Attention DTOM readers: request for input or opinion.
By intothevoid, on May 7th, 2012
I had recently stumbled across a shop on Etsy offering an interesting product. For those of you that don’t know what Etsy is, it’s a site that is, in their own words, the ‘world’s handmade marketplace.’ It allows individuals to manage a virtual shop front to sell handmade/custom wares to the world over.
This particular shop that I came across is called Don’t Tread On Meme, and they have what they call ‘Silver Trading Cards’ as one of their products. Above are some images of a few of those cards. They have an individual mercury or roosevelt dime with a ‘trading card’ enclosed in a plastic sleeve and a silver valuation chart on the back.
For those that don’t know what a meme is:
It was originally coined by Richard Dawkins in ‘The Selfish Gene’ and has come to represent ‘an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.’ A unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols or practices, which can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena.
From their donttreadonmeme site:
Don’t Tread On Meme is the marketing effort for an economics project. We believe in peaceful evolution to a voluntary society and honest money. Every day, people like you act with kindness, consent, and when conflicts arise they tend to find win-win solutions. They seek restitution, not retribution. They honor their agreements. They wish to develop their talents and simply live without asking permission from whom none is due. They want to build stable businesses at home and abroad without artificial barriers, distortions, or a rigged system of accounting. DTOM embraces a world of diversity and prosperity and we believe that what unites us all is the desire to share our talents and exchange our creations. We believe defensive force to be a universal human right, in contrast to aggressive force which is a regressive path for civilization. Therefore we reject the initiation of force whether it is done in the first person or in the case of non-consensual fees and “nanny” controls which are simply an outsourcing of the initiation of force. Because we believe in living by consent and not coercion, trade and not violence, agreements and not orders, we embrace a currency familiar to millions and one not easily manipulated, cheated, inflated, or embezzled. We find silver coin to be that currency. We seek an alternative from the boom & bust, pump & dump schemes of government central banks and fractional-reserve banking cartels. We read Austrian Economics.
Initially I had thought of posting a link to the site for those of you that are interested in collecting novel items such as these cards. I also thought it could potentially be another way to help spread the word in supporting another group of individuals in their effort in making a difference. I see these cards as a marketable and attractive way to get more buyers involved in reshaping the current paradigm and think they are good way to introduce silver as real, honest money to younger people.
But upon viewing their store front, I had noticed a link to request a custom item. Immediately I had thought how badass it would be to have some customized trading cards with graphics and quotes that were affiliated with the ideas and tenets of DTOM, TGTNT, SOLA, etc., series. I had sent Chris an email mentioning this and he had said to make a post asking to get feedback from those that visit the site. One suggestion of his was that the front side should have something eye catching while the back side should have information and links that people could use to educate themselves with.
The hope is to have you offer some input or share your opinion in determining what type of imagery/designs/quotes you would like to see on some cards such as these… or if there would even be enough members/readers that would actually purchase this type of item before making such a request from the owners of donttreadonmeme.com. I would think that if there was a limited run on some cards with images and quotes from the site, it would be a rare and novel item for members/readers to have later on down the road and would make for a great conversation starter while promoting the projects behind the Don’t Tread On Me site.
So, if you think this would be a great way to help promote the DTOM site and Chris’ work while enlisting the artistic talents of this small freedom loving business, feel free to make a comment or a suggestion. Just going off of their sale price of two cards at $8.70 and $2.00 for shipping, kind of gives you a rough idea of their cost with a limited run of a dozen or so from what i can see. (I have no idea if there would be a discount or wholesale purchase available if there is a sizable amount requested)
With enough ideas from those that would like to see and purchase something like this, hopefully a request to make some custom ‘Silver Trading Cards’ for the members and viewers of this site by donttreadonmeme.com can be honored. If you have no specific ideas but would still be interested in purchasing DTOM, TGTNT, SOLA designed cards, please say so, as that would still give us an idea as to whether this is worth pursuing.
Here are the links to the shop and their site if you would like to purchase some of their cards and other apparel.
“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”
Henry Ford
Just consumer crap, like beanie babies. I’ll just put my money into gold/silver and skip the b.s. cards.
I assume this outfit is not affiliated with you Chris. Their name seems awfully close to the name of this website and you are also in the silver coin business with Constitutional Silver. I don’t know how you feel about this name thing but I would be reluctant to buy anything from them if only because they appear to me to have stolen your (I hope) copyrighted name.
thanks for your negative feedback, your contribution is appreciated. chris actually thought that this was a cool idea… boy, was he wrong or what?!
i’m happy to see you criticize an idea constructively and put forth an unbiased effort in unifying people from different walks of life regarding this movement, we need more members like you.
