Kickstarter Highlight: PennyGems

[wraith808]

I know a lot of people on here play boardgames, so I figured I'd post this Kickstarter...

	PennyGems
Goal	$3,500 ($20,161 as of this posting)
End Date	2012-04-30
Project Creator(s)	Dave Howell
Excerpt	Upgrade almost any board game by replacing the player markers or tokens that came in the box with PennyGems. They're dazzlingly shiny, feel solid yet sensual to the touch, are very easy to pick up off a table (because of their raised edges), are non-skid, stack surprisingly well, have a nice weight to them, and are incredibly durable. Each one has an icon on one side which ensures that people who are color-blind or visually impaired can still easily identify different kinds, and the symbols also establish a rank or order for the colors, should a game need that. PennyGems are made by printing UV-resistant ink onto chrome mirror-like self-adhesive vinyl labels, then covering the label with a dome of space-age polyurethane. The polyurethane is non-yellowing, self-healing, extremely resistant to a wide range of chemicals, and very durable, while also being slightly flexible and very pleasing to the touch. Two of these labels are placed on a penny. The penny gives the PennyGem token a satisfying weight in the hand.

[db90h]

Sounds like something KickStarter people would go for... $20k, that's insane. But, congratulations to whomever!

[db90h]

bleh .. I'm sorry, it's just in a world where so many don't have what they *need* to survive ... sometimes I find the absurdities of consumer behavior appalling.

[mouser]

finally a use for pennies.

[db90h]

Pennies have for a long time cost more to produce than they are worth, but never fear - even if the penny dies, I'm sure nickels will work just fine. On the rest, I'm sorry, but seeing $20k go to penny gems, when they could feed.. I dunno.. starving neighbors .. well, whatever. It makes me want to scream though, and go back to my painted turtle business. I'm selling painted turtles for $100 a piece, for whoever wants one. Just bring me the turtle, the paint, and an artist... oh, and $100.. then I'll have your carefully assembled painted turtle together in no time.

[db90h]

I still don't even know if this is a joke.. I mean, it's clearly something would stand to profit a shitload on.. Manufacturing costs are near nothing, but the novelty of this idea is close to zero. I think ever since the advent of currency it has been drawn on, cut up, or otherwise manipulated. For instance, those 'penny stamping' machines. Its just ... Come on. Really? You want a sticker and a glob of polyurethane on your penny, and are willing to pay for it? Is this an anti-kickstarter joke project? Ok, its no joke ... its just too bad people won't spend money so easily on software, lol. Well, too bad for us software developers at least, lol.

[db90h]

Love this discussion about KickStarter (see comments): http://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/04/29/1439230/53-million-pledged-to-kickstarter-over-two-years

[TaoPhoenix]

Yeah, it struck me as insanely silly too, and on the other side of the discussion fence people won't pay a thing for a lot of software. But Poly-urethaned Pennies?! "Let's open our wallets!"

[wraith808]

/shrugs

I found a use for it, and I find it interesting to replace stones and cardboard as currency.  And knowing that there are a lot of people here that play boardgames, I thought it would be of interest.

Hmmm... 10 kickstarter project posts, and the only one that received any comments was negative.  Maybe I should discontinue, as there doesn't seem to be much interest...?

[db90h]

/shrugs

I found a use for it, and I find it interesting to replace stones and cardboard as currency.  And knowing that there are a lot of people here that play boardgames, I thought it would be of interest.

Hmmm... 10 kickstarter project posts, and the only one that received any comments was negative.  Maybe I should discontinue, as there doesn't seem to be much interest...?

Don't let me put you down. Indeed there might be a market for it. Sorry to be negative, I was just a bit shocked that people bid this idea up to $20k.

[wraith808]

It isn't bids... it's people buying the individual items.  If you look at it as this idea collectively is worth 20k or however much, most won't pass the test.  But that's the whole thing about it- it's people contributing to get goods that they can use.  And considering how much I've spent on glass beads for different games and how unsatisfying using them is with no markings, etc., it was worth it to me.