# The New Golden Dollar- Anyone Use One? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 5, 2000, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669 "2000-05-05T15:45:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/21 "2000-05-05T23:17:27Z")
I have three Sackies in my pocket right now. I used a vending machine that accepts $5 bills. I bought a bag of microwave popcorn with a $5 and got back four Sackies and a dime. I put one away as a collector’s item. The others I’ll spend (probably in that same vending machine) just as I would any other coin. I had a Maryland quarter the other day, but I didn’t keep it. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/22 "2000-05-05T23:32:20Z")
Concerning the distribution of the new Sacagawea dollars: If you live in a major Metro area, as does someone like Esprix > [@](#): > > Ye gods, where the hell do you people live? I’ve been using them for weeks. I even go to the post office and get rolls of them. Everybody here in the northeast loves 'em. ,then you wonder why others say they haven’t seen them. But if you live in Ashville, NC, as does Lance Turbo, > [@](#): > > Where the hell are these vending machines that accept the Susan B? , or Akron, OH, as I do, then you don’t ride the Metro to work every day. Us “hicks” haven’t seen too many of the sackies yet. **THIS WILL CHANGE**. The Guvmint asked the “Bankers” last year whether they wanted the new Sacagawea dollar. The banks said-NO!. So the US Mint decided to distribute them first through a major retailer, Walmart. When the public gobbled them up from Walmart, the public then went to their local bank and said, “why don’t you have these wonderful new coins”? The banks complained to the Mint, and now the banks are getting the second wave of dollars. The US Mint will continue to make these things until Hell freezes over. They will make so many of them that they will be worthless. They won’t circulate because the US won’t discontinue the dollar bill. This has already been announced. Sackies are on the way to being another SBA. Just have patience. Sorry for the sloppy posting style. Haven’t taken the time yet to learn new code. ---
**Author:** ![MagicalSilverKey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@MagicalSilverKey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicalSilverKey)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/23 "2000-05-06T00:13:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*Could you give any info about the source of your info? Would appreciate it. Thanks. > \*\* Here you go: [http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2000/04/08/local.20000408-sbt-MWKA-A4-Appearance\_of\_counte.sto](http://www.southbendtribune.com/stories/2000/04/08/local.20000408-sbt-MWKA-A4-Appearance_of_counte.sto) ---
**Author:** ![Anti\_Pro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Anti\_Pro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anti_Pro)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/24 "2000-05-06T01:59:18Z")
I kept asking at Wal Mart, and Sam’s Club too, but always got ‘no’ as their answer. I finally got my 3 sackies (the boys wanted their own) at the bank. And, boy did that teller NOT want to let them go! She held them back a little, like she was giving them one last chance to jump back in the drawer, hey, I haven’t manhandled any coins! I just occasionally wash the bills! ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/25 "2000-05-06T02:53:34Z")
I picked up a roll a while back…been giving 'em out as tips and such, mostly, rather than using them to pay for mundane items. I figure that’ll get 'em in the hands of people who’ll appreciate 'em, and maybe get them circulated a bit rather than sent straight back to a bank. Again I must ask: do y’all find that they get tarnished/discolored much more easily than other coins? Mine tend to look really grungy after a fairly short while… ---
**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:** [May 6, 2000, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/26 "2000-05-06T04:06:24Z")
Ya know, I have asked for a roll of Sackies several times at the bank, and they have not had any. They said they could order some for me (?!?!) if I wanted. I am starting to think that the government really doesn’t want them to catch on. You would think that the banks would be encouraging them. Do you realize how much faster coins can be counted than bills?? Also, I am surprised that retailers have not pushed for them. It takes a cashier less time to count change than bills. The amount of time saved might seem minimal, but in certain types of stores (busy supermarkets, concession stands) the time saved would start to really add up. So, the government has spent all this money on the coin, and is not encouraging its use. And the government wonders why Americans complain about their tax dollars being wasted! ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/27 "2000-05-06T09:00:12Z")
_sob_ I’ve still never even SEEN one. ---
**Author:** ![sorrel554](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@sorrel554](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sorrel554)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/28 "2000-05-06T12:40:12Z")
Opal, I’ve never seen one either! I complained to my boyfriend (who works in a bank) that I wanted him to bring me one, but he doesn’t work with cash, so he said it’s as hard for him to get one as for anybody else, and they do seem to be quite rare down here. Recently, we went to the Coinstar machine at the grocery store, and it was giving away coupons for two free Sackies if you mailed it in, so he did that for me. They haven’t shown up yet. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/29 "2000-05-08T16:31:19Z")
