Issue 17: Beyond Money

Happy Sunday!

In today's newsletter: How one guy with a photocopier made banks irrelevant, why the experiment collapsed, and why you should start printing your own money tomorrow.

The Story

I was killing time in this dusty coin shop yesterday when the owner mentioned he once had an Ithaca HOUR come through. 'A what?' I asked. Turns out some broke guy in the '90s just started printing his own money and somehow didn't go to jail.

Had to hear the whole story.

In 1991, a broke hippie in Ithaca, New York decided the Federal Reserve was optional. So he fired up his Xerox and started a revolution.

Paul Glover aka my new spirit animal, created "Ithaca HOURS" - actual paper bills that said "In Ithaca We Trust" instead of "In God We Trust." One HOUR equaled one hour of basic labor, worth about $10.

Sounds like Monopoly money, right? Wrong.

Within months, real businesses were taking his homemade money. The massage therapist charged 3 HOURS for a session, then used those same HOURS to buy groceries. The carpenter took 8 HOURS to fix your deck, then paid his rent with them.

The system was bulletproof. No inflation because there are only so many hours in a day. No banks involved. No credit checks.

Just pure time-for-value exchange.

But when Glover moved away in 2007, Ithaca HOURS quickly crumbled. Without its charismatic founder hustling to keep the momentum going, acceptance faded. Today, maybe 20 businesses still accept HOURS. And yeah, their website looks straight out of 1999 (link at the end).

I guess the insight from Ithaca’s short-lived revolution is that money isn't magic, it's just organized trust. And trust doesn't ask for the government's permission.

All of this got me thinking, is there a way to profit…beyond money?

How To Profit

• Community Credit System🏘️❤️

Create an app that works as a digital credit system specifically for apartment complexes, gated communities, or HOAs where residents earn credits by helping neighbors: walking dogs, tutoring kids, lending tools, giving rides, organizing events.

Credits can ONLY be spent within that community for other neighbor services like house sitting, meal prep, or furniture build. It incentivizes community building without the awkwardness of asking neighbors for money. You monetize by white-labeling the software to property management companies and HOAs on a monthly subscription basis.

• The Unofficial Federal Reserve💸🎟️

Create unique, secure, and professionally designed currencies like "Company Bucks" for employee reward systems, "Festival Tokens" for large-scale events, or even personalized "Family Dollars" to gamify chores and household activities. Your service covers everything from design and printing to secure distribution. Revenue comes from initial setup fees and per-bill printing charges.

Example: Major festivals and events often issue custom tokens or tickets—like food and drink coupons—that attendees use exclusively within the event grounds, enhancing convenience and security while generating additional sales through collectible limited editions.

• Collectible Currency Design 💰🎨

Launch a website that sells custom designs for money as a collectible. Each bill tells a story…Wild West outlaws, ancient civilizations, fictional kingdoms, alternative histories. Print them on high-quality paper with security features like real currency. Market them as art pieces and collectibles, not actual money. The collectible currency market is huge but limited to real money, so you're essentially creating an entirely new category.

Pro Tip: Start with themed collections (pirates, steampunk, space exploration) and create artificial scarcity through limited print runs. Build a trading community around them like Pokemon cards.

The Ace Toolkit

Ace always said, "Ideas are worthless without execution." Here's some links to dig deeper.

Ithaca HOURS Official Site - See the original currency design and learn how Glover set up the entire system

Community Currencies in Action - Lists actual alternative currencies with details on how they work

Buy Nothing Groups on Facebook - Study the psychology of hyperlocal sharing communities

Now stop reading and start printing.

Until next time,

Alex

Founder //LZY MNY CLB