess from the public treasury.
I think that families should have their properties and valuables in a trust, to avoid inheritance taxes legally, but also in gold and silver to leave to their kids without probate. Tell them where it is before you die! Barter will eventually become necessary in America, as it always has become necessary throughout history, in all civilizations, because all currencies not backed with gold or silver, which is all of them, eventually bite the dust, leaving their holders broke. We then, should store value in something valuable, and not dependent on a government for value. Make sense? Since our government creates dollars, and also debases them, storing wealth in dollars makes no sense. We need to store assets in something which can be used for barter eventually, even though it may not be in our lifetime. Leave it to our kids who may need to use it for barter. No one can accurately predict what will happen tomorrow, next month, or next year, but history shows that all currencies eventually reach zero value, and barter has always become necessary, using something of value.
The only things universally used for barter, which are easily stored, are gold and silver, which don’t rust, or as Jesus noted, are not consumed by moths. Gold and silver are valuable in all nations on Earth. Since the ratio between gold and silver is close to 80 to 1, gold is not likely to be used as barter for food. It’s too valuable for small time barter for necessities. Silver is the ideal barter vehicle, and remember we also have ½ ounce silver coins, which might be a good way to have some silver, for future barter. Gold is for big barter which people do not want government involved. Wise people distinguish themselves from those not too bright, by looking to the future, and acting upon what history teaches. History teaches than all currencies eventually go to zero, without exception, and this has happened in America three times already. It is so simple a thing to do. Store assets in a universally, historically valuable item, not dependent on a government for value. Gold and silver meets those criteria. Don Stott 1-888-786-8822