Many many years ago (about two or three decades) I was listening to a financial expert on the radio talk about the foolishness of buying gold and silver. And every so often I hear the same thing...gold and silver are not financial securities.
But you know, you can't change human nature. And human nature tends to like gold and silver if only because there is so little of it.
Over the years we've stockpiled old silver coins...and new silver coins...and the selling price (with the exception of gold which we have little of) has never gone down. We have a bit of silver bullion also. Our girls received 1/8 ounce gold coins when they were kids, and lo and behold...when cash was a bit short for college texts, those itty bitty coins paid for several books.
(Just to see if it would work, I took a few silver coins...real silver from the 1880's and purchase groceries at a small mom & pop Latino grocery store. I asked the owner first if he would take these coins at more than legal tender value...we decided on the amount...and low and behold...I got a lot more groceries with 20 silver dollars than I would have with a 20 dollar bill.) So I do still believe in the value of hard currency.
And yes I do take a bite out of my coins.

Now a quarter ounce British Soverign, while having no collector value per se (unless in MS 65 condition) could easily have gotten me up to 200 dollars plus in food and necessities.
Jewelrey as barter I cannot address....I wouldn't know a precious stone if it bit me on the butt. But silver, gold, and platinum jewelry would be bartable by weight at the very least.

Just my 2cents...(copper)

As Chuck pointed out credit cards serve a purpose, but too many Americans have built a lifestyle on them. We use them when we KNOW we can them off within a month.