Safe Place for money?

I've been the plaintiff in a court case that's taken four years and now is settling. I will have about $400k coming in over the next few weeks. $200k, first time, then another payment of about the same within a month or two after the first.

Normally I know where to park money for a decent safety factor and rate of return. Now, however all bets are off. Conventional wisdom doesn't mean jack any longer. I've got the housing and food storage taken care of. This is not planned on income. But it's certainly not something I want to piss off or just blow, either.

Any ideas of what is the safest way to hold this money? Currency? Gold? Coins? Silver? Bars? And physically what is the safest way to make sure I can get to it and the government cannot in the case of their confiscating gold from private citizens again? Also, there is a Numanistic or "collector" coin exemption from the possibility of confiscation. Anyone know anything about how that works or is supposed to work?

It's not enough money to put into Diamonds. I've been told that before you can buy investment grade diamonds you'd better be talking well into the low millions. So short of the really exotic stuff - any ideas of what to do with the money to keep it safe, available, and keep the governments hands off of it, too?

Thanks for the ideas...

I do know that the last place I want to put it is wherever my banker or broker recommend. Neither of them have been doing very well with their own money - much less with my money lately!