maxxkatt
Forum Supporter
I have heard several speculative comments on the future of coinage in the US. Including some of my comments.
For instance I have noticed that 5 years ago when going to Quicktrip (a popular chain of high volume gas stations and mini-stores) I could walk the parking lot of say 25 parking spaces and round the pumps each day an easily pick up fifty cents to a dollar’s worth of change. I did that for two years every day when I went each morning to get my coffee.
Now I am lucky if I find a single coin. It is those darn keyless entry fobs for cars that killed that nice little morning collection coffee collection. In the past men pulled a glob of keys out of their pocket and out came the change to be dropped.
But, on a more sinister note, there are rumors that the US government wants to eliminate all paper and coinage and make us go to debit cards. Why? Because it is so easy to track people this way. Supposedly cut down on illegal activity, increase the IRS’s ability to determine any tax fraud and the list goes on.
The other side of the coin is who among the big national players would be against it? Banks – no they make tons of small commissions. big high tech companies – no, they make the software and machines for a cashless society. ACLU – maybe, but they really are fringe players. Local governments? No for the same reason as Federal Government.
We may think that this will happen way into the future, but with current technology and our current batch of idiots we elect to serve? us in Washington anything is possible within 10 years.
So the question is, what happens to our hobby if coins disappear from circulation. Will metal detecting go the way of some many things made obsolete because of the invention the iPhone? The list of items that the iPhone and other smart phones made obsolete is very long and getting longer.
I can see a horrible future where we are chipped and that unique chip is linked to our smart phones and linked to big brother. You see this right now in China where they have a social credit system where you are rated on your social or anti-social merits in their huge database and your few privileges can be restricted if you don’t follow the party line. WORSE THAN EAST GERMANY DURING THE COLD WAR for those of you who still harbor warm and fuzzy feelings about the Chinese government. Look for more Chinese to try and escape to the US by hook or crook.
How would the metal detector manufacturers react? After say a 10 year period we might not even be able to find clad? I have seen many a post where old timers say that the 1970’s were the golden times for finding silver and gold coins.
What does all this hold for our hobby?
Probably will just upset the clad hunters. People will still be dropping expensive jewelry unless that is outlawed by the government. You laugh, there was a time not too far back when you could not legally own gold in the US.
Maybe the more technically inclined detectorists will become hackers or bitcoin harvesters.
Just food for thought on the supper rainy day in Atlanta.
For instance I have noticed that 5 years ago when going to Quicktrip (a popular chain of high volume gas stations and mini-stores) I could walk the parking lot of say 25 parking spaces and round the pumps each day an easily pick up fifty cents to a dollar’s worth of change. I did that for two years every day when I went each morning to get my coffee.
Now I am lucky if I find a single coin. It is those darn keyless entry fobs for cars that killed that nice little morning collection coffee collection. In the past men pulled a glob of keys out of their pocket and out came the change to be dropped.
But, on a more sinister note, there are rumors that the US government wants to eliminate all paper and coinage and make us go to debit cards. Why? Because it is so easy to track people this way. Supposedly cut down on illegal activity, increase the IRS’s ability to determine any tax fraud and the list goes on.
The other side of the coin is who among the big national players would be against it? Banks – no they make tons of small commissions. big high tech companies – no, they make the software and machines for a cashless society. ACLU – maybe, but they really are fringe players. Local governments? No for the same reason as Federal Government.
We may think that this will happen way into the future, but with current technology and our current batch of idiots we elect to serve? us in Washington anything is possible within 10 years.
So the question is, what happens to our hobby if coins disappear from circulation. Will metal detecting go the way of some many things made obsolete because of the invention the iPhone? The list of items that the iPhone and other smart phones made obsolete is very long and getting longer.
I can see a horrible future where we are chipped and that unique chip is linked to our smart phones and linked to big brother. You see this right now in China where they have a social credit system where you are rated on your social or anti-social merits in their huge database and your few privileges can be restricted if you don’t follow the party line. WORSE THAN EAST GERMANY DURING THE COLD WAR for those of you who still harbor warm and fuzzy feelings about the Chinese government. Look for more Chinese to try and escape to the US by hook or crook.
How would the metal detector manufacturers react? After say a 10 year period we might not even be able to find clad? I have seen many a post where old timers say that the 1970’s were the golden times for finding silver and gold coins.
What does all this hold for our hobby?
Probably will just upset the clad hunters. People will still be dropping expensive jewelry unless that is outlawed by the government. You laugh, there was a time not too far back when you could not legally own gold in the US.
Maybe the more technically inclined detectorists will become hackers or bitcoin harvesters.
Just food for thought on the supper rainy day in Atlanta.
