The USD Is Worthless – Gold Is At $100k!

Analyst, Author, and Owner of Kelsey's Gold Facts
July 25, 2025

If the U.S. dollar were to become worthless, what difference would it make if the gold price hits $100,000?

The ten ounces of gold you bought for $30,000 ($3000 x 10) would be worth $1,000,000. Should you sell?

A worthless U.S. dollar means that it has no purchasing power and is unacceptable for trading purposes. What would you do with a million dollars that nobody wants?

Likely, though, there would not be a gold price quoted in U.S. dollars. In fact, by that time, anything that would have been quoted in U.S. dollars would need to be repriced in something else, i.e., another fiat currency, crytocurrency, gold itself, etc.

Only then will you have a reasonable idea of how much your gold is worth. In all cases, though, it is about the purchasing power of the gold, not its price – in any currency.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE – CHAOS 

Total collapse of the U.S. dollar would break the entire financial system and wreak economic devastation on the world. A global depression would result. There would be disruptions in communication and public services.

Financial markets would be closed indefinitely (I hope you own physical gold) and social chaos would be rampant. That’s okay. You’re a millionaire, right?

WEALTH PRESERVATION 

Owning gold during a currency collapse does not make you rich. It preserves your purchasing power. (see Gold’s Singular Role)

Since 1980, the U.S. dollar has lost 75% of its purchasing power. It costs four times as much today for comparable goods and services as it did in 1980.

A salary of $50,000 in 1980 would need to be $200,000 today just to maintain the same standard of living.

The gold price peaked at $843 in January 1980. At more than $3400 oz. recently, gold has quadrupled in price since 1980, which compensates for the loss of purchasing power in the U.S. dollar.

CONCLUSION 

Fantastic price predictions for gold are meaningless when couched in terms related to destruction of the U.S. dollar. The financial, economic, and social conditions attendant to a complete collapse of the dollar are so horrific as to nullify any potential positives associated with a “phenomenally higher gold price”.

The value of gold is in its use as money. As a long-term store of value, gold protects and preserves purchasing power.  (also see “Will Gold Hit $3460?” – Followup)

Kelsey Williams is the author of two books: INFLATION, WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT ISN’T, AND WHO’S RESPONSIBLE FOR IT and ALL HAIL THE FED

*********

Kelsey Williams has more than forty years experience in the financial services industry, including fourteen years as a full-service financial planner. His website, Kelsey's Gold Facts, contains self-authored articles written for the purpose of educating and informing others about gold within a historical context. In addition to gold, he writes about inflation and the Federal Reserve.

Kelsey is the author of two books: INFLATION, WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT ISN'T, AND WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR IT and ALL HAIL THE FED! 

Kelsey Williams is available for private consultations, public speaking, and interviews at [email protected]


Palladium, platinum and silver are the most common substitutes for gold that closely retain its desired properties.
Top 5 Best Gold IRA Companies

Gold Eagle twitter                Like Gold Eagle on Facebook