[competentone]

For "insurance" against a currency melt-down (which will happen when the Chinese, Japanese, or Saudis decide they don't want to hold our dollars anymore) some gold coins and junk silver (pre-1965 U.S. silver coins) will probably be the easiest to trade for food and other survival needs. (I like the idea of "lead" -- and devices to launch that lead -- for basic survival/protection in the turmoil that will come when the U.S. dollar collapses.)

For investment right now, if I had any extra U.S. currency (which I don't at the moment), I'd be buying physical palladium. Being a hard asset it will maintain its value during any currency meltdown. As an industrial metal, it will have plenty of uses in any economic recovery. Palladium is also likely to be used in fuel cell technology, which I think is going to end up being the way auto makers meet zero-emission vehicle requirements.

Copper would probably be a good buy too, though you would have done better if you had bought around $1.50/lb when I said to (right here on the forums) some months back.