From: David Taffs <dat@ebt.com>
Date: Thu, 24 Aug 95 10:15:24 PDT
To: loofbour@cis.ohio-state.edu
Subject: Re: The End of the Ecash Trial?
In-Reply-To: <199508231635.MAA07961@mummy.cis.ohio-state.edu>
Message-ID: <9508241716.AA16094@veronica.EBT.COM>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



   From: Nathan Loofbourrow <loofbour@cis.ohio-state.edu>
   Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 12:35:39 -0400

   I have yet to see a date, but Digicash states several times in their
   press releases that Cyberbucks are only a trial currency, and that at
   some point in the future the trial will come to an end.

   Will the bottom drop out of the c$ market at that point?

Will there be a collectors market for c$? Does Chaumian cash work
as collectable antiques? What is the difference in value of a "real"
signed Mickey Mantle baseball card vs. one mechanically imprinted?
Will "original" digical cash have the cachet normally associated with
obsolescent objects consisting primarily of protons and neutrons? How
much will the "provenance" of my e-cash be worth? I am assuming that
the provenance of e-cash will be the same credentials which made it
unforgable in the first place; presumably a (hobbyist?) organization
will maintain the books determining authenticity, with an obvious
self-interest to keep it afloat.

So what happens if a collectors market for antique e-cash springs up? Or
is this even conceptually possible? Or is is possible only if enough
people to make a market believe it is possible? Will Digicash open their
books or transfer them to the Smithsonian (or the computer museum) or
something? Is there a market value for the obsolete c$ database? I
wouldn't think so, but...

-- 
david taffs <dat@ebt.com>