I saw a thread discussing people's opinions on which is better: The $1 bill or coin. Honestly, $1 bills are WAY easier to carry. If a coin was put into circulation of higher denomination ($10, $20, $50, or even $5), people might use them, if there were enough made, people might realize they CAN BE SPENT and not hogged like the Sackie's.
You can't have both, otherwise the public will not change. Sure it is easy to carry a dollar bill instead of coin, but how often to you have 4 single dollar bills in your wallet? Remember, those dollar bills have an average life span of around 16 months before they are pulled and destroyed costing US tax payers $500 million per year to produce. What does your average nickel-clad coin last? 40, 50, 60 years? Canada and Europe pulled the plug on paper dollar bills and people grumbled at first, but very quickly adapted. They have NO paper $1 bill and their $1 coin WORKS! So I am all for a dollar coin (provided they replace the SAC obverse with something with numismatic artistry like a new depiction of liberty) and you can throw away the dollar bill. It will last longer and serve purpose with day to day transactions. BTW...the mint made a bunch of SAC coins (2000 and 2001), but since the government will continue to make a paper $1 bill, these coins and all other $1 coin will FAIL. You cannot have paper and coins of the same denomination...it will NOT work!
keep in mind part of what people didnt like about SBA's was the fact that they were constantly mixed up with quarters. things that would make a dollar coin plausible are 1. make the coin somewhat smaller, the sacs are too big to carry alot of, any more than quarters. 2. make them a different color. people call them gold, and the color yellow on a metal adds a a fake sense of value(IE: collecting circulated coins that had a mintage of 800million). a copper colored coin would work. 3. the shape should be changed from a standard circle to something like a decagon(10 flat sides). not too many sides of course, but enough of a shape difference to alert people to its value. 4. a nice picture of liberty on the obverse and an eagle on the reverse. theres no way to go wrong with one of our nations oldest symbols, she graces the platinum coins anyway....right?
The SAC has a diameter of 26.5 mm with a plain edge compared to a quarter with a diameter of 24.3 mm with a reed edge. The coin size is fine...no way as large as a Kennedy or IKE dollar, but just a bit larger than a quarter They are a differant color. If you want to convey "value", a gold color would work instead of something that would look like a large copper cent. That is the purpose of the plain edge of a SAC versus the reed edge. Afer all, these coins need to roll down vending machine chutes without obstruction. Couldn't agree with you more. The images of SAC and SBA were the result of the politically correct crowd. Rep. Michael Castle of Delaware, then the chair of the House Banking Subcommittee (who can be credited with the state quarter program) pushed for a depiction of liberty. He also had strong support from the American Numismatic Society and other numismatic groups. What happened? You can thank Barbara Boxer - D of California for blocking a new depiction of Lady Liberty. She (an idiot in my book) argued that the "historical significance of women in building the nation fills a need for a real role model for our young people, both girls and boys." The arguements made their way to the White House where Bill and Hillary (It Takes a Village) Clinton rallied additional support for SAC to appear on the dollar coin. Forgot what the ANA supported and other numismatic groups, they "felt our pain".
you missed the reason behind the points i made. most people are lazy and dont pay attention to things( or are just dumb altogather). the shape change would draw attention and hopefully prevent this. i proposed a good number of sides because the more sides it has the easier it will go down a vending machine. the size change ( i think between the nickel and quarter) would make them weigh less, and be easier to store, be it in pockets or change drawers. i dont like yellow on a non-gold coin, like i said, it gives a false sense of real value which can cause hoarding in turn keeping them out of circulation. a steel blue color could work i guess.
When the British got rid of their one pound notes (I think, like Canada, they did it in the 1980s), they replaced them with the "round pounds." These coins are quite hefty, weighing a good bit more than anything else in circulation. It just goes to prove that weight, in and of itself, isn't an automatic disqualifier of public use.
If you add sides (10 as you suggested) to a coin, they will NOT roll down the chute of vending machines much easier than if they were round...hence the reason why a wheel is round instead of it being sided. SAC's are just 9% larger in size than a quarter and 43% heavier (8.1 grams versus 5.67 grams). Of course, 4 quarters are almost 3 times heavier than a single SAC. A SAC doesn't weigh as much as a Kennedy half at 11.5 grams so the weight is right where it has to be. Now, the big complaint in the past was that SBA's looked too much like a quarter (hence they were called Carter quarters) so when SAC's were issued, a differant color was mandated. If the gold color communicates a false sense of value...good! It needs to look differant in color...not like a penny...not like a nickel, but differant! I like the gold color and I don't care if the public is too stupid to figure out what they are holding in their hand. Here's an idea for the public...pick up that SAC coin and read the reverse. See...is says ONE DOLLAR! Now many people will never get it. For instance, the mint spent over $20 million dollars advertising changes just to the $20 bill! If people are too stupid and lazy to understand what they are spending or holding in the hand, TOUGH! But this is all for not IF you still are going to circulate the paper $1 bill.
Good though, but see image below for a $25 coin... that's what it says. "25 Dollars" hmmmmm. I don't think it is a matter of being too stupid or lazy. If they just colorized money, or changed the design without telling the public, then no one would think the money is real.
I agree that a smaller size may make it easier to promote but I feel that the SBA/SAC size is just fine. The weight could be less though. I think the coin might work, but the half hearted attempts to promote it don't help. As for the ignorant who think the coins are real gold, well let them think what ever they want. I am tired of telling cashiers that the denomination amount of all modern coinage is printed on the reverse of the coin. If everyone had to use them everyone would start to ask questions and before long everyone would know. Heck I bet the news channels would run 24 hr broadcasts explaining all about the new coins. They would all air a differnt version of the same 15 minute press conference from the mint and each station would come up with some minute differece that makes their story more important. Heck It might end up on a made for TV movie. Axe the bill and make people accept a 1 dollar coin. It will work! BTW I really like the idea of using SAC on the coins. I just wish the mint's detail lacking image did her justice. I mean no offense to those who like lady liberty but I would rather honor important figures in our history that made up figures. I am sorry that I disagree with the normal view on this issue. Please don't crucify me.
OH, I can just see it large retailers lobbying for the $1 bill =) but it will work. They can even put a hole in the 1$ coin to make I lighter. $1 bill is practically change nowadays. It’s hard getting a soda or a cup of coffee for a buck any more. As for a new design we can put Bill Clinton on the obverse and still call it the 1$ bill.
