# Whatever Became of the Sacagawea Dollar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2003, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238 "2003-04-17T03:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/41 "2003-04-17T20:13:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*I see them from time to time, but don’t know what I’d do if I actually got one. \*\* I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one, except for pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/42 "2003-04-17T20:20:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dwc1970 \* > **According to the U.S. Treasury, worn bills are destroyed by Federal Reserve Banks during ordinary currency processing. As you probably guessed, the note most frequently replaced is the $1 bill. There are currently four billion $1 bills in circulation, and the life expectancy of each is approximately 18 months. Bills of larger denominations stick around longer since they are handled less than the $1 bill.** So, if we use the 18 month life versus the 22 month life, the following calculation changes from: Plan B: The US Mint produces 16.6 million Sackies each day for the next 22 months - at a cost of $1.6 billion. This would keep us in Sackies for the next 30 years. to: Plan B: The US Mint produces 16.6 million Sackies each day for the next 18 months - at a cost of **$1.3 billion**. This would keep us in Sackies for the next 30 years. An even BIGGER savings. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/43 "2003-04-17T20:35:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by davidm \* > \*\*I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one, except for pictures. \*\* One of the cashiers at work actually got one (probably cause we’re right by a post office) and we all had to go look. They don’t look like real currency, they look like arcade tokens. ---
**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:** [April 17, 2003, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/44 "2003-04-17T20:37:23Z")
Why do you need a separate change purse? Just get a wallet which has a compartment for coins. I’ve never been able to fathom why these aren’t more popular: A coin compartment is essential, if you ever want to spend all of those quarters. To turn the debate on its head: Should we replace the 25 cent coin with a paper bill? Why or why not? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/45 "2003-04-17T21:09:01Z")
OUCH! I can’t imagine sitting on a wallet full of coins. Also, if the eliminate the penny and the dollar bill, there should be plenty of room in cash drawers (and people’s drawers for that matter) for the Sackies. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/46 "2003-04-17T21:16:03Z")
The dollar bill works fine. Just fine. Why does everyone feel the need to mess with it? The “it’ll save money” argument hardly appeals, considering the government’s job–or hobby, at least–is wasting money. ---
**Author:** ![Dragonblink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Dragonblink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragonblink)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/47 "2003-04-17T21:29:24Z")
[gross generalization] Changes to US currency always seem to be endlessly complained about and only grudgingly accepted by much of the American public. I remember the endless complaints when they changed the look of most of the bills. “It’s ugly!” “It looks like Monopoly money!” “The picture’s not as good!” Etc etc etc. This is probably also one of the reasons we’re one of the few nations in the world with bills that are all the same, single color. (more or less – I know there’s the black/green inkamajig and all) [/gross generalization] I get a lot of Sackies and Susan Bs when I buy train tickets from Metrolink machines. I love 'em, myself. I really do wish they’d retrofitted more vending machines to take 'em, though, especially since most Sackie-accepting machines also take Susans. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/48 "2003-04-17T21:31:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GMRyujin \* > \*\*The “it’ll save money” argument hardly appeals, considering the government’s job–or hobby, at least–is wasting money. \*\* Therefore, oppose every cost-saving measure and support every new tax. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/49 "2003-04-17T21:46:53Z")
As already mentioned, Caltrain gives them to you in change. Nothing like putting in a $20 bill and getting $18 of these god-forsaken coins. I save them and use them to settle sports bets with my friends. “Here ya go: \” ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2003, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/50 "2003-04-17T23:35:20Z")
