Throughout history the outbreak of War has always boosted the demand for Gold. Most people know that Gold is a great hedge against instability and when it comes to War there is usually a side which loses. In the middle of a conflict it can be hard to know which side that is going to be, but Countries, Governments and Financial Institutions often fall horrifically when the side they fight on loses. Many desperate Governments debase their currencies with outrageous money printing as they go down so who wants to be invested in Government Bonds or even Banks at times like these? Smart money will always try to get out of the impending Death Spiral and Gold is a great place to put your wealth in troubled times…..or is it?
Every few years there is a story that comes out about some huge trove of Gold that’s been discovered and it’s often from a war time era. Last week there was another big one in Kentucky which was found buried in a Corn Field from the American Civil War era. Have a read about it HERE and check out the picture below. This was a very serious stack having both enormous Metal and Numismatic Value with coins dated 1850 to 1862.
I also remember a few years ago a similar story where a hoard of more than 900 Gold Sovereigns dated 1847 to 1915 was found woven into a Grand Piano. This was the time of World War 1. Have a read about this one HERE as it is equally impressive. It’s another story that is bound to flare up your Stackitis and even non-stackers love to fantasise about discovering a hoard like this. However there is a common theme here that people don’t really talk about.
These stories are tied together as they are stories about Stackers who didn’t make it. Who were the people who accumulated and then stashed these coins away? What happened to them and why did their hoards remain hidden for so long? The obvious answer is that they were most likely killed in the Wars of their eras and nobody else knew the Gold existed. Stackers can be secretive people and clearly the Stackers behind these hoards were resourceful and smart enough to see the trouble brewing in their own countries. They also probably knew that when men with guns show up at the door their Gold wouldn’t be safe, so they hid it. Yet unfortunately they didn’t survive and there is a lesson we should take from this.
Secure storage is important! When War comes it makes a lot of sense to stash your wealth in physical Gold and it even makes sense to hide it. But you have to survive! You have to leave some bread crumbs so that your Kin can find your wealth if you don’t make it. Stories like the ones I’ve shared are amazing and even exciting, but I also find them quite tragic. I can relate to those poor saps who ended up ensnared in those devastating Wars. I hope never to see such devastation myself, however I am Stacking because I am Hoping for the Best but Preparing for the Worst. Those who don’t learn from these stories of history will be doomed to repeat them.
Stack On and Stay Safe!