Presidential Dollar Coins
As Jerry points out on Jerry and Tammy, the US Mint has just -- again -- come out with a new variety of dollar coins, this time featuring the US Presidents. I think that this experiment is going to fail, for the same reason most people don't use Susan B. Anthony dollar coins, and most people don't use the Sacajawea dollar coins. The dollar coins, whether they are gold or not, are too similar to the quarter in size and shape. They are not easily distinguishable, and that will make it difficult to catch on. Canadian dollar coins have caught on. First, they took the dollar bill out of circulation, second they are a different shape from other coins and don't look like a Canadian quarter (or any other Canadian coin for that matter)
The US coins are bad for another reason. Unless you are at the post office or traveling on the Long Island Railroad, most vending machines don't take them. I know someone, who will remain anonymous, who tells me he likes to watch people use the Long Island Railroad ticket vending machines with a twenty dollar bill buy an eight dollar ticket and receive twelve dollars worth of dollar coins back. That's why I always use a credit card with the Long Island Railroad and won't use a twenty dollar bill to buy stamps from a post office vending machine.
Update: My brother has de-anonymized himself. See the comments.
Ok, wow, I just put a bluebook style cite in a blog entry. Sigh.
4 comments:
I know someone, who will remain anonymous, who tells me he likes to watch people use the Long Island Railroad ticket vending machines with a twenty dollar bill buy an eight dollar ticket and receive twelve dollars worth of dollar coins back. -- That's his brother, Tom.
The size and the shape aren't the issue--it is the use of the bill. Congress will never get rid of it--it's viewed as a symbol of American strength. Heck, Congress won't even let the Mint alter it.
I like the dollar coins--I'd use the machines at the post office just to get them. I also wish I could find and use more half-dollars. But good luck finding any machine that'd take one. My guess is that barely any exist.
Jerry, I disagree with you. I think the size does matter. I definitely think that getting rid of the dollar bill would help, but I still think that, size-wise, it's still too similar to the quarter. The gold helps, but I still don't think that's enough to distinguish it from the quarter.
As D says, size does matter!
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