What is a good solid tangible investment (art,coins) for a layman?

I am looking for an alternative investment to the stockmarket. Something that would be tangible during a total market crash if one where to ever happen. I thought about land but you have to pay property tax. I tought about gold coins Well art is like stocks and you have to know about it or you could make some bad descisions.

I would suggest either US Savings bonds, or older gold and silver coins. The new ones they advertise on TV won't ever be worth even face value, so try looking for them on ebay or at local coin/antiquities shows.

In the event of a total market crash, ARABLE LAND would be the best investment...unless the total market crash was a byproduct of, say, a nuclear bomb. The way you get out of property tax...I think...is to put the land into a trust.

Gems are good, and now more widely available than ever on the internet. You need to find a reliable source though, and prices vary a LOT. But then, if you don't like the price somebody is offering, you can sell to somebody else. They're also easy to hide. I recommend fire opals because their quality is pretty obvious by looking at them (unlike diamonds), they're rare, and the market isn't likely to be flooded with them if certain monopolies are broken.

There are also municipal bonds, used to pay for things in your local government like bridges, but for me that's not tangible enough. It's not like you own the bridge, and local governments are getting bailed out by national ones all the time.