We usually know them the moment they walk in the door.

Their shoulders stoop ever so slightly, their gait is unnatural, often ashamed.

Some have forced cheery smiles on their faces, others have a defiant stance, ready to spar. But they all seem to have the same air about them- they’ve fallen on harder times, and they are in need of money.

They come to sell us their gold.

Every day we see them now, with the downturn in the economy and the steep rise in the price of gold. Every single one has a need, every one has a story;

“Need to pay my property taxes…”

“Getting divorced, need lawyer money, ring isn’t worth anything anyhow…”

...

Gold at nearly a thousand US dollars an ounce. Platinum over two thousand. Silver, incredibly enough, at twenty dollars an ounce.

Did we honestly think we would see these prices this early on?

The falling value of the dollar coupled with instability in the markets has set this industry on its ear. Then we add low mine production to the mixture, and suddenly a reachable commodity becomes just one more thing that’s harder for the common man to acquire. We’ve had a spike like this before, but not with such a steady upward trend. Is it going to stay this way? Who knows. I, for one, think it will.

Rather than bemoan the price- which I can do nothing about- I want to address the situation ...