I'm not in a position to buy large amounts of gold, silver or whatever, but I've been picking up some coins from eBay as I find them at reasonable prices.
I think that pre-'64 silver coins are probably the most practical as a hedge on an economic meltdown, since they're easily recognizable, more so than, say, a silver bar, but are still 90% silver. My plan is to buy some each month and sock it away. Worst case scenario, I'll have a coin collection to pass onto the next generation. Gold is really out of my league at the moment.
Does anybody know of a better source than eBay, perhaps a local coin dealer, where I can buy small quantities of silver at a reasonable price?