Zombucks and other 1 oz Copper Rounds Coin Review

So for the past month you may have noticed Ebay and other auction sites flooded with these cool looking 1 oz copper rounds(coins). I've always been a fan of commemorative and challenge coins, but they can be a bit pricey, usually starting at about $10. So the relatively cheap 1 oz copper coins were an attractive deal to me, as they can be as low as $1. The most popular one by far is the Zombucks 1 oz copper rounds. These are advertised as, The currency of the Apocalypse, Ha Ha. But there are many other coins out there, a simple search on Ebay for "1 oz Copper" will bring up several dozen different coin designs.

I can't turn down a good deal, and I needed a few small things for stocking stuffers, so I bought a few of the Zombuck coins. According to info I found online, these coins will be released in a series. 2 new coins being released every few months til the series ends in 2015. The first 2 are pretty cool looking, the 'Walker' design is the first in the series & the 2nd in the series is the 'Morgue Anne' design. Both play on the designs of the old US coins, the Standing Liberty & Morgan Dollar. They are very detailed, and well worth the $1.50 I spent on each one. I've seen this particular series go for an average of $2 a coin... not bad, and in my opinion well worth the money.

Now I know that copper is all the rage right now, at least once a week I see on the local news a story about someone stealing copper tubing or wiring to recycle. One reporter even went as far as calling copper the 'Poor Mans Gold', which is historically true, but lets not look at these coins as Copper Investment opportunities. The simplistic math is an ounce of Copper is worth about 25 cents, and copper is traditionally only recyclable by the pound and preferably by the ton. So if your paying $2 on a 1 oz copper coin, you're loosing $1.75 on your investment. So don't look at these coins as investments, instead see them for what they are... great novelties, collectibles, conversation pieces or just cool coins if you need to make a 'heads or tails' coin flip.

I do have one problem with these Copper coins, its the same with a majority of the 1 oz Copper Rounds I've come across. The face of the coin is always a cool picture, where the back of the coin is often less impressive. Usually displaying the name of the company that minted it or some other less impressive yet still very detailed picture. So if you buy several different coins made by the same company, then they will all have the same back side, The first 2 Zombucks are a perfect example of this. So if you come across an auction that only shows the front of the coin, its probably cause its just unimpressive. I suppose if you want to collect all the coins out there, and want to keep them together in 'minted by' sets, then the back side being the same on coins minted in the same company is a easy way to identify them. But I have no interest in collecting entire sets, so I personally would of preferred the back sides to be just as different & impressive as the fronts. Thats just me though....

I'll be keeping my eye on these Copper Rounds auctions, and probably buying more if they come out with more designs I like.

24k Gold Banknote Review - Is it Real or a Scam

Okay so lets get right to it, 24k Gold banknotes are selling all over the internet for about $3-$5 U.S. The question is are they real?? And are they worth it??

When I was roaming around Ebay I found these 24k Gold Banknote auctions, I also found them on Listia.  The banknotes come in different denominations that resemble U.S. currency. They looked cool all shiny like a 'Golden Ticket' from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. As I like things that are cute and more importantly.. shiny, I decided to bid on a couple of these auctions figuring they'd be a cute and cheap Christmas stocking stuffer. Well I was surprised at how high the bidding on these items was going. Okay maybe $3 bucks was fair, that works out to $1 for the bill and $2 for shipping. But some of these auctions were rocketing out of control, one reaching $9 for a single bill. WHAT!!??

After some persistence, and bidding on every single banknote auction everyday for a week. I finally won a 10 dollar banknote for $1.93 cents w/ free shipping. Still a bit high for my taste (I'm pretty cheap), but OK I got one now. When it arrived it came with a small sheet of paper claiming to be a certificate of authenticity. It even claimed to have a  unique 4 digit serial number that was supposedly assigned to the banknote & that the banknote is legal tender. I haven't been able to find that elusive number anywhere on the banknote though, and I can state as fact this is NOT legal U.S. tender. Meaning you CAN'T spend it... no matter whats written on that little "Certificate of Authenticity".

 In the auction item description it was made very clear that the banknote was made of pressed gold leaf, then because of its ultra thin and brittle nature had to be heat pressed to some kind of plastic coating. And as I hold this in my hand and look closely at it, I can't say that they lied or really mislead me. The auction description was pretty straight forward, except for one word that I just can't let go of... investment. Is this a viable investment??????

 The banknote itself looks very nice, and as a novelty item I would reluctantly pay a few bucks for it. However its the main claim to fame that has me concerned, it claims to be a 24k .999  pure gold investment. 
Now don't get my wrong, the banknote is very attractive. The pressed images on both sides are very nice and reminiscent of the gold plated First Day Issue stamps of the 80's or 90's... which then sold for much more than they were worth and can now be bought for about $1 each. Now I'm going to accept the word of the seller that this is 24k gold leaf. But even IF that is true, then how much are these worth really.