By the way, to all of you who have Suzies…did you ever take a good look at the picture on the back? I just noticed it for the first time on Friday…that the eagle on the back is landing on the moon, and there is a small image of the Earth in the background. I believe that Suzies were first minted in 1979, the 10th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, so this makes sense. I wish they had kept this cool feature on the Sackies. Chaim Mattis Keller ---
**Author:** ![Show\_Biz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@Show\_Biz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Show_Biz)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/30 "2000-05-08T16:56:02Z")
I bought several at a local coin shop. They cost me $1.65, but that’s fair. Most merchandise is marked up more than that. So I spent some. Put one in a P.O. stamp machine, where I had been getting the SuzyQ dollars anyway. It worked. I “spent” one at a friend’s shop just to razz him. Pretended I’d just got one in change and said “You made a mistake, you owe me a quarter but gave me this.” He looked and said “Let me see that, that’s not a quarter, it’s a new dollar. I didn’t even know I’d gotten it. I must have thought it was a quarter when I did get it, so I guess it’s yours now. What goes around comes around. But I’ll buy it from you if you want to sell it. How’s $2 sound?” Of course I let him buy it. That’s my 35 cent markup. So, it was the most fun I’d had all day for less than I’d spent in the parking meter. You should try it. ---
**Author:** ![writefetus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9de053/32.png) [@writefetus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/writefetus)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/31 "2000-05-08T20:45:56Z")
yeah I love the things, I think that we need more currency featuring teenaged mothers ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/32 "2000-05-09T01:15:15Z")
I dare say that the average mother in 1800 had her first child while she was a teenager. Parenthetically, many teenagers were probably more mature/responsible at that time as they had less time to do frivilous things such as the internet, etc. They had to actually _live_ each day. ---
**Author:** ![Rosethorn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Rosethorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosethorn)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/33 "2000-05-09T01:50:07Z")
Oh God, those golden dollars just piss me off. I had one in my pants pocket, left it in there as it went through the wash by accident, and you know what happened?! The gold all chipped and flaked off it, leaving all of my clothes glittery and the coin cheap looking. Jeez, I know that printing bills are expensive, but come on, you cannot get that cheap! ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/34 "2000-05-09T02:22:58Z")
Rose said > [@](#): > > …it went through the wash by accident, and you know what happened?! The gold all chipped and flaked off it, leaving all of my clothes glittery… Rose,did it really do that?? This is a serious question as I am a coin dealer and would like to know on a professional basis. There is no “gold” on the coin. It is a manganese alloy bonded to a copper core. If it can flake off in the wash, leaving a glittery effect, then I think the mint is onto something:D ---
**Author:** ![writefetus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9de053/32.png) [@writefetus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/writefetus)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/35 "2000-05-09T12:20:39Z")
yeah I love the things, I think that we need more currency featuring teenaged mothers ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/36 "2000-05-09T12:40:33Z")
_ **writefetus:** yeah I love the things, I think that we need more currency featuring teenaged mothers_ I’m wondering if this is the first currency that has a baby on it. (What was his/her name, anyway?) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/37 "2000-05-09T12:43:01Z")
I believe the baby’s name was Jean-Baptist. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/38 "2000-05-09T12:46:47Z")
I just did a little research: he was named Jean Baptiste. His father was Toussaint Charbonneau, a French Canadian fur trapper living with the Hidatsas. Great trivia, though. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/39 "2000-05-09T13:05:21Z")
More trivia about Jean Baptiste: He was nicknamed Little Pomp. Pompy’s Tower, a sandstone outcropping near Billings, MT, is named after him. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669/40 "2000-05-09T14:48:24Z")
As I mentioned in my thread, [A pocket full of dollars](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=20953), I pick up two rolls every two weeks as my pocket money; my bank always seems to have plenty. Merchants don’t look twice at them, except for the lady who cut my hair yesterday. She acted like I was giving her pieces of eight. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-golden-dollar-anyone-use-one/18669.md?page=3)