Yes, but how many doormen actually make things out of gold? The only worth it has to them is as an exchangable. A gram of gold is worth the nuyen it took you to get it (at least it's exchangable) and is as efficient as the nuyen. Actually, less since the person buying isn't going to pay as much for it as it took you to buy it, since it's not from a recognised gold seller.

The only way using gold is more efficient is if the person in question doesn't know the real value of gold.

Oh, not even gold nuggets. The Troy Ounce is still king, still just as stable and still just as untraceable. My players have been paid in Krugerrand's before, then turned around and used them with their fixer. Generally speaking in my campaigns getting paid in precious metals or diamonds means you're moving up the food chain. Some backalley fixer won't ever accept them, but the guy who leads you into the back room full of pristine milspec weapons and betaware still in the shipping crates probably prefers gold to even the almightly nuyen.

Well I almost assume because of the amount of SINless and the 2070's nearly complete reliance on digital currency with SIN verification that barter (mostly simple things, soyburgers, booze, cigars/cigarettes, etc.) and trading favors (will work for food) is the standard amongst SINless or the down and outers. I'm surprised I didn't think of the poker chips (I've taken them before in real life), but I could see it being used primarily in local black markets, organized crime and to a lesser degree the SINless through association.

Gold and precious metals have a place but can be limited. Since precious metals have value across borders it can find a role in smuggling and other international crimes, but on the street it's use is limited. For one, at the street level there's less of a need for gold as there is for food, luxuries and favors. A large amount of gold will be hard to unload and attract a lot of unwanted attention. Some places may develop a market, but that's usually not going to be a major sprawl unless it's jewelry. Somewhere along the lines it has to enter the legitimate market to have any real value and introducing something like 50 lbs. of nuggets into the market of say Seattle could be a challenge.

On Edit: Also, jewelry will likely have RFID which means stolen jewelry will have a limited market.

Can't free spirits also create gold & silver that ceases to exist in 24 hours? Seems like I read that in the 2nd Ed Grimoire. That would put a dampener on the gold coin exchange I think.

A market limited to those jewel thieves able to purchase a 150 nuyen Tag Eraser... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

...and now you have a piece of jewelry, though not as hot still screams stolen. Finding a legitimate buyer then becomes a problem and thous not a effective currency. It still has a value as a stolen commodity, though not a currency.

Buy a new RFID Chip with your SIN as owner for 5 ¥ .I doubt it to be very difficult

JahtaHey
Medicineman

or have someone hack the existing rfid...

Liberal use of the orgasm spell.

Some free spirits have a wealth power that allows them to create a limited amount of precious metals per day. It is limited by their force, but it doesn't disappear after 24 hours (though they can't use the power more then once in a 24 hour period). I think it was something like (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nuyen.gif) 100 per force. [will look up power].

So in other words, not all that much. It would cost the mage 1 service to get the precious metals, and a service can be worth more than that if used a different way.

IIRC, one of the Denver splinter spirits ran a beetle den and used her Wealth Power to create BTLs and other drugs.

heh, valuables are valuables, as long as someone is willing to trade (or rob you) for them (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

Or you can use information, an insider stockmarket tip