Currencies are not goods and should not be thought of as goods. They are mediums of exchange[1]. They may be backed by goods (such as gold), but currency itself

Currencies are not goods and should not be thought of as goods. They are mediums of exchange[1]. They may be backed by goods (such as gold), but currency itself should have no inherent value (otherwise, it's a terrible medium of exchange). What you're talking about are securities[2]. There is a distinct difference. Bitcoins are ostensibly a security masquerading as a currency. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currency [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_(finance) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_(finance)