Post Apocalyptic Currency

[Infinatex]

Raw materials would probably hold the most value in such a society. Cloth (thread, skins etc), plastics + synthetics, metal + minerals and glass. These thing hold great value as they can be made into other items needed for survival. There would be a fair bit of this stuff around but finding intact, good quality pieces would be difficult.

I terms of actual currency, it would be very difficult to have something to like the money we know because without order it would mean very little. Gold and silver perhaps, as people everywhere would still view them as 'rare'.

 

[Black Rabt]

Shoelaces! and probably anything that has a clear value such as livestock, bullets or precious metals. or maybe Nuka-Coke caps. also lives

 

[Daipire]

Okay, bullets come in different sizes and etc, saying 'bullets' as a currency is liked saying money is the currency now, you got the american dollar, the euro...

It'd probably be a bartering system, but if for some reason 'the man' lives (like in apocalypse lane) he might try to keep the old money around... wouldn't work though.

 

[Lord Kofun]

I truly hate agreeing with the masses, but barter really would prevail until society gets its roots down. Of course, once it does it would have to be something that is somewhat rare but still attainable by most everyone through effort. I hope it turns out to be fuzzy dice, just to see a rich person's wallet.

bullets
pistol rounds are change
rifles are 5s
shot gun shells are 10 dollars or bucks "get it?"
grenades 50 dollars
rockets 100 dolalrs and so on so forth

The idea of money is that it is somewhat permanent. That would be the same as using cookies for money. Sure, you might be rich right now, but they what happens when you want a cookie? Do you want to be one... eh... cookie poorer?

 

[v3n0mat3]

Realistically:

We will use a bartering system, most likely. It's simple. Easy. Still a physical currency.

What I want:

Bottle Caps.

 

[Daedalus1942]

Well the apocalypse has come and gone and the value of paper money has gone down from the most powerful force in the universe to toilet paper. Now society needs currency in some form, since no one wants to contemplate how many bananas a suit of power armor is worth or how many lollipops a nuke launcher costs. So, what would be ideal in this post apocalyptic wasteland?

You're overlooking the obvious choice... Bottlecaps! xD

 

[scorch 13]

Bottle caps and bullets

 

[Blimey]

Tits, I'm guessing. They seem to be a product in universal demand.

 

[toadking07]

Def sometrhing you can't make too easily, but easily enough to mass produce somewhere. Somehow.

 

[Blatherscythe]

Would have to be plentyful, somewhat valuable, durable and able to be created in a process that makes it hard to counterfit. IE) Caps in Fallout 1 and 3. They were plentyful and had some value to people. Although no one could create them so they were all genuine and created a balanced economy, they also survived the war, bottle-caps are tough little bastards.

Also toilet paper would burn easy, can be used to wipe your you know what and if wt it's destroyed. Not a good choice.

 

[jubosu]

guns smokes and booze

 

[EnzoHonda]

Small, ginger women. (This is an inside joke between me and a girl I know. She's 5'2", red hair, pale skin. And she was going to backpack by herself... through Turkey. I said: "They use people like you for currency there." Thankfully she did the standard Europe tour with a friend.)

 

[helldragonX]

Bullets, food, and water...

 

[zombiejoe]

Um...I guess it's more like
1. "I'll trade you 10 years of slavery for your protection"
2. "I will trade you my body for your food
3. *Bullet through the head*

Agreed.

A lot of goods will be measured by consumption time. It's not so much x bananas for a suit or armour, but more like x days of supplies for a suit of armour. Economies have a habit of working themselves out.

Someone agress with 1. one

 

[BakaSmurf]

Barter, period.

The very thought that in a post-apocolyptic setting in which everyone was on the very edge of survival, that there would be a stable form of economics is just utterly laughable.

Also, bullets would be a fucking horrible choice, what the hell do you do when a wild animal comes charging at you and you need to shoot it to kill it? Well congratulations, you've just thrown away the equivelent of $500 in 5 seconds! Awesome, awesome idea there.

As a barting item I can see bullets working excellently.... But as the main form of currency? No, just... No.

 

[WolfThomas]

Bullets, food, medicine, cigarettes, tampons, batteries etc.