So, two men are walking through the streets of Baltimore...

[longnine009]

Coins seem to have this unlimited potential for history, imagination and even some irony.

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"A story which I once read that impressed me was about two men who, in 1932, walked through the streets of Baltimore, one carrying a pint of whiskey on his hip and the other carrying in his pocket six $20 gold pieces. In 1932 the man who carried the whiskey was violating the Prohibition law, and the man carrying the double eagles was within the law.  Consider their plight when two years later, in 1934, the man carrying the gold pieces was violating the law, and the  man with the pint of whiskey was within the law."

Louis E. Eliasberg Sr. 
From The Expert's Guide to Collecting & Investing in Rare Coins--Q. David Bowers
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[TwoShadows]

When the going gets rough, both items are among a list of "must have" items to survive. Gold, silver, booze, cigarettes, food, guns and ammo seem to hold their value very well.    I just wish I had more of ALL of it!

[Snooba]

When the going gets rough, both items are among a list of "must have" items to survive. Gold, silver, booze, cigarettes, food, guns and ammo seem to hold their value very well.    I just wish I had more of ALL of it!

You forgot chocolate!!!  When the going gets rough, chocolate is essential.   

[TwoShadows]

Snooba you got all the sweets you will ever need right here in the states. ME and OLD DAN!!!

[longnine009]

When the going gets rough, both items are among a list of "must have" items to survive. Gold, silver, booze, cigarettes, food, guns and ammo seem to hold their value very well.    I just wish I had more of ALL of it!

But all in the sights of politicians to steal or tax: "for the sake of the chee-drins" of course.

I sure wish I would've been more ambitious buying silver back when it was $6 an ounce. But then again I wish I would have won the lotto last week too.    Oh well, all is not lost.  Plan B: Hoard 16pp nails.  Nails  used to be very valuable back in the Colonial days and we're fixing to become a colony to China at the rate we're going.   

[scottishmoney]

I can say that I have used Marlboro cigarettes as money, a pack would get things done in Russia that money would not.  So for instance in hotels, porters preferred payment with a pack of cigarettes instead of cash, or in a restaurant they were a tip that insured good service, more so than cash. Wanted someone to wait on you in a department store, or wanted to buy something that the clerks were holding and not selling, a pack of cigarettes did the trick.

[Goose]

Ah yes, tobacco! Many, many snows ago I used to play football.....2 yrs of college and 10 yrs of semi-pro. I played in the Chicagoland (Illinois-USA) area and for a few pre-season games, we played the Indiana State Penitentiary. The guards didn't check our equipment bags too well, so everytime we played the inmates, we'd smuggle in and trade cigarettes, cigars, and snuff for equipment that was quite good....spikes, rib guards, and helmets. After a few yrs, when we entered the dressing room, the inmates actually cheered us because they knew that a new batch of tobacco was coming in.

[AdamL]

Hehe. Yeah, I've used cigs as currency before as well.

[Muckeye]

Rolled leaf tobacco, in the form of 'sticks', (stik tabak) was still widely used as a trade medium in Papua New Guinea in the 80's.
Moreso in the outlying villages.
regards,