Thanks void. I appreciate your continued support for a point of view that may be critical of or in some way different than your own. Some people would ask for input and opinions and then expect just obedience and agreement. That would be ok but it would just be easier if such people simply told us what to think so we could give the appropriate response and then they would like us. But I like your way better; to present a topic and ask for thinking people to offer their honest opinoins which you respect even though you may not agree. You’re a swell guy and I’m proud to call you my friend.
Ha, ha.. you crack me up void. Did you really think I missed your sarcasm and then you pretended to miss mine? Silly rabbit. And I think you do expect obedience and agreement, but whatever. And respect is something you earn, not demand.
Hi all. My name is Ross and I established Don’t Tread On Meme to further promote the What Is This Coin Worth app for Droid and iPhone. We’re a small group of individuals associated with Freedom’s Phoenix and other places. I’m sorry if we upset you with the name of our project, Aurochs; if you progress along in the liberty path, you will understand that sending the socialist government after your neighbor for a thought-crime is incompatible with liberty. I don’t think you can copyright DTOM, anyway. You’re thinking of trademark. I can suggest a great reading list by Stephan Kinsella and the Mises Institute, if you’d like to be more informed on “intellectual property” (monopoly) before going-off on us peaceful people who are fighting the REAL bad guys. LIke I always say, if you think it can be done better…..Waiting on you, sir! We never “patented” our dime cards. We WANT you to copy us and let the market decide whose are better. Oh, wait, it’s too much work? Rather sit on your computer and complain? ok.
Thank you all for the support on our silver project. Of course, we do not recommend buying stacks of Silver Dime Trading Cards for wealth preservation. They are kindle to a CULTURAL movement, and an educational tool. We are friendly competitors to our inspirations at AOCS, Silver Circle, Shire Silver, Etc. For more information on where we contribute to the barter movement, you can see our panel discussion from Porcfest 2012, just go to the Donttreadonmeme.com Blog.
To the custodian of this site, I would be glad to do some co-branding custom cards for you, once I restock my dimes. Send us a Facebook message at the Don’t Tread On Meme page.
They work on a couple of levels and would make a good small gift and / or conversation starter from someone who ‘gets it’ to someone who doesn’t ‘get it yet’.
A silver coin and a ‘loaded’ image, or a political statement nicely packaged together may even stop some sleepwalkers in their tracks as they are unlikely to at first make the links with coin-silver-politics-matrix. If these things can help to get even a few more people to start joining a few dots together they have succeeded – whatever their original aim was, commercial or altruistic.
There are many, many ways to help people wake up, these items are just another, very useful and creative aid in helping to do so.
At first glance, I thought it was kinda cheesey. I went to the site and browsed around a bit. The prices are a bit inconsistant but so what. What I noticed was the amount of time an effort put into each card. Most have some sort of customization and some are cooler than others, but eveyone has there own “hot” button. It appears there are some T-shirts for sale as well.
The sell price is around $8.70 for two coins plus $2.00 shipping and they come packaged in 2, 3 or 4 card lots. The melt value of a liberty dime is around $2.12 so there is a little profit in the paper and lamination, but the purveyor has had to put the time and effort in and als has the upfront costs of the printer, computer, grahics program, laminator etc. He can offer them for sale and not manufacture them until he gets an order except for the online sample.
My first thought is kudos to someone for having an original idea that reflects a viewpoint that I resonate with and I hope he/she sells a million of them. I applaud the effort. That being said, would I buy 10 for $40 bucks? What would I do with them? Give them to people to try to wake them up? Use as a novelty piece for interesting conversation? Trade them like Pokemon cards? I dunno. And I am the guy that keeps spare copies of “the Creature from Jekyll Island” in my car as give-aways and a few silver half dollars just to show folks what its like to have a piece of silver in hand.
I feel kinda bad because I have decided to stop giving out copies of “the Creature”. I have reached a few, but only around a 10% “the light goes on” ratio (the other 90% probably thinks I am nuts). And of those 10% there are different degrees awakening, most linger in denial like I did for years. I am pretty well done talking to people about silver that are not on the same page. I am also not talking about whats going on in the world anymore either. No, I did not order any of the “dime” cards. I’ll change my mind later and go back to my old ways, but times a wastin’. And thats what is most valuable now, the time remaining.
i think it could be one way to brand chris’ work. there are times where you have to ‘give to get’ especially when it comes to younger individuals. for those still willing to be on the front line, we should be looking to approach the information war with different tactics.
i’m willing to bet older individuals used to collect baseball cards when they were younger. these ‘cards’ would actually have one day’s worth of hard labor, rather than being just a ‘pokemon card’ with a character on them.
i think these cards could help forge relationships as it is a tangible item that has tangible wealth and can serve to awaken the other individual on their own terms on their own time. the card does the work and can transmit the information for you.
