In the summer of 1965, I was in France for the first time. We were warned about being cheated when we made purchases because their leader, Charles de Gaulle, had devalued the French franc by 80% in 1948 after WWII destroyed the French economy. You would buy something with a newly printed French franc paper note, and the seller would give you “old franc” worthless coins as change.
When you tried to spend the old coins later, the next salesperson laughed at you. You had been “de Gaulled”.
There is the time-honored German story about trying to buy needed supplies in 1920 when the German Mark was almost worthless. A person was supposed to have taken a wheelbarrow full of paper Marks to a bakery to purchase a single loaf of bread. The German Mark was crashing because Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany (the last Kaiser) had lost a war he should have never started. Because of this, people would spend every piece of paper money they had on anything of value. Buy a tool, buy a wristwatch, buy a new wheelbarrow, and just buy anything that has value.
The above item(s) is what we call a hard asset. If there is no government-backed money, then perhaps the hard asset you bought earlier with diminishing paper money value, you now can barter that new wheelbarrow for some food. The German people had been “Kaisered”.
In times of human crisis, the only two things of true value are food and firearms[ammo].
With those two items you may be able to stay alive long enough to see the future get a little more survivable.
The US Civil War was financed on both sides with the printing of paper money. The term greenbacks that we use to this day was “coined” to describe emergency American paper currency printed money, which came from the Civil War. Many a citizen did not have much faith in the vast amounts of new paper money floating around the business community wherever Union soldiers were hanging out and spending it.
Of course, the Confederate States of America printed their own, soon-to-be worthless money, along with most of the States in the Confederacy printing a local currency. Close to the end of the war in the South, one Yankee greenback would buy what ten Confederate dollars could purchase, and then it got worse.
Many in the Union who held US printed dollars were concerned that after the War was over, perhaps their newly minted paper dollars might become devalued or even lose any worth at all. In the middle of this paper money explosion, the Union Army was trying to entice combat veteran soldiers whose three-year enlistments were ending to re-enlist. The enticement was a $300 re-enlistment bonus and a furlough to go home and see the family, and many took it.
The $300 in paper dollars went home on the furlough to be turned into hard assets. Land was bought to expand the family farm. Tools and livestock were acquired. Anything to change the suspect Union greenbacks into hard assets that held value if those printed dollars later failed.
Union Soldiers with three years of combat experience understood that a repeating rifle versus a single-shot muzzle-loading rifle was going to greatly enhance their chances of surviving the last days of the Civil War now that they had taken the questionable greenbacks and re-enlisted.
The Henry Magic Trick was born in the latter days of the war.
The magic trick was to turn a shade over one-sixth of your re-enlistment bonus ($52.50) paid in suspect Union greenbacks into a hard asset that would keep you alive in war. This transaction allows you to later return home safely with your Henry rifle, a tool of true value.
Many a seasoned combat veteran learned and performed the Henry Magic Trick and taught it to the younger troops in the units they had re-enlisted into. The “old” soldiers knew what was coming and were heading back into battle better armed than in 1861 when they first marched off to war.
As of November 2023, technically, the United States of America is not at war with anyone. This is true for now, but we can read the signs, keep in mind there are a lot of “hot” spots in the world that could easily flare up and suck the US back into the next affray.
Is it time to consider taking some of your paper money that may have a questionable value in time of the next crisis and convert that paper into new, hard assets that could save your life in the future?
Food, of course, is a definite yes. Canned goods last a long time, but then so does a good rifle and case of ammo to back that firearm up.
If you live in states that have a fear of “black rifles” and all that implies, then consider the purchase of what is known as the Brooklyn Assault Rifle, the all-American lever action rifle. What liberal is afraid of a little old cowboy rifle? John Wayne and Chuck Connors never did much damage with their lever guns–what’s the harm?
In 2023, the Henry Repeating Arms Company is the leader in the manufacturing of quality lever action firearms that you can safely turn your paper money into a life-saving hard asset. A Henry rifle asset that can be purchased in any state in the modern Union.
The 2nd Wisconsin Cavalry fought in the Civil War with Henry Repeating rifles they purchased with their own money. This enhanced their survivability. Perhaps if Henry rifles had been manufactured in Wisconsin back in 1863, more Wisconsin boys might have come home from the Battle of Gettysburg. My relative who served in the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry, “the Iron Brigade,” did not come home. He died with his single-shot muzzleloader in his hand on the opening day of the battle.
Now, however, Henry Repeating Arms has its international headquarters in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. They produce quality lever action rifles, and these firearms could be some of the best hard assets you could own for the near future and for years to come.