Lets do some math... Lets say current gold price is $1400 per ounce 24k gold. Now in the title of several auctions it claims these are 5.5 grams. But my guess is that's total weight which includes the flexible plastic outer shell. So to make this easy lets say the pressed gold bill is exactly 1 gram. There are approximately 28 grams in an ounce. And if current gold price is 1400, that makes each gram worth around $50. Now correct my math if its wrong, it was my worst subject in school. But to me, I don't see how anyone in there right mind would auction off a gold banknote worth $50 for at tops $9 each... do you? So lets cut it down some more, even if the gold bill were 1/4 of a gram it would still be worth $12. Its just not likely that these have that much gold in them

Okay lets forget gold content for a minute and do some common sense profit analyses. Professional meaning full time Ebay auctioneers sell for a profit, not a loss. And although they may occasionally accept a loss on an item, they would never accept a loss on items consistently cause they would go broke. So lets say the average 24k banknote selling price is $2.50. Most of the auctions I've seen are free shipping, which is about $1.69 minimum if they use 1st Class Pkg for tracking purposes, paid by the seller. So that means they sold you the actual banknote for about 80 cents. Oh and there's seller Ebay & PayPal fees, around 10% so we're down to about 75 cents to the seller. Now the seller needs a profit, and most don't settle for less than 80% profit, which means they likely bought that bill  for about .25 cents. Now of course they likely bought in bulk, and were required to spend several hundred dollars for several thousand bills, basic commerce. Oh and don't forget the supplier, he had to make a profit too, which means the actual banknote was probably only worth about 5 cents to start.

My point with all this is, if there is 24k gold in these banknotes, which I choose to believe there is. The amount is so minor that the envelope you received the bill in is probably worth 10x more than the gold in the banknote. That's not to say this is a rip off, I'm just pointing out that this IS NOT an INVESTMENT.

If you think this is a nice looking bill, and you like collecting things that are shiny and new, then go for it. I did, and I'm not disappointed. Just go into this knowing that these banknotes are novelties, something fun to have hanging in a frame or given to a  friend or family member as a cute collectible. I may buy a couple more to use as a stocking stuffer, but I won't pay more than a few bucks each.

Now if I'm wrong about any of this, and you can PROVE to me that these are a good GOLD investment & not just a passing novelty item, I'll rewrite this to reflect your proof.

Restaurant Review - Ocean Fish and Chips

Occasionally in my travels I come across food establishments that just need to be mentioned. Usually its a small local eatery that has such amazing food that it should be considered a 'Jewel' in whatever city it resides. Of course there is a flip side to that coin, there's very occasionally a place with food so horrible that I feel its a public service to spread the word. This is the case with Ocean Fish and Chips in Sacramento, CA.

This small little food stop is located on the outskirts of Metro Sacramento, in an area called Arden Arcade. It boasts as its signature meal as London Style Fish & Chips, written across the large window. When you walk in, you'll notice a few customers seemingly enjoying there meals, which will put you slightly at ease after seeing there were no cars in the parking spaces in front. I suppose they live close by and walked in??

The gentleman who takes your order is a very friendly Japanese man, his wife will wave and say hi, and you will feel quite welcome. I decided to try a few different things, and see if this was going to be my 'go to' restaurant in Sacramento. I was served up with my order which consisted of the London Style Fish & Chips, Fried Scallops, and a Teriyaki chicken bowl.

Lets start with the London Style Fish & Chips: The fish was deep fried and it was served with fries, that was as close to London Style that I could see. The batter was plain, and though light and crispy, really had no taste other than the oil it was fried in. The fish itself, I couldn't identify, though I would guess it was pollock which is cheap and commonly used for batter cooked fish. It had a nice flaky texture, but still it didn't really taste like fish. Now usually it's hard to mess up french fries, you drop a string potato in the the grease & fry to a golden brown, remove, drain, season, serve... easy peasy.... or is it?? These fries were obviously frozen, not a terrible thing for a local joint, but these were freezer burned.. and you could taste it. Sadly a little seasoning would of at least covered up the freezer burned taste a little, but they were served without even a pinch of salt.

Next was the Fried Scallops: Now I've met chefs who couldn't properly cook a scallop, and even more customers that have never eaten a properly cooked one. So I really didn't have high expectations or any expectations for that matter, and yet I was still disappointed. First they were overcooked, ok big deal I could live with that. But what really scared me was the taste. Have you ever bitten into something truly rotten, that taste of 'YUCK' that swirls in your mouth and causes you to salivate to point of wanting to vomit. I chewed 3 times and spit it out, nope I wasn't going to take the chance.

I spent a good 5 minutes trying to get the rancid taste out of my mouth. And when most of it was gone, I decided to try the Teriyaki Chicken bowl: I ordered the Teriyaki sauce on the side, to many times I've been burned with a really bad sauce on fairly good meat. Just because someone can make one doesn't mean they can make the other as well.. LOL! The amount of chicken was disappointing considering what I paid for it, about a 1/4 cup of chicken on a large bed of rice with sesame seeds sprinkled on it. I took a bite of chicken and was overpowered by the taste of salt. The same taste you get when eating one of those frozen over proccessed meat-like bags of chicken you buy at Wal Mart. This was not good, but I struggled through and dipped a piece in the teriyaki sauce, which didn't add anything. It was a weak and watery sauce... with barely a hint of teriyaki.

It goes without saying that I didn't finish any of this food, and sadly the only thing with any flavor was the overly salty dark meat chicken. I will ovoid this place every time I'm in town, and I recommend you avoid it to.