> thats inflationary tho... care to explain? inflationary in what perspective? that the currency supply increased  or that the goods and services it was capable of fetching in trade drastically diminished?   there's always both sides of the story to consider and weigh. yes, the currency was silver, so the currency was inflated, but simultaneously, the purchasing power was diminished, supply/demand is what it is and depending on how your perceiving "deflationary" us crucial to the conversation. in this context, rain is a blessing, but a hurricane is devastating
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