Live Inventory Price Checker
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Henry Repeating Arms H006/H012 2nd Gen Big Boy Steel 1-Piece Weaver Style Scope Mount, Black - BB-RSM | Palmetto State Armory | $ 38.99 $ 34.59 |
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Henry Repeating Arms H006 1st Gen Big Boy Steel 1-Piece Scope Mount, Black - BB-CSM | Palmetto State Armory | $ 34.99 $ 30.99 |
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Henry H012GCR Big Boy Steel Carbine 16.5 45 Long Colt 8+1 | Shooters Choice | $ 929.99 |
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Henry Big Boy Steel .41 Magnum Large Loop Lever Action Rifle, Brown - H012MR41 | Palmetto State Armory | $ 997.99 $ 898.99 |
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Hard assets, hard assets, I cannot stress this point enough. Paper money could have limited value should a time of need arrive, and all your digital money just simply will not be there. Electronic money is not an asset. It is a reverse magic trick that could cost you dearly.
In 2023 if the US dollar lost 80% of its value, what would we call it, and who would we blame?
Learn and practice the 1864 Henry Magic Trick in 2023. It could save your life.
American combat-hardened soldiers 150 years ago understood this concept. Educate yourself from the lessons of the past.
Evil hates organization, and hard assets are surely quality forms of that long-term organization. Hard assets equals survivability–no trick about it.
About Major Van Harl USAF Ret.:
Major Van E. Harl, USAF Ret., a career Police Officer in the U.S. Air Force, was born in Burlington, Iowa, USA, in 1955. He was the Deputy Chief of police at two Air Force Bases and the Commander of Law Enforcement Operations at another. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Infantry School. A retired Colorado Ranger and currently is an Auxiliary Police Officer with the Cudahy PD in Milwaukee County, WI. His efforts now are directed at church campus safety and security training. He believes “evil hates organization.” [email protected]
I liked this article a lot.
“Beans”, bullets, booze and “broads” are the 4 hard assets during wartime. They are sought after and traded. Protect your wives and daughters or they will become someone else’s trade goods. Have food, alcohol or drugs, and weapons for trade. The dollar is being decimated intentionally, so the digital currency of central banks can be forced on the world, tracking and controlling every purchase/sale… and denying those for verboten items like booze, bullets and broads.
“In times of human crisis, the only two things of true value are food and firearms[ammo].” One probably wouldn’t expect this opinion from a gun smith, but I have to disagree. In times of crisis, even large ones like the current crumbling of the global ruler, trade still exists. When the empire’s fiat currency becomes worthless, people turn to direct barter, and also to indirect barter using some other third thing as their medium of exchange. Historically, in all instances, including the Wiemar Republic in post-WW1 Germany as in this example, the people always return to gold and silver as… Read more »
You’ll need a little more than just food and guns even for short term survival. At the very least, you’ll need a way to purify water and light fires. In terms of longevity, Sawyer filters absolutely dominate the competition, but don’t let them freeze. I have a box of flints and cherts I’ve collected and pressure flaked over the years and an assortment of 1095 and o1 steel bars, but you can buy enough jumbo ferrocerium rods to last a lifetime pretty cheap, and they’ll spark with almost anything reasonably hard and sharp. Of course, it would also be wise… Read more »
This article does make it sound like a modern Henry is just an extension of the original Henry, which is misleading, as they are unrelated companies. This is not to say, however, that a modern Henry is anything but a very nice firearm.
Good article, and an excellent reminder. But don’t spend ALL your greenbacks on hard assets. Remember to keep enough aside to pay your bills, debts, and taxes. Gas stations don’t accept cans of food as payment….yet. (if it ever gets to that point, I have a feeling there won’t be much gas to buy anyway) And if you want to straddle the fence a bit, use those paper greenbacks to buy PMs – physical gold and silver, in your hand, as coins, rounds, and bars. Oh, and when buying that gold and silver, use the greenbacks directly. DON’T use “plastic”… Read more »
Sigh – I just wish I could find one of the oh so elusive Henrys in .327, they seem to be the most scarce offering the factory (supposedly) makes ;-(
Gee, about two years ago I seem to remember being involved in an argument about digital currency and how it could be worthless tomorrow and questioning what was backing its value. I used the argument that Greece had taken the equivalent of digital currency from its people overnight taking half of everyone’s savings electronically from their bank accounts. The argument stemmed from purchasing guns, ammo, etc. online because the government could not track it and the people supporting it argued that it was safe and would become the only form of currency in the near future. Well, I guess we… Read more »