Would it be a wise thing to put away a few crisp new dollar bills for the future? As a face value investment? Would coins be better? Collectible paper currency has been with us since the Revolutionary War. In most families it was usually the coins that were saved, if any money was saved at all, during difficult times.

However, the fact that pristine examples of colonial notes can be found in fine currency collections today suggests that someone had the need, or the foresight, to put away a little cash. And over time, these mere scraps of paper became ever more scarce. Paper money, after all, is not such a durable commodity as coinage.

As living conditions evolved, and the life of the average citizen improved, there came to be time, interest and funds for leisure time activities, hobbies such as coin and stamp collecting, and to a lesser extent, the collecting of paper money.

Today coin collectors refer to paper money enthusiasts as Rag Pickers, and worse. However, many a coin collector eventually gives in to a growing interest in paper as a relevant adjunct to his growing stash of ancient and glowing metal. Both hobbies can be wickedly expensive. Investment in a choice coin or bill can pay off rather well. Or not.

But coins and paper bills still circulate. The final victory of the credit card, and who knows what after that, has yet to be concluded. The point is, even though coins are no longer made of gold and silver, or even solid copper for that matter, all things being equal, a coin will never sink below its face value. And the same can be said for a dollar bill, or a five, ten twenty, fifty, or one hundred dollar bill. (This is not the time to discuss purchasing power. Just let it go.)

So, you get coins and paper money at face value, just by removing it from your pocket or wallet and tossing it into your dresser drawer. Or neatly tuck each into a special collector envelope, holder, or album.

When you do this, you have made a face value investment. Especially if you make the effort to acquire uncirculated specimens at your bank instead of from your pocket, you may end up guilty of a successful investment. Whether collectible coins or collectible paper currency will make the better investment is an open question. If you must choose between the two, here are two things to consider:

There are more coin collectors than paper money collectors.

Demand for coins is perhaps higher overall, but remember, there are more coins in existence. Coins tend to last. Paper money is relatively fragile. Well, so it is. A one dollar bill lasts six months in circulation on average. Then it is destroyed by the government, with the banks as its accomplices.

Do these facts influence the relative value of coins versus paper. If you answer, I need more information, you get an A for the day.

My advice? Make no decision. Just put away some nice new coins and some equally fetching uncirculated (crisp) paper money. Learn how to store each.

Save them for your grandchildren.

In twenty to fifty years they will remember you as a genius.

Have you heard about Penny Auctions, the latest form of Internet shopping, excitement, and entertainment? This new concept in online shopping can make it possible for ordinary people just like you and me to purchase high-quality, name brand electronics, famous label products, and more, at prices far below the regular retail price. This fun-filled sales process sets up bidders to strategize and outwit each other… with enormous discounts off top-quality items as the prize.

How Do Penny Auctions Work?

To participate in these online events, a prospective bidder registers for an account on an auction site and pre-purchases a package of bids to place on the items they are interested in. The per-bid cost will vary from one auction site to the next, but it generally falls in the range of $0.50 to $1.00.

One thing that makes this type of auction unique is that bids do not necessarily reflect the worth of an auction item. Auction prices start at zero, and each bid adds 1 cent to the price of the item. In this way, bidders are limited by the number of bids they place, rather than the selling price of the product.

Each auction item has a countdown clock that shows the time remaining in the auction. Each time a bid is entered, additional time is added to the clock in order to allow competing bidders a chance to counter-bid.

The auction ends when the timer reaches zero and no additional bids have been placed. In a penny auction, the winning bidder generally has two options:

1. He can pay the final bid price of the item and arrange for it to be shipped directly to him. This final amount is often hundreds of dollars below the regular retail price of the item.
2. He can swap his winning item for its value in additional bids, thereby accumulating a large number of free bids to be used on future auctions.

Sounds Great, but Do Your Research

As with any type of online shopping, it is important to know how to protect your privacy and your pocketbook when bidding on Penny Auction sites. Be careful to sign up only on auction sites that specifically guarantee the integrity of their auctions — that they do not use any automated bidders to manipulate auctions, and they do not permit their own employees and their families to participate.

It is also necessary to protect yourself against scams. With the proliferation of new penny auction sites, there have been reports of poor customer service, fraudulent auction procedures, and non-delivery of items. If you limit your participation to the larger, more well-known and established websites, then these situations will usually not be an issue.

So, consider a penny auction site the next time you are thinking about the purchase of a laptop, iPod, camera, camcorder, or gaming console. The strategy, excitement, and great deals they offer may be just what you are looking for.