What to hoard during high inflationary times..gold or coal?

I hoard coal, 24 tons delivered last month = just shy of 4 yr supply. I am curious though if anyone can give me summer 2007 prices for 24 tons bagged blaschak around 260 miles from NEPA. Gold is probably better, but it doesn't give me the same sense of security.

Can't remember '07 ... but what I do remember is paying $259 a ton last year ..... and $284 a ton this year, WITH a $5/ton discount.

qbwebb wrote:I hoard coal, 24 tons delivered last month = just shy of 4 yr supply. I am curious though if anyone can give me summer 2007 prices for 24 tons bagged blaschak around 260 miles from NEPA. Gold is probably better, but it doesn't give me the same sense of security.

Gold is worthless in high inflationary times. At least coal has a practical use...Gold has value because we perceive it to have value. Other than being shiny and having some limited practical applications like electronics/circuit boards, its just a overly soft shiny metal. Its as much a fiat currency as cash when you get down to it.

It does act as a limited check against inflationary pressure for an investment portfolio but overall, coal at least will keep you warm...and if the lights ever go out long term, its nice to have that to fall back on, eh?

a bit of each + silver. Diversify.

I agree items with practical value are much better as long a they don't depreciate. The recent run up in prices and the article posted earlier about emerging foreign anthracite markets is alarming. I paid $260/ ton for 24 tons in June, now my supplier is at $310/ton, lets say $305 ton if I were to purchase an entire truckload like before. That is a 17% rise in pricing in under 6 months!! The other alarming thing is that diesel is roughly the same price now as it was then. The rate of rise in prices can't continue at this pace, but even if its only 10% annually its starting to make me think.

If I can afford more coal should I purchase more? How much is too much to hoard assuming space is not an issue...

Should I put a wood stove in my basement in case anthracite suppliers become only interested in serving foreign markets for steel production so we in America can in turn buy cheap garbage at wal-mart on black friday and toss it in the land fill when it breaks in a couple years?

You have to admit for the anthracite suppliers the foreign markets are much more appealing from a steady growth standpoint, seems like we Americans buy tons of useless crap at wal-mart weather the economy is in good shape or not. If I were trying to grow a commodity business I would prioritize the steady growth customer over the variable one. The home heating market seems to have many more variables, harshness of the winter, oil prices, new stove sales, wood pellet and fire wood prices etc.

I have to admit I'm not as excited about coal as I was a year ago and even mentioned to a close friend who burns #2 that if he is willing to do the work a new firewood appliance and a solar hot water collector may be a better investment than a stoker boiler which I was previously telling him he should invest in. Firewood is allot of work, but its good exercise, fuel can often be had for free outside of some labor (I obtained quite a bit from this recent october storm

I will be interesting to see how much coal prices drop in the spring. It seems like the real winners going fwd are those with Ngas. I'm sort of surprised government motors isn't pushing its development teams on a NG car you can fill up at home, this would be much better than the volt for obvious reasons.

Everthing will go up, When coal is 225.00 a ton at the breaker, gasoline, diesel and heating oil will be 5.00+headed for 6.00 a gal. Don't look for coal prices to go down this summer China will be taking our coal for years. At 300.00 a ton,coal is still 50% cheaper than oil. Coal has lagged behind in price for years and now there is a worldwide demand for it and the prices will show that in the very near future. Right now nat gas is the only fuel that is close to coal dollar for dollar for heating but that to will change as more and more of it is shipped over seas.

So by that logic from now on everyone should buy all they can buy when heating demand is at it slowest and hoard it for future use or sale. Sounds pretty practical to me, seems much safer than investing $ in the stock market where people spend all day trying to seal it from you legally, at least if coal gets stolen off your property its pretty cut and dry that it is illegal.

qbwebb wrote:So by that logic from now on everyone should buy all they can buy when heating demand is at it slowest and hoard it for future use or sale. Sounds pretty practical to me, seems much safer than investing $ in the stock market where people spend all day trying to seal it from you legally, at least if coal gets stolen off your property its pretty cut and dry that it is illegal.

Coal is, at least, fairly difficult to pick up and take..even when its bagged. And, of course, they have to get it without your realizing it and putting nice shiny holes in them.

Mr Webb, I am guessing you bought rice coal? Your stoker uses electricity? Your generator if you have one burns fuel? Honestly sir, I don't get it. If you don't keep that rice coal free of debris of any kind such as organic matter from trees, wouldn't this create issues with your stoker mechanism? Are you going to be able to barter the coal for food? Maybe? Myself, I'd bank on a hand fired & stove coal and a safe full of gold.

a cartesian well, a donkey, a plow, some seeds, a dog, some chickens, and a few rifles, and lots of bullets too, because when people find out you have gold, heat guess what!

Silver is a good investment right now in the past silver was about 1/16 the the price of gold. Gold is above $1,600 a ounce so silver should be over $100 a ounce but, it is not its just over $30......................

Davian wrote:

qbwebb wrote:I hoard coal, 24 tons delivered last month = just shy of 4 yr supply. I am curious though if anyone can give me summer 2007 prices for 24 tons bagged blaschak around 260 miles from NEPA. Gold is probably better, but it doesn't give me the same sense of security.

Gold is worthless in high inflationary times. At least coal has a practical use...Gold has value because we perceive it to have value. Other than being shiny and having some limited practical applications like electronics/circuit boards, its just a overly soft shiny metal. Its as much a fiat currency as cash when you get down to it.

It does act as a limited check against inflationary pressure for an investment portfolio but overall, coal at least will keep you warm...and if the lights ever go out long term, its nice to have that to fall back on, eh?

Riiigghht. That's why cultures from the dawn of time have used it as money.

I'd like to be able to store a few tons of coal but it's not in the cards right now. I'm sticking with the 3G's for now.

What's that?? girls, groceries & gim beam??? talk about slaying ones-self.