# Is allowing people to pay bills with gold or silver a bad idea? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 28, 2025, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907 "2025-05-28T13:05:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/21 "2025-05-28T19:40:20Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Fifteen percent sales tax? Where is that a thing? Canada? Ours in Ontario used to be 15%, now it’s only 13%, but that looks weird. Other provinces still have 15%. > **[GST/HST calculator (and rates) - Canada.ca](https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/gst-hst-businesses/charge-collect-which-rate/calculator.html)** ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/22 "2025-05-28T20:38:33Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Governmental entities can also accept gold or silver but only in the form of electronic transfer, the bill states. My home Wi-Fi cannot transmit gold or silver, only electrons. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/23 "2025-05-28T21:26:49Z")
It’s all just quarks under the hood. With an appropriate transfer function you could send them plenty of gold. 😉 Quarks is quarks. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/24 "2025-05-28T21:37:04Z")
At _best_ it’s just nothing; as said, people can _already_ pay with gold and silver. It’s just that most other people and organizations will demand money, instead. Most likely it’s just a scam, goldbugs are so _very_ scammable. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/25 "2025-05-28T23:30:34Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > Sometimes they add extra tax on top of that for certain purchases. Philly has a 1.5¢/oz soda tax. Back when Mickey D’s still had any sized drink for $1 I was in the shitty & was thirsty so I pulled up to the drive thru & ordered (just) a large drink. He told me it was $1.73!!! I told him to keep it as I wasn’t thirsty enough to pay a 73% tax; especially, when it’s only 6% outside of the city. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/26 "2025-05-28T23:41:33Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > The article states: > > > Governmental entities can also accept gold or silver but only in the form of electronic transfer, the bill states. I’m waiting for someone to pay their state tax bill by taking a picture of some gold coins and sending it to the state. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/27 "2025-05-28T23:44:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > So how has that worked there? [![](https://alpinegold.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/UT-1-e1699380956191.png) ](https://alpinegold.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/UT-1-e1699380956191.png) I wonder if this is just the starter for Florida to have goldbacks and the creation of silverbacks. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2025, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/28 "2025-05-28T23:54:38Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > Philly has a 1.5¢/oz soda tax. It’s 1.75 cents per ounce in Seattle, but only for sugary drinks. Sugar-free drinks are exempt. > **[Sweetened Beverage Tax - City Finance | seattle.gov](https://www.seattle.gov/city-finance/business-taxes-and-licenses/seattle-taxes/sweetened-beverage-tax)** > > The sweetened beverage tax is a tax on the distribution of sweetened beverage in the city of Seattle. The tax is collected on the final distribution of sweetened beverages by a distributor. It’s taxed on distributors not consumers, though sellers might raise the price to compensate. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/29 "2025-05-29T00:02:22Z")
Upthread @bobsmom101 said that goldbacks are already legal currency in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/30 "2025-05-29T00:15:57Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > The article says that the “accept gold and silver” isn’t about shavings or random limps of metal. But only of coins of specified purity & weight. My dad bought a few “certified” gold coins. They were sealed in clear plastic rectangles with stickers on them. The cost for “certifying” them was added to the cost for the coin. When my mom died and we were selling off most of their estate, they had gone up enough to cover the cost of the certification, but they hadn’t gotten much further than that. (He kept receipts.) The coin shop we sold them to was happy to accept the certification, so that part was good. The much better deal were the dimes and quarters that he pulled from his change when those coins went from silver to copper clad. Both Dad and Mom’s second husband did that. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/31 "2025-05-29T00:26:03Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I wonder if this is just the starter for Florida to have goldbacks and the creation of silverbacks. I can’t speak for others but I will _not_ accept [silverbacks](https://imgc.allpostersimages.com/img/posters/eric-baccega-male-silverback-mountain-gorilla-yawning-volcanoes-national-park-rwanda-africa_u-l-q10o3500.jpg)! ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/32 "2025-05-29T00:42:28Z")
Hell yeah its a bad idea. Can you imagine the congestion at the check out? The children clerks can’t count regular American currency and coin. Throw another thing in there and they might implode. I ain’t got no time for that crap. ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/33 "2025-05-29T01:00:12Z")
“You might be interested in our upgraded wifi service, then! I think you’ll find our rates surprisingly affordable. Payment is due upfront, cash only.” ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/34 "2025-05-29T01:06:24Z")
Remember **SamClem**? He owned a coin store. He said that nearly every collection that someone spent a lifetime collecting was worth ‘the market price of the silver plus five dollars’. I never saw any reason to doubt him on this. Re Gold and silver certificates I own one. It is definitely worth more than Mom paid for it. It is a Confederate Silver Certificate with a face value of IIRC twenty dollars. I can’t be sure as I am out of state at the moment. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/35 "2025-05-29T02:25:12Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > It is definitely worth more than Mom paid for it. It is a Confederate Silver Certificate with a face value of IIRC twenty dollars. I got curious and looked up what something like that might be worth. The price seems to vary immensely, and as far as I can tell depends almost entirely on the condition of the note, not the amount printed on it. However, it’s almost certainly going to be more valuable than twenty modern US dollars. The lowest price I see is $48. Though that’s what a collector can pay to buy one; if you took it to a dealer or pawn shop I have no idea what **you’d** get for it. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/36 "2025-05-29T02:33:15Z")
It is behind glass with a bunch of other ephemera some of that also dates to the Civil War. OTTOMH there is a card advertising a local food store and giving a list of prices for common items. A five pound bag of sugar was fifteen cents. The side of all the items that can be seen are pristine ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/37 "2025-05-29T05:05:39Z")
> [@bobsmom101](#): > > Of course, if you haven’t guessed, Goldbacks are a VERY expensive way to buy a VERY small amount of gold – the dealer premium on these things is huge. However, in the states that allow them, they exchange at the current purchase price, not the (lower) gold value. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/38 "2025-05-29T05:07:38Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Actually, I agree that sales of gold and silver bullion _should_ be exempt from sales tax. 42 states do not charge sale tax on bullion. If you buy bullion online the dealer will follow your state’s law. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/39 "2025-05-29T12:38:33Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Upthread @bobsmom101 said that goldbacks are already legal currency in Florida. and I used to hear commercials on the (streaming) radio for them, here in South Florida. I’ve considered starting a thread about them several times. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907/40 "2025-05-29T13:01:12Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > My home Wi-Fi cannot transmit gold or silver, only electrons. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > It’s all just quarks under the hood. Rick - I got a buddy that knows all about subatomic particles, let’s see what he says. Buddy - Electrons aren’t made of quarks at all, the Standard Model shows they’re an entirely different type of fundamental particle. Rick - Best I can do is $20. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-allowing-people-to-pay-bills-with-gold-or-silver-a-bad-idea/1018907.md?page=3)