Silver Funny Money vs. Silver Dollars!

In 1963 the United States printed the last Silver Certificates as the government began leaving the silver monetary standard behind. These paper dollars differed from Federal Reserve Notes (FRN's), also in circulation at the time, in that they could be exchanged at a Federal bank for an actual silver dollar in coin. The certificates were freely exchangeable for the coin silver until June 24, 1968, when they reverted to the unbacked fiat status of their step brothers the FRN.

Anyone who had $1000 in Silver Certificates and kept them could sell them today at a small collector's premium for a total around $1500. However, a wiser investor would have exchanged the green paper for silver dollars before the June 1968 deadline. Indeed, the holder of 1000 silver dollars now could sell those pieces of "real money" for a minimum of $23 a piece today, for a total net worth of $23,000!

The lesson is simple. If you have a choice of paper promises of the US government or cold, shiny silver, take the silver coin and run!

Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver and Silver American Eagles.

Rick

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Rising Cost of Restaurant Meals!

The year was 1943. The Second World War was raging in the Pacific and Europe and the Zoot Suit Riots were pitting soldiers against Latinos in Los Angeles. The atom bomb was still on the drawing board and it was 5 years before the first McDonald's opened. You could grab a hamburger from a good restaurant for 40 cents and get some curly fries for another 20. A Coke? That will cost you another dime, mac. For a little more than a dollar you could substitute a steak for the hamburger and exchange the coke for a milkshake concocted with real milk and real ice cream.

Inflation

When reading old menus the first thing that stands out naturally are the prices. If you could still order off a six and a half decade old menu, there wouldn't be a hungry person in America today, and if you're still challenged by the concept of inflation, one look at the menu will clarify your mind. The average price of 10 staple casual dining restaurant items were $0.47 in 1943 compared to $6.10 today. That's a stunning 1,302% inflation or 4.05% per year. For example, back in 1943 you could treat three of your buddies to steak sandwiches, fries and a large coke and pick up a $4.00 tab. Today, that act of generosity would cost you over $54. Other wallet busters included hot fudge sundaes for 35 cents and a stack of pancakes for 30 cents. A Root beer float or freshly squeezed lemonade would set you back another 20 cents.

Sales Taxes

In California the sales tax was 3 percent. That's a far cry from the current 9.75% rate in Los Angeles County. This is not a misprint; in nominal dollars, the sales taxes on that burger went up a stunning 5,464% and somehow the local and state governments managed to have balanced budgets. For those of you history buffs, West Virginia was the first state to enact a sales tax in 1921 and California didn't have a sales tax until 1935. I would have paid 12 cents in taxes for treating my three buddies to a steak meal. Today, the state charges diners $5.40 for the privilege. I guess that's why good friends are harder to find nowadays!

Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver and Silver American Eagles.

Rick

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How eBay Helps Junk Silver Coins Live!

In the "Big Silver Melt" of 1980, millions of dollars (face value) of junk silver coins (pre-1965 US dimes, quarters, halves) fell victim to refinery cauldrons. Many silver coin collectors and hoarders today lament the wholesale destruction of these US coins that represented the last physical manifestation of "real money" in this country.

A question that is commonly asked today on internet boards is why the coins were melted at all? Why didn't junk silver sellers find buyers who would've held onto the coins rather than toss them into the refinery cauldrons? To find the answer, we have to return to the turbulent days of 1980 as silver prices rose rapidly to peak at $50.

Coin dealers of the era relate vivid stories of long lines outside their shops with eager sellers looking to convert their old silver coins, jewelry, and silverware into fast cash. Many large stores had armed guards who'd only let a few customers in at a time to sell their goods. Multiple coin counting machines were constantly clanging nonstop as they busied about their task. However, as silver reached $50 US on the Wall Street trading floor, customers weren't offered more than the equivalent of $30 an ounce for their silver dollars and other coins. The reason being that the refineries, who were the dominant silver buyers at the time, weren't willing to pay more than this lower price due to the large inventory backlogs that afflicted them. For the part of the coin dealers, the necessity of cash flow and a fear of being caught with too much inventory in a volatile market, compelled them to take their profits each night. It was just too risky to hold onto the Morgan silver dollars, Walking Liberty halves, and Mercury and Barber dimes for too long waiting for willing buyers of these rare and beautiful coins.

As the price of silver skyrockets today, many wonder whether the surviving junk silver coins are destined to die by fire as their relatives did three decades ago. I believe this fear to be groundless due to the internet revolution which birthed sites like eBay. Today, when the average seller desires to sell his roll of Franklin halves, he doesn't automatically march to his local coin dealer. No, instead he goes online and uses sites like eBay. In a few minutes his auction is created, which in a few days will net him a buyer for his silver coins at melt pricing, and sometimes a few percent above. Other sites like Bullion Direct use a slightly different sales mechanism, but with identical seller-buyer matching results.

Due to internet technological innovations that allowed sites like eBay to proliferate and be used by the average American, the current silver price run will not feature long lines at coin shops and vats of melting silver coins. Instead, sellers will easily find willing buyers who will hold onto their new silver acquisitions as islands of security in a collapsing paper money world.

Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver and Silver American Eagles.

