I keep seeing all these commercials advertising gold investments. Is gold really worth investing in? If so, why?

I know ammo is . I'll say it again , IMHO gold is just as worthless to me as sea shells :p .

Ah yes, the ol' what is gold worth question...

donttreadonmebmg is on the right track in mentioning his preference for ammo.

You can possess enough gold to fill a truck bed, but if you lack a security plan, and the right tools, you won't possess your wealth for very long.

As for the "worth" of gold, or silver, or lead, or copper, or steel:

What is it worth to you, and what can you do with it?

If you can't figure out how to use a piece of gold to your advantage, then it is worthless.

When governments print money, the sane response is to buy gold. If you don't trust gold, do you trust the logic of taking a pine tree, worth $4,000-$5,000, cutting it up, turning it into pulp, putting some ink on it and then calling it one billion dollars?

Currencies come and go, but gold has been a store of value for more than 5,000 years. Gold is rare but paper money is not. Presented with an opportunity to churn out extra cash at little expense, it takes a special kind of government to resist. Few seem able to do so.

Inflation wrecks currencies. The world's two most successful currencies, the US dollar and the British pound, both of which are still used by other nations to hoard wealth, have each lost more than 95% of their value in the past 100 years.

By contrast, there is a finite supply of gold. This keeps it honest. Regardless of the dollar price involved, one ounce of gold would purchase a good-quality man's suit at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt and today.

all the money I dont spend on food, ammo, clothes for my kids ect goes into Silver. All of my savings is in Silver. I think its a sound investment right now but should not be your only investment. Investments like tools, methods of power for your home, hunting skills, gardening skills, food storage, are all investments.

Gold and silver is just a way to make sure you have a little spending capital in the event the US econ goes into the drink.

I highly recommend the book by Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Capital titled "Crash Proof, How to profit from the coming economic collapse."

I agree that I'd rather invest in semi-precious metals (lead, copper) because there is greater utility to them. However, I have an IRA, too, that my employer deposits money in to whether I want it or not. I invest the money in a gold fund called Streettracks Gold Trust ETF (ticker symbol GLD). As the U.S. economy declines, the price of gold will increase. As the dollar deflates, the value of GLD stock will increase. Assuming there is not a total collapse, this will put you in a much better position down the road.

The Consumer Price Index is, what, 3% right now and rising? That's a lie. As Schiff explains in his book, real inflation is running between 10% and 12%. It's obvious to anyone who buys groceries on a regular basis that inflation ain't at no 3%. So, to protect the dollars you have now, you need to be earning at least 12%--that's just for your dollars to hold their current value.

Anyway, I've now told you more than I know. Schiff explains the ins and outs of investing in gold and the best ways to do it. You can also look up Peter Schiff on YouTube and you'll get an amusing earful. He's always the lone dissenter being interviewed, and others frequently gang up on him for his bearish prognostications, but he's always been right.

Glenn Beck often has Peter Schiff on his show to comment on things.
I just heard that the real value of a penny is actually 2 cents, and the real value of a nickel is 10 cents. With this in mind, I could exchange every bit of money I own for nickels & pennies, then melting them down & selling the metals, getting back in return potentially double the money I had before. No way can it be this easy.
Also, I have some cords from old appliances laying around. Is it worth it to strip the cords & get the copper out to sell? I'm pretty sure its not but just making sure.

Yes . I keep all the copper I get my hands on . I keep lead also . A junk car battery around here gets me $10.00 each .

The spot price for copper today is $3.53/lb. My local scrap yard pays 80% of the spot price. That's $2.82/lb. Would you rather have the cords laying around or the money in your pocket?

so should I turn it in for cash now or just keep hanging on to it to let the value go up before selling it?

HANG on to it for a while . and try to find more when ever you can .

Is the value of the copper going to go up faster than the interest I make off the money I get from selling it going to rake in?

Well SBL I'm not sure about that but if you run to the scrap yard once a month with $10.00 worth of copper you won't make any money but if your not interested in keeping it for awhile take it in now , If you have enough copper to cover your gas and time to take it in , do so .

I just heard that the real value of a penny is actually 2 cents, and the real value of a nickel is 10 cents. With this in mind, I could exchange every bit of money I own for nickels & pennies, then melting them down & selling the metals, getting back in return potentially double the money I had before. No way can it be this easy.

Does anybody have an answer to this one?

The real value of a penny is about 2 cents, the real value of a nickel is about 6 cents. Here\'s my source. Not to worry though, the US Mint has deemed it illegal to melt pennies and nickels. Here's my source on that. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Monetary... Treatment of 5-Cent and One-Cent Coins.

Hoosier Patriot,

Have we met?
I have a few brilliant, uncirculated, 2006 Indiana Silver Libertys if you're interested.

Maybe we can trade for some pre-82 pennies...

Imagrunt,

I don't know if we've met or not. I was at Norm's place in '01 and I've been to Knob Creek a couple times since then. Most of the Patriots I know are right here in Indiana.

If you really want to sell those Liberty dollars, send me a PM. I know how to use gold and silver to my advantage.

It is ABSOLUTELY TRUE that it is now illegal (according to our tyrannical gummament) to melt down coinage for a better ROI (return on investment).

Do it if you're feeling lucky. But, I wouldn't do it, if I were you.

IMHO, theres too many cell phones and goodie two-shoes "out there" that'll turn you in in a heartbeat!! Jail cells are no fun if ya like breathing fresh air when ever you want to, without having to ask some "CO's" permission!

I don't get it. Its illegal for us to melt down our coinage, however whenever you go to just about any tourist site, they have those penny smashing machines that leave an imprint of something all over Lincoln's face. If its illegal to 'destroy' money, why aren't these machines banned?
I was recently in Philly, I visted the National Constitution Center & they had one of these machines. The ironic thing is that the U.S. Mint is literally right across the street.

When folks ask me what 'precious metals' I am investing in I tell them steel and aluminum. I say this as I am investing in magazines for weapons. Last time I did this I made OVER 1000% profit. Lets see junk silver or gold bullion do that and still be able to help me both defend myself of hunt food for me to eat.

Magazines that were selling for $10 each just 3 months ago are already going for $25 each now or higher. Not bad for a 3 month investment. They will only go higher no matter who goes into the White House this year as ALL the current front runners are anti gun!

I got a ~40lbs brass bar I found in my garage, does anybody happen to know the approximate current value for brass?

It cost more than a penny to make one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/22/b...dea6fa38e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

The value of the copper in a penny is less than 2 tenths of a cent.
http://www.coinflation.com/
But look at the chart showing teh value of silver in different coins.

OK,
This thread started with gold, and now copper investing is the topic.

Why not just buy silver?

Wow, a new way to look at this. I'm sold on this one. But, I will still be buying gold and silver. I WILL be following your way of thinking though.

Thanks.

Ah, the Federal notes are made out of cotton, not trees, but who really cares, it's just the same at the end of it all.