Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Sorting coins as a hobby

Years before I was born, the government quit making coins out of silver, and began making them out of copper and nickel. Various coins had different years before the silver was gone, but today, almost all coins in circulation are the cheaper versions of their formerly glorious selves.

 The following link demonstrates one persons philosophy on coinage, and actually suggests saving up nickels now, betting they will make them cheaper in the near future as well. As always, remember to take anything on the internet with a grain of salt, but hey, it's something to read!

http://www.survivalblog.com/nickels.html

The following is a list of coins and the year you are looking for:
Quarters/Dimes** - 1964 and older (these coins are 90% silver).
Franklin Half-Dollars - 1963 and older
Kennedy Half-Dollars - 1964 (key year, still 90% silver)
Kennedy Half-Dollars - 1965-1970 (40% silver... not as good as they were, but still silver)
Eisenhower Silver Dollar - 1971-1976 (40% silver)
Nickels - 1942-1945: These are called war nickels, because nickel was needed for armor during WWII, so they made them out of silver during this short period. Their mint mark (P-Philadelphia, D-Denver, S-SanFrancisco) is on the reverse side of the coin, above the dome of Monticello. See the following image for an example:

Monday, November 29, 2010

Quantitative Easing Explained

America monetizes debt (QE2)

So for my next trick! I mean, blog...

Continuing on the topic of quantitative easing and monetization of debt, this month (November, 2010) "The FED" aka Federal Reserve Bank, began purchasing $600 Billion of U.S. Bonds.

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/credit/qe2-day-one-fed-buys-7-3-billion-in-treasuries/19714617/

From the Article:

"With the government's fiscal stimulus expired, and with little hope of additional stimulus spending being approved by Congress in the near future, the Fed had to take action in an attempt to reduce the high U.S. unemployment rate and avert deflation.

But with benchmark interest rates near zero, and after an earlier program to buy $1.7 trillion worth of securities failed to reduce unemployment, the Fed announced last week its unconventional monetary easing plan of buying $600 billion worth of longer-term bonds through June. The plan has been highly criticized."

Establishing a background

My first few posts will be used to build a foundation and establish a frame of reference so-to-speak, for future discussions.

Currently, the American and World economies are hurting. A few months ago, the European Union (EU) had to bail out Greece (111 Billion Euro - $145 Billion). This week, the same EU (with input from the IMF - International Monetary Fund) approved a 85 Billion Euro (roughly 111 Billion US Dollars) bailout for Ireland.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/nov/29/ireland-bailout-fails-to-excite-markets

That article states that the U.S. Stock market is down 1% so far today and that Andrew Lim, head of financials research at Matrix, said: "The Irish bailout doesn't solve the euro problem … We are looking at Portugal then Spain next."

Welcome!!!

Welcome to Xelera's "Nos Populus" (or "We the People").

My main goal is to address current events, government, politics and of course, to lighten the mood by periodically discussing hobbies and interests of mine. That includes cooking/grilling, chess, and other miscellaneous interests.

Yes, this is my first blog, and I am only about a decade behind the millions of others who have embarked on the weblog journey. Please be respectful of other's opinions. Remember that my viewpoints, yours, and theirs, were formed from a lifetime of experience, and not subject to change lightly. Keep it civil and let's discuss life and what not!