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<p>[QUOTE="Numbers, post: 627492, member: 11668"]Perhaps they could, but not with aluminum. What you're overlooking is the fact that the compositions of the clad coinage were very carefully chosen precisely to make sure that existing vending machines could take them. This is one reason for the complicated three-layer structure of the coins: it's making sure that they've got the same electrical resistance as a 90% silver coin, since that's one thing vending machines often check in order to reject slugs. Ditto with the Sacagawea dollar--the reason that there are 1999 SBAs is that the Mint didn't have the "golden" alloy ready soon enough, since they had to do extensive metallurgical testing to find a composition that would be very different in color from the SBAs but indistinguishable to a vending machine.</p><p><br /></p><p>The zinc cents weren't handled so carefully, as rather few vending machines take them; those machines did have to be readjusted in order to accept the new cents. But the main reason why the aluminum cents were rejected in 1974 was a vending machine problem too: If you put a regular copper (or zinc) cent into a vending machine that doesn't accept pennies, it just drops into the coin return tray. But if you put an aluminum cent into such a machine, it's so lightweight that friction can stop it halfway through the mechanism. The machine is then jammed until a repairman comes to remove the coin. Some vending machine companies demonstrated this at a congressional hearing, and that's why we didn't get aluminum cents.</p><p><br /></p><p>Unrelated note on half-dollars: There's been no change of policy on these; they're still a circulating denomination. It's just that there's so little demand for them that the Federal Reserve hasn't ordered any from the Mint since 2001. If the Fed ever runs low and needs more, then more will be struck and issued. Meanwhile, small quantities of ordinary-finish business strikes are still being produced every year for the Mint's bag and roll sales, in addition to the mint set and proof set coins.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Numbers, post: 627492, member: 11668"]Perhaps they could, but not with aluminum. What you're overlooking is the fact that the compositions of the clad coinage were very carefully chosen precisely to make sure that existing vending machines could take them. This is one reason for the complicated three-layer structure of the coins: it's making sure that they've got the same electrical resistance as a 90% silver coin, since that's one thing vending machines often check in order to reject slugs. Ditto with the Sacagawea dollar--the reason that there are 1999 SBAs is that the Mint didn't have the "golden" alloy ready soon enough, since they had to do extensive metallurgical testing to find a composition that would be very different in color from the SBAs but indistinguishable to a vending machine. The zinc cents weren't handled so carefully, as rather few vending machines take them; those machines did have to be readjusted in order to accept the new cents. But the main reason why the aluminum cents were rejected in 1974 was a vending machine problem too: If you put a regular copper (or zinc) cent into a vending machine that doesn't accept pennies, it just drops into the coin return tray. But if you put an aluminum cent into such a machine, it's so lightweight that friction can stop it halfway through the mechanism. The machine is then jammed until a repairman comes to remove the coin. Some vending machine companies demonstrated this at a congressional hearing, and that's why we didn't get aluminum cents. Unrelated note on half-dollars: There's been no change of policy on these; they're still a circulating denomination. It's just that there's so little demand for them that the Federal Reserve hasn't ordered any from the Mint since 2001. If the Fed ever runs low and needs more, then more will be struck and issued. Meanwhile, small quantities of ordinary-finish business strikes are still being produced every year for the Mint's bag and roll sales, in addition to the mint set and proof set coins.[/QUOTE]
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