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.
