Top 4 Picks For Best Coins to HOLD...and WHY can't

HODL HODL It seems I have been getting asked a lot lately, what coins do you like? And what should I buy? If you have an interest in holding them for awhile, I have a few that I have vetted heavily in, am mining, and am acquiring because of what they are trying to accomplish. I also grade these coins on other categories like availability and rarity, are they even able to be mined or do they use an open source blockchain? I am a strong supporter of decentralization and sharing, so here you are, my top 4 picks for best coins to hold.

The strongest silent creeper of coins and my number one pick for a long term hold goes to Zcash (ZEC). Zcash is built on a what is called the Zerocash protocol which is open source. Meaning, anyone can use the technology. What makes it so unique is the zk-SNARK (zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive arguments of knowledge) proofs.  These zero-knowledge proofs guarantee creation of an original nullifier which is used to signify coins as being spent, when they are actually spent. What this means is, it burns the transaction string, giving the user complete anonymity. When you have minds like our beloved Buterin (Ethereum) and Zooko (DigiCash) agreeing on a project, Apple saying ya, we accept Zcash and the fact that only 21 million will ever exist (sound familiar?)...how can you say no?

• Privacy is an essential part of cryptocurrency security, and despite some initial mistaken beliefs to the contrary, Bitcoin alone doesn't provide that. Zcash is the first cryptocurrency that provides the level of privacy users deserve and expect.- Andrew Miller | Zcash Advisor
• Zcash is strongest where Bitcoin is weakest; It gives users the easy ability to maintain their financial privacy. If anything can compete with Bitcoin, it will be on this front.- Roger Ver | Zcash Investor
• Zcash finally fulfills an early promise of Bitcoin technology - the ability to transact freely and privately with anyone in the world. This protects the right to privacy held by all individuals on Earth, and opens up new commercial use cases which were impossible without truly confidential transactions.- Erik Voorhees | ShapeShift Founder and CEO

My number two goes to our fabulous STEEM! Here you are, right now reading these words, so I shouldn't need to explain that you see the value as well. Steemit hasn't even begun to touch the critical mass of users it is capable of. Add that to all the new apps and platforms being built from the tech giving it room to spread, and the value will continue to increase as people see the validity of its use. What separates STEEM from these other 4 is a critical point in its value, it is the only coin here that CANNOT be mined. They are created by people like YOU!

Sliding into third, and probably the cheapest and best buy right now, is Golem (GNT). This Ethereum based altcoin is the only coin that I know of with the mission it has. That being, computing power. The Golem network itself IS a gigantic super computer unlike anything we've ever known and will only get bigger and more badass as time goes on. Heck, it may end up being the first true artificial intelligence! Bwahahahaha...wait, that's almost scary...but, necessary? This project is currently in the alpha stage of Brass, with many more on the way, including two new versions this year. I mean, think about it, you're probably tapped into the Golem network RIGHT NOW on some level, and don't even know it.

Finally, at number 4 there is a coin that is just taking China by storm right now, yup, you guessed it, AntShares (NEO). The mining of NEO (ANS was recently rebranded and changed to NEO, not to be confused with NEOS) is similar to POS, any holder of AntShares generates AntCoins coins simply by holding them. I for one, will never bet against Microsoft. Way too many brilliant minds over there to bat a nonchalant eyelash at this coin. They have partnered with AntShares (basically the Ethereum of China) and created a whole new blockchain called The Legal Chain. It is basically a storage ledger for any tradable digital asset. Any kind of contract, patents, medical records, you name it, can be stored and secured through AntShares. What will drive the value up, is the financial markets like the NYSE and Poloniex, using The Legal Chain to lock down the securities. As for the coin's value...Since holding AntShares produce/mine AntCoins...draw your own conclusions.

There you have it ladies and gents, now, these aren't the only coins out there, I know, and if your top 4 is different, we'll agree to disagree. Sound Fair? Happy hunting ;)