NBC news in Michigan REPORTS HERE that "new types of money are popping up across Mid-Michigan and supporters say, it's not counterfeit, but rather a competing currency.  Right now, you can buy a meal or visit a chiropractor without using actual U.S. legal tender."

The report notes that it is becoming increasing popular to exchange coins or other precious metal commodities made by private mints.  "Do people have to accept dollars or money? No, they don't. They can accept anything they want or they can refuse to accept anything," the report notes.

"The U.S. Treasury Department says the Coinage Act of 1965 says 'private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash, unless there is a state law which says otherwise.'  That allows gas stations to say they don't accept 50- or $100 bills after a certain time of day in hopes of not getting robbed."

The report highlights "a chiropractic office in Lapeer County's Deerfield Township allows creativity when it comes to payment. 'This establishment accepts any form of silver, gold, chicken, apple pie, if someone works it out with me, I've taken many things."

On may says he's used a Ron Paul half troy ounce of silver to get $25 worth of gas from a local station, and while the government and banks don't accept them, many others do.

"There was a time in America when you could buy four gallons of gas for a dollar," the report notes.  "That dollar came in the form of a coin, around one ounce, made mostly of silver."  But "in today's market, that same [silver] coin is worth about 10 times its face value because of the silver. Therefore, that same coin in theory, could still buy around four gallons of gas."

The report cites an individual who says "silver has always pretty much worth the same thing. Even if you go back thousands of years, the amount of products you could buy with an ounce of silver or gold has always been pretty standard."

"That can't be said of the U.S. dollar bill or U.S. coins made after 1964 that are no longer made with silver.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor, since 1913 until 2001, the U.S. dollar has lost 96% of its purchasing power. However, supporters of alternative currency say silver remains strong."

"The metal, because it's a commodity, it's a precious metal. It's retained and/or increased the value to today's dollar, which has deflated." Accepting the private mint silver or precious metal currency then "...protects you from inflation that paper money gives you."

"The government says the bills themselves are worthless. The U.S. Treasury website says, 'The notes have no value for themselves, but for what they will buy,' the report cites. Supporters of competing currency say they'd like to see the government go back to a gold and silver-backed currency rather than simply printing more money....Supporters say, there are 150 alternative currencies in the U.S.  Federal agents raided one of the most popular alternative currency companies in 2007, Liberty Dollar.  A lawsuit is still pending about the company's future and possibility of making more currency."