My first impression of these was that they were ok but really just a slick idea for someone to buy old silver dimes by the bag and sell them for double or triple their silver value. As a free market capitalist I’m ok with that. I just thought my money would be better spent on just the silver. But I took another look at them from the perspective of others here like Brittany and I can see their value as a conversation starter and to spread the word of sound money. For that purpose I can see their value and they are a good idea perhaps. But as a ‘collectable’ they are still dopey IMHO.
I appreciate the sentiments, and I think its a grand free market idea with liberty as the underlying theme. The point I tried to convey with wit and dry humor (both of which I am lacking), is that perhaps we should be rechecking our bug-out bags, oiling our armaments and making sure that our affairs are in order.
I have bought lots of these cards through this etsy store. I am a government/ economics teacher and I give these cards to my students as an incentive. Students love these and they constantly check the spot price of silver to see if it has gone up in value. This is a great way to spread the message of liberty!!!!
PS My etsy store is rehashedfashion if you want to check it out!
Hey Chris,
Just wanted to take a moment out of my life to thank you for all the life changing decisions/events that have occurred because of the information you've brought to the forefront when I discovered you, DTOM, & the SOL academy.
I shunned the psychopaths in my life, closed my facebook, took every hour of free time to see the academy and read A LOT (a first for me), learned that I have a deep innate thirst for knowledge and teaching, jumped head first on topics I would have NEVER taken an interest in if not for waking up (finance, economics, politics, psychology, to name a few), and view everything in a completely different, but forward thinking and more intricate way.
What you say is so true ... "once your eyes are open, you can never close them again" - EVER.
The magnitude of all the changes that I've made in my life because of the SOL academy are so huge that I can't even begin to put a word on it. It's like a golden seed of life, love & truth, planted in my mind that is making me realize what does matter, what is real, and what I want be at the end of the day to myself, loved ones, and the world.
Hope you're having a well-deserved and wonderful time with your family. A toast to you, the individuals in our group, and all the great and positive things to come despite such times.
Peace.
- Irving A.
Sons of Liberty Academy Testimonial
You really need to sign up at the Sons Of Liberty Academy! I have been researching, as Chris has, for the last 5 years and have found out many things that have really changed my way of thinking! After signing up with Chris I have learned a lot more and he has vilified that which I have already learned!
Check it out!
He will BLOW your mind and secure your future! Chris Duane ROCKS!!!
-Dennis S.
Sons of Liberty Academy Testimonial
I just finished the 10 modules of the Sons of Liberty Academy. I have never been so educated and aware, in such a short time.
I now have a game plan and see my role more clearly. It all makes sense.
It is very important to understand what is going on in our world and how to fight against it most effectively.
45 hours of video is a lot of information (I spend 3 weeks day and night, going through the course).
I would look for information on my own and it would take me a lot of time but to have it done and just to be able to build on that is great.
I do appreciate it to be free otherwise I would not be able to take it.
Thanks;
Raj
Sons Of Liberty Academy Testimonial
I just wanted to drop you a note and thank you. I've been studying the Academy, about to start module 5.
The information I've observed to this point has opened my mind to new ideas, and also reaffirmed some beliefs I've always had. I feel a tremendous sense of confidence now, the fear is subsiding, and I'm excited to complete the Academy and find the direction I can take with my future, as well as my friends and family.
As Bill Hicks said, the next revolution will be a revolution of ideas. I'm glad to be a part of this program.
Many thanks,
Michael
Naples, Florida
Sons of Liberty Academy Tesimonial
"Silver Shield,
The Sons of Liberty Academy is really fantastic! I highly recommend the Academy and the hard work and dedication to the truth that Silver Shield has put forth for defenders of Freedom and Liberty.
The betrayal of the Tea Party loyalist is becoming evident. A rebellion is brewing day by day, and the Power Elite have every right to be very worried.
Awaken People don't be fooled again! Join the Academy.."
-Ray
Sons Of Liberty Academy Testimonial
My only regret is that I did not have this knowledge 20 years ago. The Sons of Liberty Academy is truly life changing.
If anyone is on the fence about joining the Academy, I will tell them they are doing themselves, their family and the country a injustice by not taking it.
Don’t let the money stand in the way, the course is invaluable and will pay for it self many times over with the finance info within the course.
