'Forget gold, personally I'll be hording salt once things get tough - salt has a great history as a barter currency.'

H-rattle, I'd be glad to exchange all the salt you desire for your gold ... though, if things got REALLY tough, I suspect food, shelter and clothing will rise quickly to the top of everyones 'need most' list. Still, even then, I propose gold would be more readily exchangeable than would most other 'things'.