American Currency

[Spartan]

This weekend I found an old 50

[Guest donaltopablo]

I use them pretty regularly. Personally, I like the dollar coins too. I just wish I found them more places. Although with the wildly popular use of the CC, bills like the 2 dollar are fading away. Hell, I hardly keep any cash at the store for change because 80% of my customers by with CC, there just isn't any need.

[BrandonTO416]

I'd like to see a $2 bill - they are so rare.

[monsoon]

[wolfdawg54]

I have saved all of the dollar coins and two dollar bills that I have come in contact with so I have a decent stash but it will be neat to see how our currency develops.

[Brickell]

I see Sacagewa's enough to spend, but all the other odd ones I keep. Heck, I'm still saving all my state quarters. I got a $2 bill once while I was working retail as a kid. I almost didn't take it.

[Spartan]

I read somewhere that all American currency printed/minted since 1867 is legal tender and is good for its face value.

Whenever I go into the bank I try to remember to ask for a certain portion of my money in dollar coins. Its weird though, because when I try to use them, people look at me weird for a second until they realize what it is.

[Allan]

I have gotten one dollar coin in change, but being a coin collector, I've got a roll of dollars from each mint mark & each year they've been made. I've also got roll after roll of 50 state quarters. They'll never be worth anything, but they're fun to collect.

I get $2 bills in change every month or so. I used to get half dollars on a regular basis too, but the supply of them seems to have dried up, since I haven't gotten one in about a year.

[some_stupid_nut]

My mom works at the post office, I see tons of dolar coins and stuff! I actually have like 2 1999 Susan coins.

I have lots of $2 bills. I use them once in awhile.

[Allan]

I have lots of $2 bills. I use them once in awhile.

At least you use them. I've got about 30 of them stashed away, but I refuse to spend them, thanks to my coin collecting instinct. LOL.

[Allan]

I have lots of $2 bills. I use them once in awhile.

At least you use them. I've got about 30 of them stashed away, but I refuse to spend them, thanks to my coin collecting instinct. LOL.

[Neo]

When the gold dollars came out I regularly used them, but I saved a stash of them. I haven't gotten one handed to me in change since right after they came out so I've saved a few of them I never used, probably $10 worth. I also like the dollar coins better than the bills but 95% of the time I use credit/debit card instead of cash. I only use cash where they don't accept CC/debit.

[Spartan]

Yeah, I use a CC alot, but I have several favorite restaurants that only take cash or check. Also, there is some kind of psychological satifaction about spending cash.... so I still carry it around. I try to get and spend the gold dollars when I can, but its not that easy to do.

[monsoon]

[Allan]

I haven't gotten a Bicentennial quarter in years, although when I was younger I got them all the time. These days all I get are those hideous Michigan quarters....I hate those things. Could they think up a worse representation for the state?

[wolfdawg54]

I am saving the Bicentennial quarters as well. I almost have about 10 dollars worth right now.

[Spartan]

I save one of unusal stuff like that, then I spend the rest

[Cotuit]

For some reason I see a lot of Bicentennial Quarters up here in the Northeast.

The MBTA greenline Highland Branch in Boston (well Newton technically) used to have change machines that gave out SBA dollars. The Highland Branch cost $2 to board at that time and you had to pay in change on the train. I once made the mistake of putting a 10 in one of them and getting 10 SBAs. What a pain it was to spend the other 8. I'm not sure if they switched over to the gold dollar or not, but up until a few years ago, the T was one of the few places where this coin was regularly in use.

[Allan]

I once made the mistake of putting a 10 in one of them and getting 10 SBAs. What a pain it was to spend the other 8. I'm not sure if they switched over to the gold dollar or not, but up until a few years ago, the T was one of the few places where this coin was regularly in use.

Since machines that can separate golden dollars and SBA dollars don't exist, you'd probably get a mixture of the two.

[Matthew]

I saw a new nickel recently with a Louisiana Purchase design on the back.

There's another with Lewis and Clark, but I haven't found any of those yet.

I sometimes find $2 bills in Asheville, but I haven't found any recently. One of the big firms downtown pays a bonus to employees in $2 bills, so they show up every now and then if you visit a store or restaurant downtown. I did have a few of them saved, but I don't know what happened to them. I'll look for them tonight. I know I have them somewhere.

[Allan]

I think the nickel with Louis and Clark doesn't come out until later this year. The U.S. Mint originally wanted to permanently change the nickel to commemorate the Louisiana Purchase and the Louis and Clark expedition, but then some Virginia lawmakers got in the way and insisted that Monticello remains on the back forever because it promotes Virginia tourism. So now after 2005, Monticello will return to the back of the nickel, where it will remain for the next 100 years or so.

[Spartan]

That ticks me off. I kinda like the new nickels, and it is certainly time for a change. If anything they should take it off becuase it gives Virginia an unfair market advantage since those coins are used all over the nation, and people from all over the world get them.

[Allan]

That ticks me off. I kinda like the new nickels, and it is certainly time for a change. If anything they should take it off becuase it gives Virginia an unfair market advantage since those coins are used all over the nation, and people from all over the world get them.

I agree. It's time for a change. Monticello has had the spotlight since 1938 on the reverse side of the nickel. It most certainly is a beautiful building, but it's time for something new. I feel that American currency should change to reflect the times. Until the early part of the last century, currency designs changed much more often than they do today (say every 10 years instead of every 50+ years). After that, we started putting dead presidents on our coins, begining an era of boring designs that have lasted for far too long. Putting presidents on our coins makes it difficult to change the designs, since every time someone even brings up changing a design, there is a big uproar and the proposal is ultimately dropped. After all, heaven forbid we remove Lincoln from the penny after nearly 100 years! . In addition, there is a law that says that coin designs must stay the same for 25 years until they can be changed. There is currently a grassroots effort to get that particular law overturned.

The interesting thing is that the U.S. Mint has the authority to change coins after 25 years if they want to. So why they always go to the legislature requesting ideas for change, I have no idea. Of course the mint fired their artists (hence the bland designs), so I guess they can't think of any on their own.

[monsoon]