A question that came up with the local group a while ago, was if the 9 card stack was empty, could you still buy a draw from the stack? We decided no.

Here's some text from the AdvCiv rulebook:

] 27.51 A player, regardless of the number of cities he has on the
] board, may buy one or more trade cards from the ninth (Gold/Ivory)
] stack at a cost ...

And while it's talking about normal draws, this was the basis for the counter-arguement:

] 27.21 If a stack is empty, a player is not entitled to replace the
] lost card with one from another stack. The player must simply
] forego drawing a trade card from that particular stack.

According to the spelling in 27.51, I'd say that you're buying a card, and not "a draw". Thus, 27.21 doesn't come into play at all, since you don't have a "draw" to forego.

This interpretation might be a little to literal, though. And it might not be what AH had in mind when writing the rules.

Anyways, why would you want to buy from an empty stack? After all, you don't decide whether you're going to buy until after you've received your own trade cards. Would anyone be desperate enough to void 18 treasury tokens like this just to increase their stock?

Would anyone be desperate enough to void 18 treasury tokens like this just to increase their stock?

Most definitly!!! If a player has 9 cities still in play s/he may have only those 18 counters in treasury that s/he planned to use to pay the taxes for the next round. I routinely come into this situation in which I have all my popluation except for those 18 that I use for tax/buy gold. I would read it that since there was no gold/ivery to be had, you still pay the 18 tokens, but just do not get a card as they are all gone. So as in the rules 27.21, you announced that you are buying gold, and pay the cost, but come time to draw the gold, you are SOL and since it is now an empty stack, you do not get your gold.

If you were planning on spending those 18 to buy gold, but can't - typically that ties up your stock to the degree that you're in a bad spot. Of course, the alternative is to make a civ advance purchase and try to top off with treasury.

Typically the problem that is trying to be avoided is either (a) tax revolting cities or (b) lack of pop growth (for recovery or rebuilding cities.)

I myself try to fix this situation by either:
a) buying ships (even if not needed)
b) building cities with Architecture
c) buying from deck 9
d) use my treasury to buy Civ cards

Remember: The main purpose is not to buy from deck 9, but to have enough tokens in your stock!

Raffaele