Worth it for you to read: A precious metals "standard" is not a fantasy, it is part our American history: Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution provides that Congress has the power " [t]o coin money." The U.S. dollar was originally defined under a bimetallic standard of 371.25 grains (24.057 g) (0.7735 troy ounces) fine silver or, from 1837, 23.22 grains (1.505 g) fine gold, or $20.67 per troy ounce. The Gold Standard Act of 1900 linked the dollar solely to gold. From 1934, its equivalence to gold was revised to $35 per troy ounce. Since 1971, all links to gold have been repealed. There are other options, but the historical "standard" has always been gold and silver. Once all the radioactive metals are taken out of the equation, there isn't much left that will hold up to being handled or knocked around in the pocket. History teachers us many things, all we have to do is learn our true history. I have a coin from ancient Roman times. I have one from before that, approximately 2,500+ years old, from South America. They're both silver. America was taken from Whites. Our money was just part of that taking. For instance, I strongly suspect that Fort Knox's vaults are barren, emptied decades ago, by the peoples who stole our country.