There's one fatal flaw with a fiat currency; it isn't backed by anything. Let's take a trip back to pre-1913, before the Federal Reserve Act. Our dollar now is worth 3 cents of what it was worth back then. "That's just inflation," you might say. Well take a look at this... In 1950, you could buy the house you live in for the same amount of gold as it would cost today. In 1950 your house probably sold for around $10-$20 thousand dollars, and today is probably worth over $200,000. It's a good thing you put it into something of value, like house. What if someone wasn't so smart as to put their money in a house, or gold, but they wanted to save it. There's no high yield interest account that could have made you that amount of money even over 50 some-odd years. Even worse, what if someone decided to shove $10,000 under their mattress. What a loss they will have taken! That $10,000 couldn't even buy 1/10 of the same house.

So, how does all of this relate to the topic of this article? I'll tell you. Collectibles and antiques have something against which you can measure their value. They have rareness. No one can just make more of them to devalue them, much like what is being done to our currency. "I could just buy gold," you might say, and I'd say, yes, you should definitely have part of your portfolio as gold. But the wonderful thing about collectibles is that you actually get to enjoy your investment! Buy a rare book and read it; buy a piece of art and admire it; buy some memorabilia and get lost in the nostalgia of it all! Buy an antique and pass it down, like a family heirloom. Let's face it, you're not going to get the same quality as your grandma's old silver platter at Bed Bath and Beyond. Find a piece with some history and add your own to it!

Ebay is the perfect place to find these types of treasures. My store offers all kinds of rare and unique items, but this guide isn't a just a plug for my business. I've written this to help other people find ways to hang onto their hard-earned cash. In this world of credit and electronic money we can sometimes lose track of its value. I hope all who read this will be inspired to protect their nest egg, and have fun doing it!

All my Best,
Tammy from BakertowneCollectables :-)

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