Neat timing on this thread: I got my first gold dollars just Monday. My godmother has the tradition of giving me my age in dollars as a birthday present – bless her, I hope she keeps that up for a loooooong time! – and this year I got a darling little drawstring bag full of them. I thought they were very neat. I like the woman’s illo (can’t spell her name, though) and they feel nice and substantial in your hand, and best of all is the shiny gold color. It was fun to play with them a while – stack them up in little columns and reenact the illustration for “The king was in the counting house, counting up his money.” (BTW, why couldn’t they make square or rectangular coins? It’d be neat to use them for domino-type tricks.) Anyway, having gloated over them for several days, I decided I might as well spend them. Here’s how it went: News vendor: accepted the coin and handed over the change w/o any special reaction. Sandwich shop for lunch: I handed over a fistful, the guy on the counter stared at them a bit. I asked him, Oh, do you mind them? He said, ‘No, no problem’ in that way that means ‘yes, they’re a damn nuisance’, then dumped them _on top_ of the dollar bills in their section, clearly planning to be rid of them as soon as possible. CVS (pharmacy): I had two items that added up to $11.69. I counted out 12 and handed them over. The clerk, a high school aged girl, stared at them. “What are these? We only take American money.” “Those are American money. They’re the new dollar coins,” I said. She picked one out of the pile, studied both sides of it suspiciously. “These aren’t silver dollars.” “No. They’re _golden_ dollars.” She held the money out to me. “We only take American money.” “They _are_ American money. Didn’t you just read what it said on the back? ‘United States of America, One Dollar’.” (Okay, I was getting stubborn. How dare this girl snub my beautiful golden birthday present? Harrumph.) “I can’t take these.” There was a line behind me by now. One woman called out, “I’ve heard about those dollars. They’re American.” The clerk still shook her head. “I’ll have to get a manager.” And she did. The manager had to look at the coin for a moment, but at least he recognized it as American currency. Guess the Mint needs to step up that familiarization campaign, eh? But, here’s a question: on the paper bills it says “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private” – but there’s nothing like that on the coins. Does that mean stores could refuse to accept the dollar coins? Not that I expect they would, a sale is a sale, but could a chain of stores decide to declare the dollar coins off limits? ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/51 "2003-04-18T00:17:21Z")
> [@](#): > > But, here’s a question: on the paper bills it says “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private” – but there’s nothing like that on the coins. Does that mean stores could refuse to accept the dollar coins? Not that I expect they would, a sale is a sale, but could a chain of stores decide to declare the dollar coins off limits? This keeps coming up, usually in the guise of “How can businesses legally refuse to accept bills larger than 20’s?”. The wording suggests to people that businesses are obligated to accept the money as payment. Not so. From the Treasury Dept. FAQ: > [@](#): > > Q. I thought that United States currency was legal tender for all debts. Some businesses or governmental agencies say that they will only accept checks, money orders or credit cards as payment, and others will only accept currency notes in denominations of $20 or smaller. Isn’t this illegal? > > A.The pertinent portion of law that applies to your question is the Coinage Act of 1965, specifically Section 102. This is now found in section 392 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The law says that: “All coins and currencies of the United States (including Federal Reserve notes and circulating notes of Federal Reserve banks and national banking associations) . . . shall be legal-tender for all debts, public and private, public charges, taxes, duties and dues.” > > This statute means that all United States money as identified above are a valid and legal offer of payment for debts when tendered to a creditor. **There is, however, no Federal law mandating that a person or organization must accept currency or coins as for payment for goods and/or services. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills. In addition, movie theaters, convenience stores and gas stations may refuse to accept large denomination currency (usually notes above $20) as a matter of policy.** Bolding mine. The chain of stores could insist that you pay in cowrie shells if they wanted to - the only rub would be collection of taxes - governmental authorities tend to be very sensitive to tax revenue lost in barter setups. ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/52 "2003-04-18T00:18:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*Yes, poor strippers. Their patrons would have to pay in fives. 😛 \*\* This is among the reasons I’m in favor of eliminating the dollar bill, minting lots of dollar coins, and starting to print the Jefferson 2-dollar bil again. Then there’d be a smallish bill, as well as those handy dollar coins. For the strippers. