# Questions about ICOs

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 5, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037 "2018-03-05T01:12:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037/1 "2018-03-05T01:12:26Z")

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I’ve heard a lot about companies selling digital coins to investors to raise money. Many cryptocurrencies have no underlying value, do coins from ICOs represent anything such as ownership in the company or credit towards merchandise?

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**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037/2 "2018-03-05T06:59:54Z")

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Nope, you just give cash and get coins. Early buyers (investor doesnt seem quite right here) are hoping the value of the coins go up.

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**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037/3 "2018-03-05T14:26:57Z")

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What can you do with the coins if the value doesn’t go up?

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**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037/4 "2018-03-05T14:29:26Z")

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> [@boffking](#):
>
> What can you do with the coins if the value doesn’t go up?

Lose money

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [March 5, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037/5 "2018-03-05T15:21:41Z")

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> [@boffking](#):
>
> What can you do with the coins if the value doesn’t go up?

The same thing you can do with them if the value does go up; find someone who will accept them in exchange for goods or currency.