Let me reiterate my position, fois gras: trading mining shares is fine, but paper assets, IMO, cannot suffice as a store of value during a crisis in the way that an asset one can physically take possession of (such as diamonds, gold, platinum or silver) can. Of course, nothing is guaranteed to preserve wealth during a financial or economic maelstrom or a period of social upheaval when food may easily become the most costly and valuable item one possesses, but certainly a $5 American gold piece would be more easily bartered for necessities than a certificate saying you own 100 shares of Newmont Mining.
Newly