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/53 "2003-04-18T00:20:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by StarvingButStrong \* > \*\*CVS (pharmacy): I had two items that added up to $11.69. I counted out 12 and handed them over. The clerk, a high school aged girl, stared at them. “What are these? We only take American money.” > \*\* Please tell me you made this up. Are there really people that have no idea what a Sacejawea dollar is **three** years after they’ve been released? ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/54 "2003-04-18T00:25:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Saltire \* > \*\*This is among the reasons I’m in favor of eliminating the dollar bill, minting lots of dollar coins, and starting to print the Jefferson 2-dollar bil again. Then there’d be a smallish bill, as well as those handy dollar coins. For the strippers. \*\* ?? I didn’t realize the $2 bill had been discontinued. Ever bring a bunch of $2 bills to a strip club? They go crazy for 'em. :o BTW, check [these](http://www.bep.treas.gov/section.cfm/5/61) out - I didn’t even know there ever was such a thing as a $5000 or $10,000 bill. Has anyone ever seen one of these? ---
**Author:** ![Fin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@Fin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/55 "2003-04-18T01:31:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Justin\_Bailey \* > \*\*Please tell me you made this up. > > Are there really people that have no idea what a Sacejawea dollar is **three** years after they’ve been released? \*\* And from [snoopes.com](http://66.165.133.65/humor/business/tacobell.htm) - about a guy trying to pay with a $2 bill at a Taco Bell and the cashier and manager think it is fake. It takes a security guard (who is 45) to clue them in. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/56 "2003-04-18T01:40:43Z")
The [$2 bill](http://www.ustreas.gov/education/faq/currency/denominations.html#q5) has not been discontinued although I don’t think they’ve made any recently due to low demand. They also still make the 50¢ coin nearly 30 years after it was used with any regularity nationally. Continuing the hijacking debate IMHO if we’re going to alter our currency we should go all the way and not piddle about. Revalue them and have us be set for the next 50 years. new - old 1¢ - 10¢ (size of a dime) 5¢ - 50¢ (size of a penny) 20¢ - $2 (size of a nickel) $1 - $10 (bill sizes) $5 - $25 $20 - $100 $100 - $1000 Making a whole set of production needs to make a coin or bill that is worth all of 2 of the nearest smaller denomination just seems weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/57 "2003-04-18T01:43:19Z")
“Tender” means tender of payment for a debt, not exchange for sale. No vendor is obligated to accept cash at all, much less coins. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/58 "2003-04-18T02:28:30Z")
> [@](#): > > Are there really people that have no idea what a Sacejawea dollar is three years after they’ve been released? Yeah, and did she even look at it? What did she think the _Italians_ were putting Sacejawea on their money? ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/59 "2003-04-18T03:20:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Justin\_Bailey \* > **Please tell me you made this up.** Sorry, no can do. I may have a word or two wrong in the exchange, but that is how it went. \*\* > [@](#): > > Are there really people that have no idea what a Sacejawea dollar is **three** years after they’ve been released? \*\* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by shy guy \* > \*\*Yeah, and did she even look at it? > > What did she think the _Italians_ were putting Sacejawea on their money? \*\* Beats me. But I suspect a bit of the problem comes from the fact that the coins look _so_ different – we don’t have any other gold colored coins (okay, barring a few genuine gold coins, which don’t circulate anyway) and the portrait is so completely different from the classical presidential profiles on the rest. It would also help if what’s-her-face had a name Americans found easier to spell/say/remember. I mean, I think I’ve seen five spelling variations just in this one thread. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2003, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238/60 "2003-04-18T06:49:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Justin\_Bailey \* > \*\*Please tell me you made this up. > > Are there really people that have no idea what a Sacejawea dollar is **three** years after they’ve been released? \*\* I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve SEEN them (3), and I’ve never gotten them in any kind of transaction. It’s somewhat understandable, considering they don’t circulate much. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-became-of-the-sacagawea-dollar/169238.md?page=4)