Why the US $1 coin will never work
The US Mint has introduced the shiny new George Washington dollar coin into circulation. Three hundred million of the gold colored coins were minted in Philadelphia and Denver. One side of the coin features an engraving of George Washington and the other side the Statue of Liberty. Around the edge, you will see an inscription of the year of minting or issuance, the mint mark and the words “E Pluribus Unum,â€? and “In God We Trust.”
Collectors can order uncirculated coins directly from the US Mint in either 25-coin rolls or 250-coin bags. Of course you can also buy the bags or rolls and just use the coins like you would a dollar bill. The new coin is larger and thicker than the quarter, to make it easier and quicker to identify it in your purse or pocket.
With the exception of collectors, there is little or no excitement about this new coin. We’ve been there, done that, and pretty much unanimously said “no thanks” to a dollar coin. In 1979 we had the Susan B. Anthony dollar; in 2000, the Sacagawea dollar. In both cases, the much-hailed dollar coins were failures. Why? Most experts agree that while we still have the paper dollar, we’re just not going to make the switch to a coin.
Here are three reasons why the dollar coin won’t work for me.
1. I can’t make an oragami crane with a dollar coin. (I have never made an oragami crane with a dollar bill either, but that’s not the point.)
2. Part of the pleasure of using a vending machine is the way it teases me. I like the victorious feeling when I finally get it to take the bill. Dropping a coin into a slot just seems like giving up.
3.If I ever want to bribe a maĂ®tre d’ for a good table, it will be a whole lot less subtle with ten clanking coins.
But, looking on the bright side…
The couch cushions could become a savings account.
March 1st, 2007 at 12:32 am
so you usually bribe a maitre d with 10 1-dollar bills???