For me it's a thing I can buy that's worth money, but I can't spend it easily. I actually carry a few silver coins with me when I travel for "emergency" purposes. Like if I get stuck in a jam with no money, my assumption is someone will take care of me in exchange for some silver. Never had to bank on that. Thank God. It's also just a funky store of value I keep in my sock drawer. I could put $100 bills in the drawer, but they're too easy to blow on booze. So I use silver and gold to save money at a premium, which is kinda dumb, but at least the coins are pretty.
For me it's a thing I can buy that's worth money, but I can't spend it easily. I actually carry a few silver coins with me when I travel for "emergency" purposes. Like if I get stuck in a jam with no money, my assumption is someone will take care of me in exchange for some silver. Never had to bank on that. Thank God. It's also just a funky store of value I keep in my sock drawer. I could put $100 bills in the drawer, but they're too easy to blow on booze. So I use silver and gold to save money at a premium, which is kinda dumb, but at least the coins are pretty.