In the late 1990's there were some huge improvements made in the world of the cell phone. I remember my first one was back in the mid nineties and it wasn't all that good. You couldn't always get coverage and you had limited minutes. Then there was the terrible thing called "roaming" charges when you left your provider's network area. It really sucked when I think back now...
Nokia made some great strides in the late part of the decade producing tougher phones with better reception. And for today's header we have the "indestructible" phone!
It's truly can't be destroyed because it is in fact a silver coin shaped like the Nokia 3310. It's two Troy ounces of solid silver in the shape and color of the old phone. The back even looks like the panel for the battery has been removed. Leave it to the island nation of Niue to once again produce such an original $2 coin.
APMEX.com
About the coin:
From numista.com
Only 499 will be made but the asking price is pretty steep at $249 for a mere two Troy ounces of silver. I think it's really cool, but not $249 cool. I'm sure they will sell out quickly though and likely become more valuable on the secondary market. But I won't be making a play on this one! I still love all of the cool coins they produce for the island paradise of Niue, I would love to own one of each. Sadly, I'm not a rich man...
Now for the real deal produced by Nokia in 2000, it felt like the 1990's still though. It really was a cool phone and was tough as nails. I had one for a couple of years, I picked it up when I was still living in Puerto Rico. What good times! These were huge sellers for Nokia and they must have made a killing off of them. Cell phones had come a long way from the old brick style cell phones of the 1980's.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105654713
Anyone still have one of these laying around in a drawer somewhere? I don't, but now I wish I would have hung onto some of these old dinosaurs! It's a great way to kick off the 1990's Friday though... Nineties Friday is a weekly event started by 
Seinfeld
This classic sitcom ran from 1989 until 1998 and is often considered on of the best television shows ever produced. I still like watching the old episodes every now and again. But my favorite episode has got to be "The Soup Nazi". I know I shared this last year at some point, but it's just so funny. I'm going to throw in a couple of clips here. First you get to hear the classic line, "No Soup For You!"
Then I had to add in my favorite character from the series, Newman. Newman was played by actor Wayne Knight, and being a "portly" fellow he likes his food. Now this clip leads us into the next section!
Jurassic Park
In 1993 Steven Spielberg changed film making forever with the release of Jurassic Park. But many may have forgotten that Wayne Knight also starred in this film. So here we get to see "Newman" get killed by a Jurassic Park dinosaur called the Dilophosaurus!
See, I told you Newman would lead us right into the next section of Jurassic Park. This was one of the best movies ever produced and started the universe of Jurassic World. They keep on rolling out more and more of these movies, and many of them are pretty good. But it all started in 1993 with Jurassic Park starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Samuel L Jackson and Wayne Knight. Here's the original trailer:
And now for some fun tunes from the 1990's. On Three Tune Tuesday I shared some country music which seemed to fall flat on it's face. To make up for it we'll go with some good old fashioned rock and roll for the first three tunes today!
Guns N' Roses
These guys from Los Angeles went on to become one of the top bands of all time. Formed in 1985 they finally hit the big time with the release of their album "Appetite for Destruction" in 1987. Then in 1991 they released Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 which were huge successes. Off the second one came a little tune called "You Could Be Mine" that was used in the movie Terminator 2. It's a great song, here's a live version from back when they were on top of their game!
Metallica
Formed in Los Angeles in 1981 this band had some successful in heavy metal throughout the 1980's. They finally broke into the mainstream with their self titled (or black) album in 1991. It took them over a year to make the album at a cost of more than one million dollars. Two band members credit the album for their divorces from their wives. It was a huge success making them very rich men, so in the end the sacrifice paid off with some classic music that you still hear today. Here's "Enter Sandman" done live off of the same album.
Rob Zombie
This zombie and monster fan started his career in the mid 1980's in New York City with his band White Zombie, named for the first zombie movie ever made back in the 1930's. One of his favorite shows was The Munsters, which I used to love as well watching reruns from the 1960's when I was a kid. He first had success when the band switched to heavy metal in early 1990's before he went solo releasing "Hellbilly Deluxe" in 1998. One of the biggest songs was this one, "Dragula". And for those of you wondering what exactly is a Dragula, it was a car off The Munster's, have a look:
ar.inspiredpencil.com
I would love to have one of those beauties myself! Here's "Dragula":
No Doubt
Now for a little more punk/ska variety I'm adding in this great band from Anaheim, California. It's only a few miles away from my house! In 1995 Tragic Kingdom launched Gwen Stefani and the boys to super stardom. That first album was filled with hit after hit, and I still have that CD! Here's a fun song from the album, "Excuse Me Mr.":
And since I lived for most of the 1990's in South America and the Caribbean in Spanish speaking countries I like to include a hit from the decade in Spanish. It's been a while since I shared some Shakira, so here we go!
Shakira
Back in 1995 Shakira released her album Pies Decalzos (Bare Feet) and became an international superstar. She was still very much a brunette from Colombia at that point, and I thought she looked better that way. Just my opinion. Then in 1998 she released Dónde Están los Ladrones? (Where Are The Thieves?) and she became and even bigger star around the globe. Not long after she transformed into the blonde bombshell so many of us know well. But off that album today I am sharing "Ciega, Sordamuda" (Blind, Deaf, Mute) in a live performance where she really shows off her showmanship!
Thank you so much for stopping by to check out this edition of #ninetiesfriday ! These are a lot of fun to put together and I hope you enjoyed the materials I picked out today. I wish I could afford that phone coin, but not in the budget right now... Please feel free to leave any questions or comments below and thank you all for all of your support. It's deeply appreciated. Have a great weekend everyone!
P.S. I will be back tomorrow with a new Saturday Savers post, and always remember to invest and save. I'll leave you a short parting video from The Simpsons where Mr. Burns reminds us of the value of one dollar!
References:
https://www.apmex.com/product/310552/2025-niue-2-oz-silver-techstalgic-unbreakable-phone-colorized
https://en.numista.com/catalogue/pieces441577.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokia_3310
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seinfeld
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jurassic_Park_(film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_N'_Roses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Zombie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Doubt
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakira
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons
Disclaimer:
The video links I am sharing are not mine, I am only sharing the link to the copyright owner's video. No copyright infringement is intended. Used under fair-use section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.
I am not a financial planner and this isn't financial advice. Please always do your own research before investing your money. You worked hard enough to earn it!
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