So my family and several friends have been using providentmedals.com to order precious metals for many years now. They are pretty quick but it will require you to use a form of payment that is not cash. We have some gold but it is very expensive and have mainly stuck with silver and copper. Yes copper will be important too if a collapse happens as it is a great conductor for energy and heat. Don't forget if you are swapping out water pipes or doing electrical work you can actually save the copper from these projects too and it can be used to barter with as well when the SHTF. Trade shows, yard sales and flee markets are good areas to look as well. Coins before 1964 are 90% silver and then dropped to 40% until about 1973. Not certain about these dates because I try to buy before 1964 dates. Pennies before 1982 were 95% cooper so those would be worth more melted than an actual penny. Sometimes people sell copper or silver without even knowing what they have. I would stick with small amounts instead of buying large bars of anything as it will be easier to barter with instead if having to melt it yourself or try breaking it up later if needed. In addition, I am not sure about your area in Northern Virginia but if you have not established a bug out contingency and you are in a big area you may also want to invest in things such as seeds, canned foods, alcohol, tobacco and medical supplies for bartering with. It can all be daunting but do a few searches and just research a bit on what exactly you may be looking for as you know your stash hiding places and how much space you have have to deal with. I hope this helps some and God speed fren.

So my family and several friends have been using providentmedals.com to order precious metals for many years now. They are pretty quick but it will require you to use a form of payment that is not cash. We have some gold but it is very expensive and have mainly stuck with silver and copper. Yes copper will be important too if a collapse happens as it is a great conductor for energy and heat. Don't forget if you are swapping out water pipes or doing electrical work you can actually save the copper from these projects too and it can be used to barter with as well when the SHTF. Trade shows, yard sales and flee markets are good areas to look as well. Coins before 1964 are 90% silver and then dropped to 40% until about 1973. Not certain about these dates because I try to buy before 1964 dates. Pennies before 1982 were 95% cooper so those would be worth more melted than an actual penny. Sometimes people sell copper or silver without even knowing what they have. In addition, I am not sure about your area in Northern Virginia but if you have not established a bug out contingency and you are in a big area you may also want to invest in things such as seeds, canned foods, alcohol, tobacco and medical supplies for bartering with. It can all be daunting but do a few searches and just research a bit on what exactly you may be looking for as you know your stash hiding places and how much space you have have to deal with. I hope this helps some and God speed fren.