Massachusetts town adopts their own local currency

Massachusetts town adopts their own local currency

www.reuters.com

"I just love the feel of using a local currency," said Trice Atchison, 43, a teacher who used BerkShares to buy a snack at a cafe in Great Barrington, a town of about 7,400 people. "It keeps the profit within the community."

There are about 844,000 BerkShares in circulation, worth $759,600 at the fixed exchange rate of 1 BerkShare to 90 U.S. cents, according to program organizers. The paper scrip is available in denominations of one, five, 10, 20 and 50.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It's beginning!!!! The evolution of the Underground ....The New U.S. Lakota tribe also recently started using gold/silver to adopt a new stable currency. I think this will spread like wild fire over to other communities and then eventually we will have a universal underground currency, probably gold/silver.

www.reuters.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by dominicus


Maybe its a Zeitgeist...but I was thinking of doing something similar to this.

I hope this catches on. Imagine a national network of local money
The Fed would be #hitting bricks.

what is the price for this?
I bet the gov't uses military there to make an example of these noncomformists

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this severely restrict the wealth that town is capable of gathering, due to the fact noone else uses their currency? If they are the only source, they can hardly accrue more, right?

Originally posted by The Last Man on Earth
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't this severely restrict the wealth that town is capable of gathering, due to the fact noone else uses their currency? If they are the only source, they can hardly accrue more, right?

The bank will be able to convert national currency to its local currency for you. People didn't just throw all their mony away and start from scratch. It had to be converted in the first place.

reply to post by dominicus


This has been going on for quite some time... since the mid-90's anyway... and quite a few towns have them... Ithaca NY and Berkeley CA are two that come immediately to mind.

Here is an article from Wikipedia on local currencies and a list of active one's in the United States.

en.wikipedia.org...

