gold coins, and pieces of eight

[lotsofplants]

I found out the other day that the mint had never intended to replace the dollar bill with the new dollar coin. They were simply producing more dollar coins because their supplies of Susan Bs were running out, and created a new coin because the Susan B really didn't work well. But they also are not actively promoting the circulation of the Sac.

I'm not sure why this is, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. Dollar bills wear out very quickly, coins last a long time. I'm given to understand that the higher cost of producing coins is more than made up for by the longer life of a coin (with the exception of the penny, which is a separate issue). It seems like they should try phasing out the dollar bill in favor of the coin, possibly eventually only printing the dollar bill occasionally, or just keeping some supplies around, rather like the $2 bill.

Apparently the mint plans to sit on the Sacs coined in 2000 until their supplies get low again.

I'm thinking I should to write to the mint (and possibly congress critters) and encourage them to ditch the bill in favor of the coin. Yeah, it's a small issue. And it's not going to address most of the pain and suffering in the world. But one small blow for reason, as it were. :)

I also need to use the coins more; difficult, because they can be hard to get. The only place I've ever gotten them is from the post-office stamp machines. But they make excellent bus fare. And they're very fun to cascade from hand to hand, watching the light glint off the gold surface. And they'd be great for pirate-themed decorations. And they're just cool.

Comments

[plantae.livejournal.com]

I do not agree. I believe that the Sac solves the identification problems the Susan B had--color, edge texture, and size are all usefully different from quarters. Approximately as much so as dimes from pennies, in fact, and no one complains they can't tell those two apart. :)

I see no reason the Sac cannot become as widely used here as the Loonie in Canada. Exactly the same size, nearly the same color and heft. Main difference is the corners on the Loonie. And frankly, the larger dollar coins (mine are from the 1970s) are *heavy*! I would not want more than one or possibly two in my pocket, while 4-5 Sacs would not be a problem.