If you are a spend-your-change type like me, you dont get that many coins in the first place. (If you spend paper only and become a throw-it-in-a-bucket-at-home type, youll have a lot more.)
I have to park in the District (Washington, DC) occasionally on Thursday nights, and $4 in dollar coins is a lot easier to deal with than 16 quarters! Its estimated that keeping the dollar bill costs the US government almost $500,000,000 a year, not to mention the higher costs for <http://financialservices.house.gov/banking/102197ao.htm> transit operators, vending machine operators, etc. The problem is the legislation that created the Sacajawea coin also contained a provision that required that the dollar bill continue to be produced (the Crane Paper Co. has a good lobbyist and so do the Bureau of Engraving and Printing workers). Every other country that created a new higher-value coin phased out the corresponding paper at the same time. Essentially, the dollar is now worth less than the quarter was, when I was a kid. But no one ever considered making a 25-cent bank note! And the idea of choice is specious we dont have the choice of using a $20 gold piece any more, for one thing. Getting rid of the dollar bill is long overdue. When Canada did it in 1985, they kept the $2 bill another ten years, then replaced it with a coin, too. Carleton From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Andrew Winn Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 16:42 To: U.S. Metric Association Cc: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:47138] RE: Decimal currency & Metrication The reason we have the dollar coin is to replace the dollar bill. They tried with the Sacagawea dollar and now they have the new presidential dollar coins. However, they did not stop printing the dollar bill and the coins have failed to catch on and that's why we have this mess. Also we don't have the dollar coin for those who prefer it. I've never been asked whether I want my change in dollar coins or dollar bills. They just give me dollar bills. It's not really a choice then for those of us who prefer dollar coins. We would have to go to the bank and ask for them specifically or get them directly from the mint. That's why I use dollar bills, but I would prefer the coins. The dollar bill costs less to produce than the dollar coin, but the dollar bill lasts for less than 2 years before it has to be replaced whereas a dollar coin could last for decades. So really in the long run it would be cheaper to produce only dollar coins. And if the government were serious about switching to the one dollar coin it should introduce a two dollar coin like they have in Canada and nearly every other country. And to lighten the load even further, the government should start withdrawing our low value coins like the penny and nickel. - Andrew Winn On Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 3:21 PM, John M. Steele <[email protected]> wrote: Respectfully, as a "customer" of the money, I disagree. We have the dollar coin for those who prefer it. However, if one must carry a number of $1 denomination units, coins are over 8X heavier than bills, occupy a slightly larger volume, and are certainly more damaging to the pants pocket. I (strongly) prefer the bill to the coin. However, the dollar coin is not as "hated" as the even worse half-dollar (bigger, heavier, lower value). I get VERY little value out of most of the spending my government wastes money on. Let me enjoy this little one. I predict if we eliminated the $1 bill, the $2 bill would suddenly become popular. _____ From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Cc: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Thu, April 15, 2010 12:07:36 PM Subject: [USMA:47132] RE: Decimal currency & Metrication The US coins and the corresponding Canadian coins (through the loonie) are pretty much the same size. The US has no equivalent to the Canadian $2 coin (the 'toonie'). It is an incredible and unfortunate waste that the unnecessary $1 bill is still in production, but the same mentality that hinders metrication also keeps that bill in production. Carleton ----- Original Message ----- From: "John M. Steele" <[email protected]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 6:32:05 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [USMA:47129] RE: Decimal currency & Metrication The dime (10¢ piece) is the smallest US coin. Back when we used real silver, it was the smallest silver coin, the quarter, half dollar, and dollar coins being larger (presumably in proportion to weight?). The penny and nickel (5¢) were always base metals. Now, they all are. The modern dollar coin is considerably smaller than than the silver dollar was, about the size of a quarter, but distinctive color and edging. The link gives info on US coin dimensions and weights. Note the utility of the penny and nickel as cheap small balance weights. http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/?flash=yes <http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/?flash=yes&action=coin_specifications> &action=coin_specifications Fivel nickels and a penny roughly approximate what can be mailed at the 1 oz rate, but won't buy a stamp (44¢). _____ . . . . On 2010/04/15, at 02:30 , Tom Wade wrote: Incidentally, which is bigger: the American 5c or 10c :-; ? Tom Wade