I have two masters degrees and the Sons of Liberty Academy has been of greater benefit than all the “formal” education I have received.
Thanks Chris! You are a true Patriot and hero! -Randy H.
Sons of Liberty Academy Testimonial
"I am very excited about what I've learned so far! I have 3 more modules to complete. I've gone through a few of them twice, especially when there is history discussed. I find that very interesting. I am going to run through the entire Academy again, and review all the additional materials linked below the videos. There is so, so much information. Thank you for your hard work putting this together.
I am spreading the word."
- Michael L.
Sons of Liberty Academy Testimonial
"I have just finished watching Module Six and continue to be amazed at the deception perpetrated on the American people.
I applaud your work and thank you sincerely for these eye-opening truths you have laid out.
I never had an interest in politics or our monetary system because it seemed too confusing, however, the simple way it is taught in the Academy has far surpassed any education I have received in my 35 years on this earth."
- Sean A.
Sons of Liberty Academy Testimonial
"In just a few short months, I've gone from being a skeptic to being a believer.
I'm a born-again Christian, a veteran, and a patriot, but I'm also a realist.
I now prep and am protecting my assets.
DTOM has played a big part in my new education.
Heck, I love the T-shirts, too!
Thanks for doing a great job. Now I Get It!!!!"
Harry S.
Thank you for giving me the wisdom of awareness.
I have been sharing it with others, but there are so many more to reach. I am not afraid of the changes we will soon see, but confident that I am prepared to handle them. We are building a strong group here in my area and have shared your website with several key people of influence here.
Thank God I found you and took the time to go through the Academy. At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, my life will never be the same, and for that I am very grateful.
I would not buy them, although they look nice.
I would suggest this quote:
“It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.”
Henry Ford
I hear that quote alot, but I don’t really agree. People revolt when they get hungry.
“We are three full meals away from a revolution” is a saying this side of the pond.
Have you guys ever experienced ‘ration books’?
From WW2?
Will buy.
Just consumer crap, like beanie babies. I’ll just put my money into gold/silver and skip the b.s. cards.
I assume this outfit is not affiliated with you Chris. Their name seems awfully close to the name of this website and you are also in the silver coin business with Constitutional Silver. I don’t know how you feel about this name thing but I would be reluctant to buy anything from them if only because they appear to me to have stolen your (I hope) copyrighted name.
thanks for your negative feedback, your contribution is appreciated. chris actually thought that this was a cool idea… boy, was he wrong or what?!
i’m happy to see you criticize an idea constructively and put forth an unbiased effort in unifying people from different walks of life regarding this movement, we need more members like you.
Thanks void. I appreciate your continued support for a point of view that may be critical of or in some way different than your own. Some people would ask for input and opinions and then expect just obedience and agreement. That would be ok but it would just be easier if such people simply told us what to think so we could give the appropriate response and then they would like us. But I like your way better; to present a topic and ask for thinking people to offer their honest opinoins which you respect even though you may not agree. You’re a swell guy and I’m proud to call you my friend.
you obviously missed the sarcasm in my comment.
and no i don’t expect obedience and agreement from anyone.
and i can and i do respect critical and honest opinions even if i don’t agree with them. when they are presented in a respectful and constructive way.
i will leave it at that.
Ha, ha.. you crack me up void. Did you really think I missed your sarcasm and then you pretended to miss mine? Silly rabbit. And I think you do expect obedience and agreement, but whatever. And respect is something you earn, not demand.
Hi all. My name is Ross and I established Don’t Tread On Meme to further promote the What Is This Coin Worth app for Droid and iPhone. We’re a small group of individuals associated with Freedom’s Phoenix and other places. I’m sorry if we upset you with the name of our project, Aurochs; if you progress along in the liberty path, you will understand that sending the socialist government after your neighbor for a thought-crime is incompatible with liberty. I don’t think you can copyright DTOM, anyway. You’re thinking of trademark. I can suggest a great reading list by Stephan Kinsella and the Mises Institute, if you’d like to be more informed on “intellectual property” (monopoly) before going-off on us peaceful people who are fighting the REAL bad guys. LIke I always say, if you think it can be done better…..Waiting on you, sir! We never “patented” our dime cards. We WANT you to copy us and let the market decide whose are better. Oh, wait, it’s too much work? Rather sit on your computer and complain? ok.
Thank you all for the support on our silver project. Of course, we do not recommend buying stacks of Silver Dime Trading Cards for wealth preservation. They are kindle to a CULTURAL movement, and an educational tool. We are friendly competitors to our inspirations at AOCS, Silver Circle, Shire Silver, Etc. For more information on where we contribute to the barter movement, you can see our panel discussion from Porcfest 2012, just go to the Donttreadonmeme.com Blog.
