Dislocations like these are special to war or famine, they have little to do with inflation. There are numerous stories about WWII where people would trade a gold ring for a few loaves of bread. Economists call this "relative scarcity".
Which was so remarkable that we all know about it. The fact that it is remarkable, and not something that everyone has experienced, says a lot in and of itself.
Heh, there is the infamous story of someone stealing a suitcase full of money during the German hyperinflation. He dumped the money and took the suitcase.