That's a good question. We just go back in time when there was no paper money. Hmmm... That would be about 150 years. Well, let's see.... They used gold in different sizes, Silver in different sizes, Nickels, and Copper pennies. I have a bunch of pre 1982 pennies and a bunch of nickels, and a bunch of Silver that is marked. If I need to pay for something and it came out to something just over the price of one ounce of Silver, then I'd whip out my Nickels and Copper Pennies and the problem would be solved. There is fractional Gold and Silver out there that you can buy but the premiums don't line up with the premiums on one ounce Gold and Silver. That means you are getting over charged for Fractional Gold and Silver. When the SHTF, there will no longer be premiums on Gold and Silver. It will be worth whatever its worth and things will be the same as they are with the paper dollar. If I don't like the price, I'll try to negotiate a price we both can live with. Also, way back in time, people just clipped the coins in half or clipped them into quarters. The only problem that I see is the transition to Gold and Silver. If you are concerned about counterfiet coins, then you can do what I do. I carry a Strong magnet and a portable electronic scale to test the metal.