To the custodian of this site, I would be glad to do some co-branding custom cards for you, once I restock my dimes. Send us a Facebook message at the Don’t Tread On Meme page.
very cool idea-great way to raise money and spread the word of real money. Love to see the DTOM snake logo and a link to Chris’s site–
It’s interesting.
Is it me, or do you find it ironic that there is a card with an FDR dime in it with the phrase…”The case against the Fed”…
That gave me my chuckle for the day.
good catch…
Well I like them.
They work on a couple of levels and would make a good small gift and / or conversation starter from someone who ‘gets it’ to someone who doesn’t ‘get it yet’.
A silver coin and a ‘loaded’ image, or a political statement nicely packaged together may even stop some sleepwalkers in their tracks as they are unlikely to at first make the links with coin-silver-politics-matrix. If these things can help to get even a few more people to start joining a few dots together they have succeeded – whatever their original aim was, commercial or altruistic.
There are many, many ways to help people wake up, these items are just another, very useful and creative aid in helping to do so.
i was thinking along these lines as well.
At first glance, I thought it was kinda cheesey. I went to the site and browsed around a bit. The prices are a bit inconsistant but so what. What I noticed was the amount of time an effort put into each card. Most have some sort of customization and some are cooler than others, but eveyone has there own “hot” button. It appears there are some T-shirts for sale as well.
The sell price is around $8.70 for two coins plus $2.00 shipping and they come packaged in 2, 3 or 4 card lots. The melt value of a liberty dime is around $2.12 so there is a little profit in the paper and lamination, but the purveyor has had to put the time and effort in and als has the upfront costs of the printer, computer, grahics program, laminator etc. He can offer them for sale and not manufacture them until he gets an order except for the online sample.
My first thought is kudos to someone for having an original idea that reflects a viewpoint that I resonate with and I hope he/she sells a million of them. I applaud the effort. That being said, would I buy 10 for $40 bucks? What would I do with them? Give them to people to try to wake them up? Use as a novelty piece for interesting conversation? Trade them like Pokemon cards? I dunno. And I am the guy that keeps spare copies of “the Creature from Jekyll Island” in my car as give-aways and a few silver half dollars just to show folks what its like to have a piece of silver in hand.
I feel kinda bad because I have decided to stop giving out copies of “the Creature”. I have reached a few, but only around a 10% “the light goes on” ratio (the other 90% probably thinks I am nuts). And of those 10% there are different degrees awakening, most linger in denial like I did for years. I am pretty well done talking to people about silver that are not on the same page. I am also not talking about whats going on in the world anymore either. No, I did not order any of the “dime” cards. I’ll change my mind later and go back to my old ways, but times a wastin’. And thats what is most valuable now, the time remaining.
i think it could be one way to brand chris’ work. there are times where you have to ‘give to get’ especially when it comes to younger individuals. for those still willing to be on the front line, we should be looking to approach the information war with different tactics.
i’m willing to bet older individuals used to collect baseball cards when they were younger. these ‘cards’ would actually have one day’s worth of hard labor, rather than being just a ‘pokemon card’ with a character on them.
i think these cards could help forge relationships as it is a tangible item that has tangible wealth and can serve to awaken the other individual on their own terms on their own time. the card does the work and can transmit the information for you.
My first impression of these was that they were ok but really just a slick idea for someone to buy old silver dimes by the bag and sell them for double or triple their silver value. As a free market capitalist I’m ok with that. I just thought my money would be better spent on just the silver. But I took another look at them from the perspective of others here like Brittany and I can see their value as a conversation starter and to spread the word of sound money. For that purpose I can see their value and they are a good idea perhaps. But as a ‘collectable’ they are still dopey IMHO.
I appreciate the sentiments, and I think its a grand free market idea with liberty as the underlying theme. The point I tried to convey with wit and dry humor (both of which I am lacking), is that perhaps we should be rechecking our bug-out bags, oiling our armaments and making sure that our affairs are in order.
I hear you. I’m done saying anything. Almost nobody gives a shit. So be it.
Good idea – Bad Idea. – Few original works, if any. And, they do seem to love Banksy! What’s his cut?
I have bought lots of these cards through this etsy store. I am a government/ economics teacher and I give these cards to my students as an incentive. Students love these and they constantly check the spot price of silver to see if it has gone up in value. This is a great way to spread the message of liberty!!!!
PS My etsy store is rehashedfashion if you want to check it out!