Scarecrow
Army Veteran
So from what I understand, the only "true" value gold has is circumstantial and dependent on what somebody claims it is? It's only valuable if people accept it as such?
This quote hits it on the head; ANYTHING will have only as much value as the person you are doing business with is willing to place on it. If I (hypothetically being a business owner in the post-apocalyptic landscape) have a huge bank vault full of ammo and food and an underground reservoir full of millions of gallons of pure water that will never go bad, your bullets and food and water will not be worth a heck of a lot to me, but I might be willing to trade a box of 100 rounds of .308 for that pillow you managed to scrounge up(all other needs being met, luxury items start becoming desirable). Supply and demand come into play a lot heavier than the current market economy of mass production. If you need it bad enough, I could trade you a $0.89 bottle of water for 5 gallons of gas; if i needed it badly enough, I would be willing to trade someone a $2000 dirt bike for a new radiator hose for my truck(hypothetically speaking). I can imagine a massive demand for common OTC drugs developing, as well as first aid supplies, bullets, and probably water filtration items. Gasoline demand would peak, then decline as people started to run out of options and switched over to bicycles or animal transportation, but first aid, bullets(for hunting until the gunpowder runs out and people switch to arrows), and water will always be required.
On a side note, I wonder how long it will take the vegans to stop whining about slaughtering the animals for food and start hunting like the rest of the world? When it comes down to my stomach and your feelings about that cow, my stomach wins every time...