Hi from Greece!

[mitsaras2003]

Hello fellow forum members!

I am Dimitris from Greece and have just joined, after watching a video by Numistacker on YouTube who mentioned the forum.

My interest in precious metals began first out of the need for a safe investment in tough times - gold is a traditional "safe haven" in my country, but then my boyhood interest in collecting coins was rekindled...!

I am looking forward to learning more about pm's and hopefully making a few friends along the way!

Dimitris

[Danny-boy]

Welcome Dimitris, good to have you on board.

[ChrisSilver]

Welcome to The Silver Forum Dimitris.

[ChrisSilver]

So what types of coins do you collect? And do you collect mainly gold coins or silver coin as well?

[Agpanda]

Hi and welcome here

[mitsaras2003]

Well, mainly I have gold coins, sovereigns and 20 francs, and I'm trying to organize two collections, a "Latin Union" with at least some of the countries represented (I understand that some have a very high premium due to rarity), and a collection of QE II sovereigns with all portraits and shields.

I didn't get into the Lunrar series early enough and now many are very hard to find, but at least I got the UK Lunars in time...!

[Kman]

Hello,, welcome & enjoy

[mitsaras2003]

Thank you Danny-boy, ChrisSilver, Bosse68 & Kman for the welcome!

[motorbikez]

Hi & welcome Dimitris.

[KevinG]

Welcome Dimitris.

[paperponzi]

Welcome dimitris

[mitsaras2003]

thank you all! :-)

[Paul]

Dimitris - welcome to the forum.  Nice to have someone onbaord from Greece.  

It would be good nice to have your opinions/input on Greece/Euro situation from someone living through it as it will no doubt be different to what we read/see on our newspapers/TV as we see the race to the bottom for most worldwide currencies 

[DrDime]

Welcome to the forum Dimitris

[sovereignsteve]

χαιρετισμούς και ευπρόσδεκτη Δημήτρης

[mitsaras2003]

Hi Paul! You really want to open a can of worms? hehehe!

We have come through about five years of recession and painful austerity, due to successive governments unable to break their ties with public employee unions and huge public works contractors (who also own TV stations & newspapers), only to vote in the most incompetent neo-Marxists... there is no hope for private sector small business, we have been taxed to the limit.

Unfortunately, it seems that EU policies also favor printing more fiat money (quantitive easing) than fixing the euro, so it seems we are screwed on every front! Add Putin to the mix, and things will get ...interesting soon!

[mitsaras2003]

Ευχαριστώ sovereignsteve!

[sovereignsteve]

Hi Paul! You really want to open a can of worms? hehehe!

We have come through about five years of recession and painful austerity, due to successive governments unable to break their ties with public employee unions and huge public works contractors (who also own TV stations & newspapers), only to vote in the most incompetent neo-Marxists... there is no hope for private sector small business, we have been taxed to the limit.

Unfortunately, it seems that EU policies also favor printing more fiat money (quantitive easing) than fixing the euro, so it seems we are screwed on every front! Add Putin to the mix, and things will get ...interesting soon!

Dimitris

What's the feeling in Greece about exiting the Euro (or the GREXIT as the popular press here seem to put it)?

Steve

[mitsaras2003]

Hi Steve,

Realistically, the private sector wants to stay in the euro zone. After all, we have enjoyed the stability and ease of conducting business of a common currency, and we all remember the problems with the drachma - inflation, currency devaluations etc.

Unfortunately, many younger people think romantically of the old currency, and also some people with (so they think) "safe" salaries & pensions like public employees. They think we can print our way out of this mess and keep on living on others' expense...

[BaldyBob]

Welcome Dimitris

 

Interesting times, and a good time to have gold

[mitsaras2003]

Thanks BaldyBob, quite right my friend!

[sovereignsteve]

There's a large body of opinion that says the only way forward for Greece long term is the exit the Euro, default on it's debt, devalue it's currency and basically start again.

They say it's completely impossible for Greece to pay back it's current debt within the constraints of the Euro economy even though, in theory you currently have a positive balance of payments, which would help you enormously if you did leave.

Other countries gave done it before and returned stronger than ever.

[mitsaras2003]

That could work for a country that has some production capacity or natural resources. We have very little industrial production, we import pretty much everything from oil to food. Our main industry is tourism. With a constantly devalued national currency there would be little hope of ever getting out of the hole, even with all our debt wiped out the annual deficits would build it back in a few years. The only hope is to attract investment, with a stable, clear tax system, low tax rates & VAT, smaller more efficient government and less bureaucracy.

Which is exactly the opposite of what our current gov. want to do...

[garthy]

Welcome here Mitsaras, great to have someone from Greece here.  

[ChrisSilver]

That could work for a country that has some production capacity or natural resources. We have very little industrial production, we import pretty much everything from oil to food. Our main industry is tourism. With a constantly devalued national currency there would be little hope of ever getting out of the hole, even with all our debt wiped out the annual deficits would build it back in a few years. The only hope is to attract investment, with a stable, clear tax system, low tax rates & VAT, smaller more efficient government and less bureaucracy.

Which is exactly the opposite of what our current gov. want to do...

Wouldn't a devalued currency encourage more tourism as it would be so cheap to go to Greece. And an increase in tourism eventually mean an increase in the value of the Drachma (if they go that way) I am sure long term Greece will be fine, it has so many beautiful islands, people will always want to visit.