/biz/ - Business & Finance

What are some commodities that would have most or all the qualities that could make them a viable replacement for currency?
Right after the American War for Independence, the government started printing notes to be used as money, which quickly devalued as creditors demanded payment for their debts in gold. Furthermore, people traded for food, tools, guns, salt, furs and whiskey in kind, and had no need for such currency.
Noting that the Pound sterling and the Euro are currently having difficulties right now, what would be a viable stopgap until the dust settles?
My first choice would be ammunition, because as much as spending your money towards acquisition of one good is a political decision, it is as much a political decision when you start spending bullets towards the elimination of things or people that wish you harm or who wish to subjugate you, and even when you lack the bullets to do so.