Last night I was sitting down with my Dad talking about the "good 'ol days" and all his trips to Vegas and how he used to be paid in silver dollars. Then I started thinking about how things have changed so much since he was a kid. Buffalo nickels were still in circulatation for a few years after he was born and stayed in circulation for many years afterward. Although the Standing Liberty Quarters had stopped a year earlier, he said that for many years afterwards, these coins were readily found in circulation. Mercury dimes were all that he knew for the first 15 years of his life before the Roosevelt dimes took over. My dad has seen three different halves circulate in his lifetime so far. And although, you don't find silver dollars in circulation anymore, it was everything he could do as a kid to get one from my grandma. And the stories of my dad grabbing a $20 gold piece that my grandma had stashed away were classic. I remember as a kid, my grandma saying that she had wished that she never got rid of her gold pieces.... and I wish that tooo. Will we ever see a major change of our circulating coinage in our lifetime? I know there are a few members out there that have been witness to complete changes in design, but I would imagine that most of us have not. Heck, Kanga has even seen the Large Cent in circulation (just kidding!!!!) Personally, I have been witness to the ever changing design of our $1 coinage, but I am not including that in my current question, but technically yes, I have seen new coinage in my lifetime. The IKE came out a year before I was born, then there was the SBA, Sac and Prez dollars. My question pertains to the cent, nickel, dime, quarter and half. I don't consider the state quarters a major change in design because they are still Washington quarters. Will we ever see the winged Liberty design come back? or better yet the Walking Liberty design? Will we ever see a Regan Quarter or Bush cent? (j/k on that last one!) or a MLK half dollar (why not?) Comments and observations are much welcomed!
I wouldn't mind seeing a lot of changes but who knows. I suppose anything is possible though. I was born in 62 and Franklins were being minted. Halves, quarters and dimes were 90% although it really didn't register with me. Lots of wheats still floating around. Now look what has happened to paper money. Changing all the time and usually getting uglier. If they DO start changing coins I'd at least like to see something other than a dead President.
Guys - where have ya been ? Will we ever see changes ? C'mon - the only thing that hasn't changed in recent years is the dime and the half dollar. And I suspect that those will be next. And how you not count the SQ's ? The design is absolutely different. 50 times different and soon to be 56 times. But as to your question about reverting back to old designs - no I rather doubt we will ever see that outside of commemorative coinage.
