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#259354 - 04/19/13 01:04 AM Gold in PSK?
Snake_Doctor
Unregistered


By now most of you know that I'm putting together a PSK for a relative who will be carrying it during military service. (Hopefully.) And many of you have offered helpful suggestions for said kit. Since a kit to be carried worldwide might not be used simply for wilderness survival, but urban, if say lost, left behind or simply reaching civilization I have included a $100 bill in it for food, phone calls, lodging, transportation etc. I've traveled widely and have found that American dollars are accepted virtually everywhere. Bunny said I should include some of the 1/10th ounce gold coins from a collection I loaned a fellow money on and he defaulted by going to prison for an extended period time. They would fit neatly in there and add little wieght. Gold is more compact than paper money, and can be turned into goods or cash anywhere in the world. But... Bo one has change for a gold coin. And should she offer one for transportation to a city to a base she could run into real trouble by people who might think she has a lot more of that buttery metal that drives men mad. What's your opinion on the matter?

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#259355 - 04/19/13 01:13 AM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: ]
spuds Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 06/24/12
Posts: 822
Loc: SoCal Mtns
Might be usable,they did it during WWII.Civilian and military found uses for compact portable wealth in many situations.

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#259358 - 04/19/13 01:24 AM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: spuds]
Snake_Doctor
Unregistered


I wasn't aware the military had done so. I knew the Jewish had invested heavily in diamonds for that purpose. When I was a kid we lived in an apartment complex where the manager had been involved in the liberation of some concentration camps. His job had been to go in and count weapons and other things including valuables. He had a haunted look when he told me about the boxes of gold fillings. The officers had taken the diamonds when they had escaped. Thanks for the information spuds. I responded to your post in the overwhelmed thread.

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#259368 - 04/19/13 02:24 AM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: ]
unimogbert Offline
Old Hand

Registered: 08/10/06
Posts: 882
Loc: Colorado
What's really needed is an IOU that gold will be delivered when the original bearer of the IOU is returned in good health.

Having gold on one's person has been done by militaries but considering that the bearer has no negotiating power if the gold has to be used it's a long shot whether it would help. It just makes it more worthwhile to hunt you down because the reward is delivered to the hunter immediately.

Meantime the poor schmuck is lugging around something that's awfully heavy.

Andy McNabb's book BRAVO TWO ZERO about an SAS patrol which was discovered and hunted down in Iraq describes that the men had gold coins in an inner belt for use in case of emergency.
Didn't help them at all. (not that it proves they'll never be worth anything....)

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#259376 - 04/19/13 02:59 AM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: ]
gonewiththewind Offline
Veteran

Registered: 10/14/08
Posts: 1517
Yes, gold has often been included in E&E kits. In many parts of the world they are very afraid of counterfeit dollars, and it is common to find counterfeit bills in some areas. Pure gold can be tested easily, or at least people thinks so. Watches, gold jewelry and other valuables can be used for barter. Depending on the individual's duties and areas or travel, I can make some more recommendations for you if you like, everything can be procured open source.

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#259377 - 04/19/13 03:11 AM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: ]
LesSnyder Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 07/11/10
Posts: 1680
Loc: New Port Richey, Fla
unimogbert is describing a "blood chit"...a guarantee by an outside party that one who helps or gives aid will be rewarded with a stated amount of payment (typically gold)...the grantor typically issues a document written in the local language(s) with a several numbered chits attached... which are dispensed by the injured party.... that chit is only paid upon the successful return of the injured party... in 1972 the US Airman's chit was worth about $50,000 in gold...a 1/10oz gold coin would easily fit in the bottom of a pill fob, and could probably cut if necessary by a multi tool... in Thailand the bar girls typically had their "di di mao" money in the form of "baht bracelet" jewelry with the charms an accepted weight of gold.. the Christians In Action could usually be identified by a gold Rolex with black bezel and heavy ID tag gold bracelet, that allowed you to remove one link at a time.... sounds like a good idea if you are willing and it is used discretely


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#259381 - 04/19/13 03:40 AM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: ]
Am_Fear_Liath_Mor Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 08/03/07
Posts: 3078
Buying and selling gold coins where I live in Scotland is pretty darned difficult, (try to barter with a Gold Coin in the USA may well get you arrested and I've heard that many places won't even break a $100 bill) you might be better off with a prepaid VISA card although in some parts of the world such as Cyprus there might be a daily limit you can withdraw. If you are going to have some currency then American Dollars aren't what they used to be as currency for world wide acceptance, especially with the easier counterfeiting compared with UK Sterling.

When operating in countries with endemic drugs production there probably will be folks who will have access to local HSBC/Wells Fargo banking facilities. wink



Edited by Am_Fear_Liath_Mor (04/19/13 03:44 AM)

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#259410 - 04/19/13 02:52 PM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor]
chaosmagnet Offline
Sheriff
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 12/03/09
Posts: 3819
Loc: USA
Originally Posted By: Am_Fear_Liath_Mor
(try to barter with a Gold Coin in the USA may well get you arrested and I've heard that many places won't even break a $100 bill)


It isn't illegal to barter in the USA with services, gold or other things. I myself used to trade computer repair work for chiropractic adjustments (unfortunately my spine was way more messed up than my chiropractor's computer, so I ended up writing a number of checks). I've read one story about a person who was imprisoned supposedly for bartering with gold; without getting into the specifics of that person's case it seems he was convicted for fraud, not for barter.

It is true that some places don't take $100 bills because they are perceived to be commonly counterfeited. I've spent (legitimate, of course) $100 bills in many places, and it's never seemed to be a problem for me.

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#259416 - 04/19/13 03:41 PM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: ]
gonewiththewind Offline
Veteran

Registered: 10/14/08
Posts: 1517
Many years ago it was illegal to buy or trade gold. That has changed.

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#259426 - 04/19/13 04:41 PM Re: Gold in PSK? [Re: ]
TeacherRO Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 03/11/05
Posts: 2574
Not for me. Too heavy. Besides US dollars are the most universal currency...

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