The new $1 coin.....

[poltr1]

Today the US Mint rolled out the first in a series of Presidential commemorative one-dollar coins.

I really hope the coin catches on this time. It hasn't in the past. The Eisenhower dollar coin was too big, and the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin looked and felt too much like a quarter. The Sacajawea dollar coin had a smooth edge and a gold tint to it, which made it look and feel different from a quarter. But they never caught on with the American public.

While they may be more expensive to produce than dollar bills, the coin has a longer usable life. Unfortunately, Americans are used to their dollar bills and are reluctant to switch or give them up. I'm afraid that's what it's going to take for Americans to start using the dollar coin.

When the Canadian "loonie" $1 coin was rolled out, the government of Canada stopped printing their $1 bills, thus forcing them to use the coin. And it is a nice coin. It has beveled edges on it so that I can reach in my pocket and know it's a loonie. They've since done the same with the "toonie" $2 coin.

Comments

[tigertoy.livejournal.com]

I don't think the vending machines are a government plot -- I think it's the operators that want them. It's much easier to make a vending machine that accepts or gives change in dollar coins than in dollar bills. The simpler machines costs less, both initially and in maintenance costs. The vending machine industry was, I believe, the only sector of the economy that liked SBAs.