# I got a quarter in my change - in Australia! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 19, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397 "2008-11-19T01:45:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chicken\_wire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@chicken\_wire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicken_wire)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/1 "2008-11-19T01:45:44Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a US quarter dollar coin before, but I got one in change yesterday evening, in southern Sydney. Reckon it was from the fish & chip shop. This one’s got a dude (Washington?) with a bad haircut on one side, and what looks to be a couple of bison on the other, with North Dakota 1889 - 2006. I guess it’s a commemorative thing. Around the edge, the plating seems to have worn off, as there is a definite coppery strip, all the way around. I’d always imagined a quarter would be bigger, more the size of our 20¢, but it’s closest to our 10¢ (maybe a mm larger in diameter), which is what I’m guessing it was posing as in my change. The best part is, with the current exchange rate (US67¢ to the AU$), I paid 10¢ for a coin worth 37¢. I must eat more hamburgers and dim sims, I’ll be rich, rich I say! Now, if anyone in the US wants to send me all their bank account details and passwords, I’d be happy return this quarter to it’s country of origin. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/2 "2008-11-19T01:52:30Z")
> [@chicken\_wire](#): > > I guess it’s a commemorative thing. You guess correctly: [50 State Quarters Program](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_State_Quarters) ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/3 "2008-11-19T01:59:31Z")
Also, they always look coppery around the edge, even brand-new. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/4 "2008-11-19T02:05:23Z")
Excuse me. Did you just say that George Washington had a _bad haircut_??? :mad: Nobody, and I mean NOBODY talks shit about George! I personally declare war on Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/5 "2008-11-19T02:14:40Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > I personally declare war on Australia. Easy to do now that the Navy is on vacation. Start a collection of coins from other countrys. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/6 "2008-11-19T02:50:31Z")
**chicken wire?** , I was over in your land this summer (very nice country btw) and I was quite fascinated by your bills. The are all plasticy. Very nice except if your trying to fold up a few extra to fit in your neck wallet. ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/7 "2008-11-19T03:22:20Z")
> [@chicken\_wire](#): > > Around the edge, the plating seems to have worn off, as there is a definite coppery strip, all the way around. They’re all like that. The U.S. quarter is what they call a (snicker) Johnson sandwich. The joke practically writes itself. > [@](#): > > In 1965, the composition was changed from 90% silver to a clad or “sandwich metal” of 75% copper and 25% nickel, bonded to a pure copper core. From [here.](http://www.tulving.com/25cwash.html) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/8 "2008-11-19T03:58:49Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Excuse me. Did you just say that George Washington had a _bad haircut_??? :mad: > > Nobody, and I mean NOBODY talks shit about George! > > I personally declare war on Australia. Btw Kennedy has a mohawk on the 50 cent piece. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/9 "2008-11-19T04:22:40Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Excuse me. Did you just say that George Washington had a _bad haircut_??? :mad: > > Nobody, and I mean NOBODY talks shit about George! > > I personally declare war on Australia. [George can handle it himself.](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-69414486881463942) (video) The entire nation of Australia better beware. ---
**Author:** ![chicken\_wire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@chicken\_wire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicken_wire)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/10 "2008-11-19T10:09:47Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Excuse me. Did you just say that George Washington had a _bad haircut_??? :mad: > > Nobody, and I mean NOBODY talks shit about George! > > I personally declare war on Australia. You’re probably right, I should apologise for dissing his hair. It’s almost certainly a bad wig. 😃 > [@Caveat\_lector\_1](#): > > **chicken wire?** , I was over in your land this summer (very nice country btw) and I was quite fascinated by your bills. The are all plasticy. Very nice except if your trying to fold up a few extra to fit in your neck wallet. Yeah, our [polymer banknotes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer_banknote) are supposedly the best in the world. I know I can’t get enough of them. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/11 "2008-11-19T10:15:01Z")
I’ll send you another quarter if you send me a twenty cent piece. That would be fun. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/12 "2008-11-19T11:42:30Z")
> [@chicken\_wire](#): > > You’re probably right, I should apologise for dissing his hair. It’s almost certainly a bad wig. 😃 Damn right it’s a bad wig! You’re probably going to be snarking on his wooden teeth next. Sheesh. ---
**Author:** ![chicken\_wire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a88e4f/32.png) [@chicken\_wire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chicken_wire)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/13 "2008-11-19T11:54:24Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > You’re probably going to be snarking on his wooden teeth next. He’s not smiling on the quarter, so I’ll take your word on the timber choppers. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/14 "2008-11-19T12:34:08Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Damn right it’s a bad wig! > > You’re probably going to be snarking on his wooden teeth next. Sheesh. _reads Wikipedia, finds childhood tales shattered_[Looks like we weren’t told the truth!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_washington#Personal_life) If the sources are correct, he powdered his hair, and his false teeth were never wooden, usually mixes of ivory and real teeth. He had a long history of dental pain, and the article references apparent visible discomfort in portraits of him. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/15 "2008-11-19T17:13:04Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > _reads Wikipedia, finds childhood tales shattered_[Looks like we weren’t told the truth!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_washington#Personal_life) If the sources are correct, he powdered his hair, and his false teeth were never wooden, usually mixes of ivory and real teeth. :: sticks fingers in ears and sings “la la la I can’t hear you!” :: ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/16 "2008-11-19T18:37:59Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Excuse me. Did you just say that George Washington had a _bad haircut_??? :mad: > > Nobody, and I mean NOBODY talks shit about George! > > I personally declare war on Australia. Yanno, Australia doesn’t have a Navy. It’s land locked. I hear the skiing is wunderbar. ---
**Author:** ![Bookkeeper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bookkeeper/32/281_2.png) [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/17 "2008-11-19T21:23:11Z")
> [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > Yanno, Australia doesn’t have a Navy. It’s land locked. I hear the skiing is wunderbar. Oh yeah? What about [_him_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Ludwig_von_Trapp) then? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2010, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/18 "2010-12-14T23:01:24Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > [George can handle it himself.](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-69414486881463942) (video) The entire nation of Australia better beware. Well, _that_ explains a few things. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/19 "2010-12-15T00:15:32Z")
I work somewhat near San Francisco Airport, and have recieved, as a cashier, change from nearly 50 different countries. I love it - if it’s a country or denomination I don’t have, I buy it from the register and add it to my collection. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397/20 "2010-12-15T00:40:39Z")
I’ve got a coin here with some dude with a vacant stare shambling along on one side and the word “BRAINS!” on the other, it’s dated 2008. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-a-quarter-in-my-change-in-australia/473397.md?page=2)