I sometimes worry that "real" money will be lost in antiquity

Next to my computer keyboard is a small pile of coins my wife accumulated before I ever arrived in her life.

There are 3 wheat back pennies and a 1964 dime. It's a fitting collection of coins for me as 1964 is the last year that "real" money was made..that is money containing silver and the pennies are actually solid copper.

And this is what made American currency unique. I remember growing up in Detroit, and not at all far from the Canadian border, when I would go to the corner store I would often get change back containing Canadian dimes and Quarters. I remember being a young boy who loved magnets, and found the Canadian dimes and Quarters were attracted to magnetism while the American coins were not.

I asked my older brother why this was, and he explained how American currency contained real amounts of that much silver which made that coin actually worth the 10 cents stamped on the coin. I thought " WOW!! This is REALLLY worth something!!"

Now as an adult, and knowing our money is not REALLY worth much more than the stamp says it is, and also finding the Canadians are much better off for doing away with the paper dollars and instead coining dollars and "Toonies" saving the govt. tons of money to produce the paper.... I feel like USA should really follow suit... I digress...

NOW it seems like the debit card has taken place of currency. And it really is faster and easier than counting out change, but I don't know if it's BETTER as I feel we lose a part of our heritage when we don't really use "money" even the fake money the govt. gives us now. I feel like somehow kids miss out on seeing the piggy bank coins grow and grow, the old 5 dollar bill grandpa used to give is maybe now some sort of online gift card.

So, have we grown as a society as we no longer use cash? or have we lost out?

It's so hard to really say, but I will really miss having the cash if it ever comes to the day it is not made at all.

Have a great day!!