Warren Buffett - Filthy Fiat

Christie’s NYC
First Open | Post-War and Contemporary Art
December 3 - 18, 2024
https://www.christies.com/auction/auction-23103-nyr



Several years ago I felt like the world was doomed. As part of my SHTF (shit hits the fan) preparation, I buried a box that held a variety of items that could be used to help me get by including a bag of one hundred one dollar bills. After about a year went by, I was curious how my box was doing as I had never buried a box in the ground. After finding and opening the fire-proof safe box that I had duct taped and wrapped in another bag, I found that water and dirt had found its way inside. The money was a thick brick of stacked bills stuck together and looking nasty.

I took this money to my local bank as I wanted to replace it with fresh bills.

Sounds easy enough, right?
NO!
The bank took one look at my water-soaked moldy bills and told me they could not accept my bills as they were a “biohazard.” I was told to leave the premise of the bank right away as I had live mold on my currency bills. I gave my information to the bank as they offere to have a US Treasury bag that I could send the toxic bills to have exchanged for usable debt notes. Well, that bag never arrived and I was left with the useless fiat.

As I studied this brick of nasty moldy paper bills, I realized I had inadvertenly created a generative art collection. All the elements were there; time along with natural forces (water and dirt) created the assets and the mint dates and serial numbers on the bills created the code of authenticity.