Friday, December 16, 2011

Morgan Silver Dollar

Morgan Silver Dollar

I like to collect precious metals. My favorite is Morgan Dollars. They are 90% of an ounce of silver. I like junk silver also, because its small denominations of silver make it a good coin for barter. I don't consider  A Morgan junk silver though. I have been noticing Morgans when purchased from coin shops are for the most part paid as though they are junk. I understand a coin dealer needs to make a living but paying 10% under spot for a Morgan is closer to scalping.  Even a basic run of the mill Morgan is still worth over the silver price as it has a numismatic value above the content of silver. I would trust a Morgan to be authentic before I would trust a bar of silver. There are counterfeit Morgans out there but they are fairly recognizable. Some of the copies are very good but the weight by mass is different than other materials. So in essence the coin size needs to change to meet the same weight as silver. The cheaper fakes are magnetic. I have a fake Morgan that is a good copy from China. It is identical to the other coins except in that it is thicker. It weighs the same as a Morgan in similar condition though.I say "weighs" the same in "similar condition" because the coin will weigh much less when it is worn in circulation. The point I'm making is that the Morgan coin dollar is an easily recognisable coin with a fairly well known value of silver. And since it is well known it is easily used as barter silver. The ease of using this well known coin in barter to me increases it value. A bar for example you would need to go online with the original mint to verify its mas to weight. With a Morgan you simply compare it to a another Morgan that's believed/known authentic.

In a collapsed society you may not have Internet nor the catalogs to verify weight and mass. Not to worry though, If you do find yourself in a post collapse barter deal and your presented with an item that you want to check pure metal content.(first make sure its not magnetic) Ask the person presenting the item if you can scribe test it. If they say no, pass on the deal. If agreed then use a punch or if your crude gouge in-to it with a hack saw. You just need to get through the plating, if it is a plated you will know when brake the plating. Most silver fakes are copper under the plating.

Since we are on the subject of fake; "pure German silver" is not silver, it is a nickel copper composition. Also all the fake Morgans I have seen were in 18 hundreds era, It is not to say that a 19 hundreds one was never forged. But I use a little more caution with the 18 hundreds Morgans. To make the full circle back to junk silver, very few of these small coins would be a counterfeit because it is just to small of a denomination for any forger worth his salt, to invest the time and energy to, produce a quality counterfeit. Why make a dime when you can make a dollar.

Perhaps the best all around form of silver is the junk; dimes and quarters.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Wheat farming and drug laws

Wheat farming and drug laws. The two seem pretty far detached but they are not. In fact Gun regulation, wheat farming and The war on drugs are all made possible by a law suit challenging farm subsides and a farmers right to grow additional wheat beyond the wheat he was subsidised to grow. In the 1930's when farm subsidies were just getting started. This case was argued in 1942 . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickard_v._Filburn

The supreme Court ruled in favor of the US gov. Saying that if the farmer grows more wheat even though this wheat was for personal use it would still effect the market of US wheat prices since the farmer would have grown it and not purchased the wheat from the "market".

The regulation on interstate commerce was born; this is the same law the US uses to regulate Guns, drugs and a laundry list of other activities.

On a side note:I mention subsidies starting in the 1930's because its important to note that during the Great Depression the US was manipulating wheat and other farm crops to drive the price higher. Its a fact unknown to the city folk in bread lines.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

You cant fix what aint broke.?

What a political divide we have today. Some believe the government is broken and that the government is the problem. Others believe the system is mostly good and not broken, their only gripe is that the Government is not doing enough. Of course there is variations of each side. I think the people in the second group are able to reason that if: they feel they are entitled to something from another and are expecting the government to equalize the situation, logic would dictate they are wrong.

But for the people in the second group, (the wrong group) they know they are wrong but since it benefits them they are willing to stay on the wrong side and pretend it is the right side.

Of course this is all by design it keeps us peasants poking at each others eyes, when the grand scheme of things the political elite is reaping the rewards of public office, the feds and the banking class running the fed is casting all of us into economic slavery.

The only solution that comes to my  mind is to exit the current monetary system. Using barter including precious metals is one way to avoid taxation and limit ones participation. The problem is, this is only part of the control. If you owe child support or back taxes it is a crime to refuse to participate. Property taxes is another that will require your participation, or you will be evicted by the state. Of course the list of required participation is a large one, Drivers licences, business licences, registration, vehicle insurance. Etc.etc.... Don't forget the soon required health care mandate.

But I still think barter is a step in the right direction. It keeps a private transaction private.