Rick

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Weimar Hyperinflation vs. US Dollar

German Children Playing with Worthless Paper Reichsmarks

During the Weimar Germany hyperinflationary period (1922-1923) the Reichsmark lost value rapidly against the US Dollar. Review the information below for conversion rates as the hyperinflation progressed:

Timeline of Weimar Republic Hyper-Inflation (Reichsmarks per USD)

June 24, 1922: 272 Reichsmark (RM) to $1.00 US
July 1922: 670 RM
August 1922: 2,000 RM
October 1922: 45,000 RM
November 1922: 10,000 RM
December 30, 1922: 500,000 RM
February 1923: Reichsbank buys back RM (or reichsmark); stabilizes RM at 20,000 to 1 US dollar
May 4, 1923: RM 40,000
June 1, 1923: RM 70,000
June 30, 1923: RM 150,000
August 1-August 7, 1923: RM 3,500,000
August 15, 1923: RM 4,000,000
September 1, 1923: RM 10,000,000

Around September 10 to September 25, 1923: Prices reportedly rise hourly in several German cities.

September 30, 1923: RM 60,000,000 = 1 US Dollar

November 15, 1923: Rentenmark issued; pegged to the Gold Standard; Rentenmark 4.2 = 1 US dollar; at this time: Old Reichsmark 4,200,000,000 = 1 US dollar.
1 New Rentenmark = 1 Billion Old Reichsmark!

Only the issuance of the Retenmark, backed by bonds indexed to market prices (in paper Marks) of gold, brought the out of control hyperinflation to heel.

Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver and Silver American Eagles.


Rick

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China Gobbling Up Silver!

The CPM Group in a new report said silver use in China is estimated to have risen around three and a half times over the last decade, from 40.8 million ounces in 2000 to 139.2 million ounces in 2009, twice as large as many Western commentators have previously suggested. “Chinese silver fabrication demand is projected to account for nearly a fifth of global silver fabrication demand this year,” CPM Group said.

China has also recently encouraged it's populace to buy both silver and gold as investment vehicles against inflation.

The report further reviews uses for silver, including new fabrication demand such as solar panels, as well as investment. The report includes 10-year projections of supply, demand, and prices under a base case and two alternative scenarios.

“Strong investment demand, the single most important factor in influencing the price of the metal, is expected to keep silver prices at elevated levels during the projected period,” CPM Group said in a news release announcing the publication, which can be purchased. “Investors who view silver as a safe-haven asset are expected to continue buying large amounts of silver over the next couple of years as uncertainty regarding global economic growth, financial market instability, and volatility in major currency markets persist. As these concerns recede later in the decade, investment demand is projected to decline. Silver prices are expected to weaken alongside the decline in investment demand as the decade progresses.”

CPM Group said fabrication demand for silver is forecast to rise over the projected period, providing additional support to prices.

“Even in present economic conditions, there is strong demand for some of the products in which silver is used, including various electronic components used in a full range of consumer and industrial equipment,” CPM Group said. “Fabrication demand for silver is expected to rise further over the next few years, due to an anticipated improvement in global economic activity coupled with increased use of silver in some of its new and relatively new uses, such as solar panels, silver-zinc batteries.”

Primary silver mine production is expected to increase due to high silver prices and the relatively low cash and total operating costs, CPM Group said. Also, since much silver is produced as a byproduct of gold, copper, lead, and zinc, favorable market fundamentals and rising prices for these metals are expected to mean higher output and thus more silver as a by-product during the initial years covered by the CPM Group report. However, during the second half of the forecast period, net additions to silver mine supply are expected to decline, which CPM Group forecast to support silver prices during that time.

Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver and Silver American Eagles.

Rick

CLICK ADS BELOW FOR FREE DISCOUNT!

Amazing Ferrari F1 made by Chocolate

Ferrari has sweetened their Formula One programme by unveiling this chocolate-made life-sized model of the F2008 racing car. Comprised of 2,000kg (4,405 lbs) of chocolate, the “project” began when confectioners melted chocolate a year ago and started making a small version based on a small-scale model of the F2008.

“The project started one year ago, just for fun,” said Luigi Liberti, president of the Scuderia Ferrari Club Napoli, “but then the Club Pasticceri Italiani started to get really enthusiastic and eventually it became a life-sized model.

They started melting the chocolate in 2007, at first copying a small-scale model of the Ferrari F2008, then getting the full scale model done using chocolate imported especially from Belgium.”

Everything on it is edible, everything including the red coating. The car had been on display in Sorrento, hear Naples as a display piece at a Ferrari owners’ party. But today it is being smashed up with hammers so guests can eat it p. For just ?12,000/ €15,900 you can have the exact same thing, a year from now!

Jewellery store unveils golden Mickey Mouse

For the ultimate treasure hunt, a Japanese jewellery store unveiled a golden Mickey Mouse on Wednesday in Tokyo.

The Ginza Tanaka jewellery store has joined forces with the well-known Walt Disney brand to promote an online game in which one lucky player can win the golden treasure.

The game comes with a film on DVD starring Hollywood actor Nicholas Cage.

Ginza Tanaka - a long established jewellers in Japan - assigned ten of its craftsmen and spent three months creating the Mickey Mouse statuette, using one kilogram (35.3 ounces) of pure gold.

Its estimated value, if placed on sale, would be more than 30-thousand US dollars.

The President of Ginza Tanaka, Noboru Takata called the golden Mickey Mouse as ''priceless''.

''We need to be a company that sells dreams and bring happiness to people,'' he said.

The 120 millimetre tall Mickey Mouse is now on display at Ginza Tanaka stores. The treasure hunt starts on Thursday.