Over the last 20 years there was a yearly inflation of about 7%. This is not price inflation but the growth in supply of dollars.   Overall this means that we now have roughly 4 times as many circulating dollars than 20 years ago. Prices are more complicated since they do not only depend on the supply but also on the velocity of money and the industrial productivity. 
[M2-money](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M2NS?utm_source=series_page&utm_medium=related_content&utm_term=other_formats&utm_campaign=other_format)


But there is one fundamental problem. Money supply grows exponentially, but the real world does not have anything that can grow exponentially for extended amounts of time. Only math can do that. And eventually the system has to collapse. We are now reaching (again) a point where this becomes painfully clear. 

Up to 1971 the dollar was on the 'gold standard'. Originally this meant that dollar coins were minted from gold and the gold also represented the value of the money. This was later changed to a dollar being just a certificate for gold, but the value was still derived from the value of gold that was stashed in some vault. 

After years of printing more and more money we are close to reaching a new standart. The copper (zink/steel) standard. The pure metal value of a 1 cent coin is already at 0.65 cent. Production costs are higher and there is not much room left until a cent coin will be worth more than a cent. 

![canadamelt.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQwLih3tt7CGh3fn15aUaWefwGGHtimeGvoWUmU4P5K8S/canadamelt.jpg)
[source](https://coinweek.com/bullion-report/canada-melts-first-circulating-canadian-gold-coins/)


The euro is in a very similar situation. A 1 euro cent coin is also has a melt value of 0.72 euro cent. Just think about it! There has been printed so much money that we went from a gold standard all the way to backing our money in common metals. Small coins are no longer worth something because fiat, but because of the metals in them. Soon we can start paying in chunks of metal that are weighted again to find their value. 

![wheelbarrow-wallet.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmPkWKa1PLj6NhQkMPCrVyE5FmLU3vxR9MqDFk7ZEXTPcJ/wheelbarrow-wallet.png)
[source](https://lenpenzo.com/blog/id602-18-scary-things-you-didnt-know-about-inflation-and-hyperinflation.html)

Of course this will not happen. Small coins will just fade out of existence,  and metal coins will be replaced by bills and digital dollars. Then more inflation can be created, but it shows how absurd our monetary system is. How long does it take to go from a copper to a paper standard? The time when the best use of bills is to wipe your ass with them? When you no longer count bills but weigh them. It has happened in history and will happen again. We are on the best way. My guess is that going from gold to copper takes way longer than from copper to paper.


![news.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmQWKMoQeE5W6XBanLXEk99HEayawq9UQ3G5yJ6ZE5Mr5P/news.jpg)
[source](http://www.tesocollegealoet.sc.ug/politics-and-society/)
_Are you not worried about your money getting stolen??? No, I am worried about my wheel-cart getting stolen!_