My wife and I spent the last week in downtown Minneapolis. For several of those days she ragged about the fact she put a $5 in a vending machine but got robbed when she only got 2 Quarters back. She just gave me the "Quarters". They are presidential dollars. Fact. I didn't even know the Presidential dollars were meant for active commerce until right now. I just thought they were some kind of comemrative program. In her defense. She pointed out that they seem to change the Quarter about every other Tuesday so how was she suppose to know. I think she may have a valid point. I have been a coin collector most of my life and yet I am this ignorant about our Country's circulating coins. James
I believe it depends on where you are and what kind of store/vendor you are at. I spend them regularly around where we live (northern Colorado) but only receive them back at the carwash where $1 coins are what you get when you change a bill to use on the vacuum and carwash machines.
I believe it was always the intent of the US mint to replace the dollar bill with the small dollars but folks just don't want to use them so by default they became pretty limited to us collectors. Used to be I could go to the post office, buy stamps and get change in small dollars but even the post office doesn't have them much anymore. Cashiers don't like them because there is no room in the drawer for them. I rather suspect they will finally fade away shortly after the cent.
@cladking . If you should come across this post there is a second transaction I thought you might be interested in. I too made a $5 dollar vending insert and got 8 Quarters in change. I was amazed by the vast mix. 1967, 1983, 1999, 2000, 2000, 2015, 2017, 2023P Only 1 duplicate year. only the 70's not represented. I guess America really gets it's mony's worth out of quarters. James
I have to think at this point that they actually circulate more than all the other denominations combined. Except perhaps the dime, or as I think of it, the "new cent".
When I go to the bank, I ask for them. I'll get $20 worth or so. They are easy to use when traveling through the airport - or short trips in the car. Some parking meters take them. Most places are digital and you can quickly use a credit/debit card. All places will take my $1 coin. And it's fun/coinnerdy to talk about.
We sure do. If these were made of silver they'd all be slicks or have been recoined by now instead of scratched and gouged. They don't much wear out any longer though a few get too thin and are removed. Usually before a quarter gets too thin it is lost forever in landfills or recycled automobiles. More than 60% of 1967 quarters are gone and virtually 100% of survivors are beat to death or soon will be. Mean while you can't find a BU roll of them because almost none were set aside. If you do find one it will probably cost you a couple hundred dollars. The irony being that no one wants 1967 quarters but they are so scarce even no demand recognizes their scarcity.
Presidential dollars were definitely intended to circulate, but that's not to say they actually do circulate much. People still didn't like using them and at some point they gave up trying to force the issue. I want to say 2011 was the last year they actively made them in quantities intended to circulate, and past then they were only minted for collectors (but you can still find some 2012 or later in circulation). Around here (Denver area) we see them quite a bit where I work, because light rail ticket machines dispense them as change if you get $1 or more in change. Some other vending machines will dispense them too. Innovation dollars were never intended to circulate, but on rare occasions you can still find them in circulation. I once got two of the Alabama innovation dollars as change from a vending machine where I work!
