# George Washington dollar coin? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 28, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093 "2016-09-28T00:07:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/21 "2016-09-28T09:53:38Z")
As said by many above, the Sackies are a different color than other coins. It is also larger, and in my opinion the difference is significant: The diameter of a quarter is 24.26 mm, and a Sackie is 26.49 – that’s almost 10%. And the quarter is 1.75 mm thick, with the Sackie at 2.00 – that’s almost 15%! Compare the weight too: the quarter is a paltry 5.67 g, and the Sackie more than 40% heavier at 8.10 g. And on top of all that, a quarter has ridged edges, while the Sackie is smooth. I honestly don’t understand why people complain that they can’t tell the difference. (I suspect that they haven’t gotten over the trauma of the Susan Anthonys.) ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/22 "2016-09-28T10:09:42Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > I honestly don’t understand why people complain that they can’t tell the difference. Some people will always have a hard time learning. Some people in Britain in the late 60s [confused](http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/october/14/newsid_3151000/3151539.stm) the [newly-introduced 50p coin](http://www.coindatabase.com/pic/w500/img/591pix_BritishCoins/50p_EL2_obv_1969.jpg) with the old [two shilling (10p) coin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/British_florin_1967_reverse.png/220px-British_florin_1967_reverse.png). Even the fact that one wasn’t circular wasn’t enough for them. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/23 "2016-09-28T11:41:37Z")
The obvious solution is to introduce a completely new set of coins. The low denomination ones must surely have reached the point at which most people wouldn’t bother to pick one up if they dropped it. We have one penny coins, worth a little over a cent. I dropped one yesterday and just left it. When I get them in change I invariably drop them into the conveniently placed charity tin. Maybe re-value a cent (newcent) to be a tenth of a Dollar? Then all you would need would be ones, twos and fives, as well as Dollars. You should probably go for the five Dollar bill and make that a coin too. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/24 "2016-09-28T11:50:05Z")
I threw a 50-cent coin in a Florida tollroad basket once. It confiscated my coin, refused to credit it, and flashed red lights all over the place as if I was a criminal. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/25 "2016-09-28T13:17:39Z")
I travel in Canada fairly often, and have gotten quite comfortable with receiving Loonies and Toonies in change from a $5 bill. We really need to get with the program. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/26 "2016-09-28T13:21:25Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > There’s over 1.3 billion minted, unwanted dollar coins waiting in storage at the Federal Reserve in case the US ever decides to get rid of the dollar bill. > > [http://www.wsj.com/articles/dollar-coin-loses-currency-on-savings-1428080583](http://www.wsj.com/articles/dollar-coin-loses-currency-on-savings-1428080583) As a patriot, I am willing to circulate these dollars for my country. All the mint needs to do is send them to me and I’ll take care of the rest. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/27 "2016-09-28T13:30:09Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > As a patriot, I am willing to circulate these dollars for my country. All the mint needs to do is send them to me and I’ll take care of the rest. They were moving pretty well when they had the program where you could order them at face value via credit card with free shipping. People were turning over thousands of them, just depositing back into their banks, pay off credit card, repeat. Some earned quite a few credit card points/rebates. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/28 "2016-09-28T13:35:51Z")
Dollar coins fall too easily out of strippers’ garter belts. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/29 "2016-09-28T13:45:26Z")
Just a bit of an aside here … the US Mint produced more pennies than _all other coins combined_ in 2015 {[Cite](https://competition.usmint.gov/circulating-coins-production-figures/)}. > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Dollar coins fall too easily out of strippers’ garter belts. Where in the world are you getting lap-dances for a buck? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/30 "2016-09-28T14:58:05Z")
A gentleman never tells. But no matter how many dollar coins I give Tiffany, they all keep falling out. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/31 "2016-09-28T16:38:10Z")
> [@](#): > > The United States is honoring our Nation’s Presidents by issuing $1 coins featuring their images [in the order](https://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/index136c.html?action=schedule) they served in office. Three Presidential $1 Coins will be issued in 2016, the final year of the program. > 2016 Presidents > > [ul] > [li][Richard M. Nixon](https://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/index4cf8.html?action=rmnixon)[/li][li][Gerald R. Ford](https://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/index003b.html?action=grford)[/li][li][Ronald Reagan](https://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/index87bc.html?action=rreagan)[/li][/ul] > **[Presidential $1 Coin Program | U.S. Mint](https://www.usmint.gov/learn/coin-and-medal-programs/presidential-dollar-coin)** > > The United States Mint honors our nation's presidents by issuing $1 coins featuring their images in the order they served in office. No Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama or Clinton/Trump coins. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/32 "2016-09-28T16:43:29Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > [https://www.usmint.gov/mint\_programs/$1coin/](https://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/) > > No Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama or Clinton/Trump coins. Ford and Reagan more or less look right on their coins, but Nixon is completely unrecognizable to me. I don’t even see a resemblance. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/33 "2016-09-28T16:46:34Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > The obvious solution is to introduce a completely new set of coins. The low denomination ones must surely have reached the point at which most people wouldn’t bother to pick one up if they dropped it. We have one penny coins, worth a little over a cent. I dropped one yesterday and just left it. When I get them in change I invariably drop them into the conveniently placed charity tin. > > Maybe re-value a cent (newcent) to be a tenth of a Dollar? Then all you would need would be ones, twos and fives, as well as Dollars. You should probably go for the five Dollar bill and make that a coin too. We already have a one-tenth-dollar coin, as well as a coin worth 5X that. A two-tenths unit would make mathematical sense, but would conflict with the quarter. You’ll notice, Europe adopted a consistent 1-2-5-10 pattern including twenty-eurocent (and two-euro) coins, but Canada still has quarter-dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/34 "2016-09-28T16:56:23Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > IMO, the biggest problem with the dollar coins is their size. Suzies were called ‘Carter’s quarters’ because they were about the size of quarters. Sackies were the same size. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I think people would respond better if they could feel how big the coin is. They can. I can draw either a quarter or a dollar from a pocket of random mixed US coins, only by feel, with one hundred percent accuracy. It doesn’t require any thought or effort, just a little habituation to using cash and coins, with dollar coins in the mix. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/35 "2016-09-28T17:19:12Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Boyo Jim** : > > Ford and Reagan more or less look right on their coins, but Nixon is completely unrecognizable to me. I don’t even see a resemblance. No kidding. If you showed me that picture without context and asked me what President it was, I’d say it was one of the Bushes. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/36 "2016-09-28T17:21:35Z")
Yup, my first thought was Bush I, though not a good likeness. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/37 "2016-09-28T17:34:35Z")
The vending machine issue is the one and (almost) only reason dollar coins are not larger. The vending machine industry does not want to replace every single vending machine in the country to handle physically larger coins, and they convinced lawmakers of this. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/38 "2016-09-28T17:47:56Z")
the biggest problem with dollar coins is they won’t take the frickin’ dollar bill out of circulation. People are resistant to change, but eventually you need to say “tough.” of course, I’m sure the lone paper supplier to the BEP has some congressweasel friends who help keep them in business. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/39 "2016-09-28T17:58:57Z")
If they actually were made out of gold I’d bet everyone would use them. How small would an actual gold dollar be (say 1/1324 of an ounce). ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093/40 "2016-09-28T18:51:46Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > That has some value as a collector’s item … take it a coin shop and see if you can get 75¢ for it. > > I know that sound snarky, but it is true … it’s the intent of the Mint that folks keep these in fancy collections … but the truth is, as investment value, they’re only worth the metal’s scrap value. No, they are worth the face value, at least. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/george-washington-dollar-coin/767093.md?page=3)