* Amesbury Hours Amesbury, Massachusetts
* Anacostia Hours Mount Rainier, Maryland
* Area Bucks Palo Alto, California
* Atlanta Hours Atlanta, Georgia
* Bainbridge Island Bucks Bainbridge Island, Washington
* Baltimore Hours Baltimore, Maryland
* Barter Bucks Indianapolis, Indiana
* Bay Area Bucks Traverse City, Michigan
* Berea Bucks Berea, Kentucky
* Berkeley Barter Network Berkeley, California
* Berkeley Bread Berkeley, California
* BerkShares, Southern Berkshires, Massachusetts
* BloomingHours Bloomington, Indiana
* Blue Money Brattleboro, Vermont
* BNI Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey
* Boise Hours Boise, Idaho
* Brattleboro Hours Chesterfield, New Hampshire
* Brookings Bucks Brookings, South Dakota
* Brooklyn Greenbacks Brooklyn, New York
* Buffalo Hours Buffalo, New York
* Buffalo Mountain Hours Hardwick, Vermont
* Bull City Bucks Durham, North Carolina
* Burlington Bread Burlington, Vermont
* Butte Bucks Crested Butte, Colorado
* Cape Anne Dollars Gloucester, Massachusetts
* Capitol Area Self-Sustaining Hours Albany, New York
* Carbondale Spuds Carbondale, Colorado
* Chenango Hours New Berlin, New York
* Columbia County Hours Philmont, New York
* Columbia Hours Columbia, Missouri
* Community Cash Durango, Colorado
* Cuyahoga Hours Cleveland, Ohio
* Dillo Hours Austin, Texas
* Disney Dollar Disneyland and Disneyworld
* Flagstaff Neighborly Notes Flagstaff, Arizona
* Floyd Hours Floyd, Virginia
* Fourth Corner Exchange Pacific Northwest
* Great Lakes Hours Detroit, Michigan
* Green Mountain Hours Montpelier, Vermont
* Greyhound Bucks Taft, Texas
* Hero dollar Minneapolis, Minnesota
* High Desert Dollars Prescott, Arizona
* Hobo Dough South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota
* Hollandollars Holland, Michigan
* Houston Hours Houston, Texas
* Humboldt Hours Eureka, California
* Humboldt exchange community currency Arcata, California
* Ithaca Hours Ithaca, New York
* Kansas City Barter Bucks Kansas City, Missouri
* Kauai Barter and Trade Network Kilauea, Hawaii
* Kettle River Hours Kettle Falls, Washington
* Kitsap Hours Bremerton, Washington
* Lehigh Valley Barter Hours Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
* Liberty Dollars Evansville, IN
* Lopez Island Hours Lopez Island, Washington
* Madison Hours Madison, Wisconsin
* Mendocino SEED Fort Bragg, California
* Middletown Cash Middletown, CT, Wesleyan University
* Milwaukee Hours Milwaukee, Wisconsin
* Missoula Hours Missoula, Montana
* Mo' Money New Orleans, Louisiana
* Mountain Money Mars Hill, North Carolina
* NOCO Hours Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland, Colorado
* North Fork Helping Hands Paonia, Colorado
* PDXhours Portland, Oregon
* P.E.N. Neighborhood Exchange Takoma Park, Maryland
* Plenty Carrboro, North Carolina
* Portage Hours Kent, Ohio
* REAL Dollars Lawrence, Kansas
* RiverHOURS Columbia River Gorge, USA
* San Luis Obispo Hours San Luis Obispo, California
* Sand Dollars Bolinas, California
* Santa Barbara Hours Santa Barbara, California
* Santa Fe Hours Santa Fe, New Mexico
* Santa Monica Hours Santa Monica, California
* Sequoia Hours Garberville, California
* Simply Hours Columbus, Ohio
* Skagit Dollars Mount Vernon, Washington
* Sonoma County Community Cash Santa Rosa, California
* Stoneridge Hours Kerhonkson, New York
* Summit Hours Akron, Ohio
* Thread City Bread Willimantic, Connecticut
* Time Bucks Seattle, Washington
* Tulsa Hours Tulsa, Oklahoma
* Ukiah Hours Ukiah, California
* Valley Dollars Greenfield, Massachusetts
* Waldo Hours Unity, Maine
* Wash Bucks Sioux City, Iowa
* Wooster Hours Apple Creek, Ohio

One of the most famous local currency was issued by his Majesty Joshua Norton the first, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico. It was issued during his reign between 1859 and 1880 and was used throughout San Franscisco as legal tender.

[edit on 25-11-2008 by grover]

Ok Im going to do this. Im going to issue a paper currency with gold backing. I wonder how I can do this? This article has me pumped up!!!!

Originally posted by mybigunit
Ok Im going to do this. Im going to issue a paper currency with gold backing. I wonder how I can do this? This article has me pumped up!!!!

before you do this, make sure you understand the consequences, the Fed does not particularly enjoy competition.

and read this, if you havent already.

www.courierpress.com...

best of luck, and watch your back

Originally posted by turbokid

Originally posted by mybigunit
Ok Im going to do this. Im going to issue a paper currency with gold backing. I wonder how I can do this? This article has me pumped up!!!!

before you do this, make sure you understand the consequences, the Fed does not particularly enjoy competition.

and read this, if you havent already.

www.courierpress.com...

best of luck, and watch your back

Oh Im familiar with the Liberty Dollar. My currency will be paper currency redeemable in silver. That is the difference. He actually made his currency in silver. Ill check with a lawyer.

If you do your research you will find that all of these alternative currencies are based on bartered goods and services... not on any gold or precious metals economy.

Our Community currency backed by silver out later this year.
www.moneyart.biz...



I want to learn more about your projects, contact me anytime
Mark
editor Community Currency Magazine

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Skype IM 'digitalcurrency'
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This entire subject is amazingly interesting.

Thanks for posting it, and thanks for others adding linked information.

There are many people who don't know this is going on and this thread can begin to open their eyes.

Shadow economies are real and growing.

I think this is the dawn of the new economy. Mendocino County also has their own system.