# The newest Dollar coin **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 10, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374 "2024-05-10T18:04:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/181 "2024-05-17T15:36:37Z")
It’s not too late. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/182 "2024-05-17T17:20:29Z")
Back in the 90s my wife and I had a business selling books at SF conventions. For a long time we dealt only in cash and checks because of the fees involved in taking credit cards. We finally bit the bullet when we realized how much business we were losing. The capper was when someone had a stack of books he wanted to buy, but when we told him we didn’t take plastic he just walked away, losing us a $100+ sale. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/183 "2024-05-17T17:40:30Z")
I know it’s been mentioned (even early on in the thread)… The public does not want to see any change (lol) in their currency. Ever. There is a lot of “this is the way it’s always been” going on, especially with money. At the same time, there is a HUGE savings to be made by going to the dollar coin and eliminating the penny. Other countries have done this, relatively easily. Why the difference? In other countries, there was lots of pushback against the dollar (pound) coin, and elimination of the penny. The government(s) just said “yes, we hear you and respect your complaints” And then just went and did it anyway. It was not a political decision - every single political party would have done the same thing, because it made logical sense and saved money. In Canada, when they brought in the Loonie coin, they just stopped printing paper dollars and flooded the market with the coin. People bitched… oh did they bitch. But tough luck. There were no more bills being produced. They were slowly withdrawn from circulation as they wore out. Complaints stopped, because there was no point to complaining anymore. In the US, this sort of solution is impossible - because they will not stop producing the paper dollar, because politicians are terrified of complaints - the whole thing would become politicized and used as a cudgel against whoever proposed it. So it will never happen, and the US will continue to lose more and more money because they cannot follow logical policies. Another victim of confrontational politics. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/184 "2024-05-17T17:49:57Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > So it will never happen, and the US will continue to lose more and more money because they cannot follow logical policies. Of course, if we stopped invading other countries and giving tax breaks to billionaires, we’d save about a million times more. We are literally arguing over pennies. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/185 "2024-05-17T18:49:30Z")
You… could do both. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/186 "2024-05-17T20:08:26Z")
In further thinking - your example is a good one of the Nirvana fallacy. Positing that we should not bother with doing anything about problem A, which is practically achievable, because we have not done anything about problem B, which is incredibly difficult to achieve. “Why bother with A, since we cannot solve B” ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/187 "2024-05-18T13:31:26Z")
Huh? We actually DID the easiest one in his example, at least for now: we haven’t invaded another country in \>20 years, and Biden got us out of Afghanistan. What occurs to me here is that Biden was willing to deal with the political fallout from the Afghanistan withdrawal because it was important. Getting rid of the penny, or abandoning dollar bills for coins, not so earthshaking. Why risk that sort of political fallout for some issue that’s really down in the white noise? Raising taxes on the rich could actually happen in the next Congress if the Dems win the House and hold the White House and Senate. Yeah, there will be fallout, mostly by drumming up a bunch of bogus issues against Dems, because few are going to argue that the rich are being taxed too heavily. But it’s worth doing, so it may happen. Getting rid of pennies? Not worth the fight. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2024, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/188 "2024-05-18T13:43:08Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Part of it is that, for a lot of Americans, there is a certain level of tradition and patriotism bound up in the dollar bill, as a perceived symbol of America. Issue a dollar coin with images of guns and eagles and flags and… I dunno… Apple Pie on it. It’ll be like tying buttered toast to the back of a falling cat. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2024, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/189 "2024-09-02T23:58:01Z")
I think this thread is the last one relevant to the subject of the stupidity of the United States still producing and distributing one-cent coins (pennies). So it seemed a good place to provide a [gift link](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/01/magazine/worthless-pennies-united-states-economy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Hk4.OZol.fJPtbw9BfFqh&smid=url-share) to this New York Times Magazine cover story, “America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny.” ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/190 "2024-09-03T00:25:09Z")
Thank for that: really interesting article (and I learned the word “trochilidine”). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/191 "2024-09-03T00:27:21Z")
Here’s hoping that the story gets enough attention that something is actually done to eliminate the penny (and perhaps the nickel and dime as well). ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/192 "2024-09-03T00:35:24Z")
Yeah. The article praises Canada for getting rid of the penny, but (mathematically speaking) it’s also high time to get rid of the nickel, and I get the sense that they’d rather not for reasons they can’t quite articulate. The UK’s pennies are still worth almost 2ȼ US but probably ought to go, as well. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/193 "2024-09-03T00:37:17Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > the stupidity of the United States still producing and distributing one-cent coins (pennies). I’ve long advocated for the return of the half-penny. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/194 "2024-09-03T01:16:00Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > …it’s also high time to get rid of the nickel, and I get the sense that they’d rather not for reasons they can’t quite articulate. Sudbury, Ontario, might have something to say about that. > **[Top 10 Facts About Sudbury's Big Nickel](https://northernontario.travel/sudbury/top-10-facts-about-sudburys-big-nickel)** > > One of Canada's weirdest roadside attractions is located in Sudbury, Ontario. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/195 "2024-09-03T01:24:49Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I’ve long advocated for the return of the half-penny. We need to invent the 1/10 cent coin. I bet those gas stations are rounding _up_ to the nearest cent every single time. ETA: Dang it, I made this “joke” higher up. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/196 "2024-09-03T01:45:00Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > We need to invent the 1/10 cent coin. I bet those gas stations are rounding _up_ to the nearest cent every single time. The “mill” (1/1000th of a dollar) is described in the Coinage Act of 1792, which set out the other forms of U.S. coin currency. I’m not sure if the U.S. Mint ever made mill coins, but it looks like some state and local governments did issue mill tokens, up through (perhaps) the 1960s. > **[Mill (currency)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_(currency)#United_States)** > > The mill (American English) or mil (Commonwealth English, except Canada) is a unit of currency, used in several countries as one-thousandth of the base unit. It is symbolized as ₥, the MILL SIGN character in Unicode. > In the United States, it is a notional unit equivalent to a thousandth of a United States dollar (a hundredth of a dime or a tenth of a cent). In the United Kingdom, it was proposed during the decades of discussion on decimalisation as a .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.... ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/197 "2024-09-03T01:49:58Z")
Nice article. Thanks! I’ll see how many pennies are in the house, though I suspect we’re far below the average quoted in the article, which would be $14.48 for the two of us. ETA: I’m back. We have 58 pennies in the change container. Even if we assume we have that many again (which I think would be a gross overestimate) in cars and pen cups in our studies, that’s $1.16 total. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/198 "2024-09-03T03:54:30Z")
And I bet it is just as funny now as it was back then. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/199 "2024-09-03T04:39:48Z")
My one _actually_ funny post got a mod note, so I have to tread carefully. ---
**Author:** ![OldOlds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a3d4f5/32.png) [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374/200 "2024-09-03T16:03:49Z")
I throw all my pocket change into one of those 5 gallon water bottles for water coolers. I rarely turn it in. The last time was about 5 years ago, as it was getting hard to lift. It came in at almost $800 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-newest-dollar-coin/1001374.md?page=11)