One day, I bought 2 Path subway tokens in NYC with a $10 bill. The damn machine then spit out $7 in change in the form of those gold Sacagewea coins. So now I’m walking through NYC with a pocket full of change rattling around in my pants.
Someone then told me that the US mint was planning to stop printing all paper bills in the $1 to $20 denominations and replace them with coins.
Is this true?
Will I have to replace my wallet with a burlap bag with $$$ printed on it (like in the cartoons)?
Do I have to be worried about getting robbed by men in tights with crossbows?
Or do people think these coins are the best thing since the Susan B Anthony dollar?
I hate the Sackie more then any rational person should and not because it is a coin. I hate the Sackie because of who they picked to be on it. I thought that Sackajawea (sp?) was a pretty lame choice to be on our dollar bill. I didn’t think it was a bad idea to put a woman on currency but why pick her? I would have much rather seen someone more important to our history. Harriet Tubman would have made an excellent choice. Susan Anthony was a better choice then Sackajawea.
I can’t hate the coin because I have hardly ever seen one since it was introduced. I think I might have gotten one or two in change when I was buying stamps at the machine in the post office, but that’s about it.
I DETEST this coin. I think I’ve been the most vocal about it on the SDMB, and I’ve taken some flak for it, but to me, this is the worst idea the mint has ever had.
I throw away change. Literally. If there isn’t a good cause to give it to, and I’m not near my house, I’ve been known to throw pennies and nickels in the trash. Quarters, I’ll keep, but just because I feel that it’s almost worth real money. Those quarters just go in a bucket at home, never to be heard from again until coin rolling day comes along, when I get to trade them in for actual money.
The very idea of going to coins for the dollar bill appalls me, but it seems that I’m fighting a losing battle. For some reason, the vending industry has convinced the government that we need to go to coins, because it will make their money counting easier.
Someone seems to be gullible. That said, given the relentless rise in prices inherent to modern economies, it is only a matter of time before the penny is retired and the one dollar bill is taken out of circulation. The question is when. Given the general crankiness of my fellow countrymen, I’d wager, “Not soon”.
For the record, I think Sakkies are great. Susan Bs were Gawd-awful, because of their well-known similarity to quarters.
MGIB: In the early 1800s, Sacagawea was considered to play a critical role during the Louis and Clark expedition. (For one thing, having a woman with child along on the mission persuaded the various native American tribes that L&C were not leading a war party.) Bio: http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/inside/saca.html
I thought it was pretty funny on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire when they had a question about who would be on the new dollar coin and Regis pronounced it “Sack-a-wee-jee”.
A local movie theater kept giving out fifty-cent piecers in change so I got a handful of Susan B. Anthony’s to pay the ticket with. The young clerk looked at them, looked at me, and asked “Is this American money?” I haven’t tried that with the Sackies.
Well, I’ve never had a $2 bill. Sackies are easy to get - they’re the only thing that will make the carwash work here, so you can get 'em at the change machine there.
In canada we have been using one and two dollar coins rather than bills for years. I love them. When I go to the US my wallet always seems packed with useless ones.
Another thought just occurred to me that might have some bearing on differences. Americans seem to use ones more then we ever did even when our ones and twos were paper. Here if someone gave you six ones in change they would appologize for not having proper change.
Sacagawea? Susan B. Anthony? Come on, everyone knows that the people want Marylin Monroe. Next step? Elvis on the $5 coin. I suppose Princess Di is out of the question . . .
StriderThe Mint has some bigger and better pictures of the Golden Dollar (the obverse of which is copyrighted by the U.S. Mint). Try this one for a BIG picture.
And I suppose the savings in long-term production costs for dollar coins (which last 30 years) vs. dollar bills (which last a year-and-a-half) never entered into the equation at all. :rolleyes:
