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Why the US Keeps Minting Coins People Hate

Posted by samzenpus on from the how-I-learned-to-love-the-$1-coin dept.

CeruleanDragon writes "In hidden vaults across the country, the US government is building a stockpile of $1 coins. The hoard has topped $1.1bn — imagine a stack of coins reaching almost seven times higher than the International Space Station — and the piles have grown so large the US Federal Reserve is running out of storage space."

3 of 89 comments (clear)

  1. Where to get them... by johndiii · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you want some dollar coins, they are commonly dispensed in vending machines in the post office. After spending some time in Canada, I think that they work well - despite my initial surprise. It would be helpful to have a two dollar coin as well, one that is clearly distinguishable from the one dollar.

    I have a few of them laying around - Monroe, Washington, and a couple of Madisons, as well as a few of the Sacagaweas, Eisenhowers, and Anthonys. I think that I'm going to start using them.

    --
    Floating face-down in a river of regret...and thoughts of you...
    1. Re:Where to get them... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Every vending machine I've used in the last five years has accepted both the old Susan B's and the new gold dollars.

    2. Re:Where to get them... by Hognoxious · · Score: 2, Informative

      There were similar complaints when the "Thatcher" pound coin was introduced in England. I worked in a pub at the time and people used to confuse it with the five pence piece, despite being gold coloured and about three times as thick.

      Now the colour I can excuse - the warm lighting makes them all look yellow - but how they didn't notice the thickness is beyond me. Maybe because all the others were roughly the same, so it wasn't a factor previously?

      Before that, there were the same complaints when they phased out the ten shilling (i.e. half a pound) note. Plus ça change...

      --
      Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."