[huffer]

From a different perspective, any physical currency has the disadvantage of exposing its owner/handler to the same old problems: (s)he can be physically (often violently) separated from it, any transaction needs physical encounter between the two parties (which hinders both anonymity and trading at a distance), along with minor problems such as secure storage, forging, authorities controlling it, etc.

That's one of the often overlooked reasons why a cryptocurrency is so radically different (and such a good fit for the XXIst century).