[CaseyFronczekHomie]

I enjoy using them on occasion but I don't use them every day like this guy.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la...,675777.column

You can probably hear it when I walk down the hallway: the sound of gold dollar coins jingling in my pocket.

I use them everywhere: the dry cleaner, the store, my favorite diner. No, they are not a heavy burden, I tell skeptics. When brand-new, they're like shimmering drops of sunshine.

It's practical. During a dark time in my life, I used my credit card for almost every purchase.

But at the end of each month, I was confronted by bills that pained me. What was that $4.06 purchase from a vendor called "San Francisco"? Or that $38.38 buy from "Caseys"? Did I really go to Souplantation twice in a day?

This world of credit cards, I felt, was making me lose touch with my money.

Because my credit card gave me frequent flier miles for each purchase, though, I kicked myself any time I used cash.

Then I discovered that the U.S. Mint had a $1 Coin Direct Ship program. I bought $250 worth of coins on my credit card, and a few weeks later, a heavy brick-size cardboard box landed on my doorstep. Inside were 10 rolls of Sacagawea dollar coins.

Oh, how I loved spending them.

The coins were bright. They were easy to use on the bus. A delight to deposit in parking meters.

Their edges had none of the harsh serrations of quarters. They were smooth. Every morning, I grabbed a fistful for lunch money.

The golden coins brought particular joy to some independent shop owners. One restaurateur showed my Thomas Jefferson coins to his customers. My dry cleaner wanted whole rolls.

The reaction in the some corporate chains was a bit different.

At a Subway sandwich shop, an exasperated cashier asked: Why do you use these so much? Where do you get them?

At Costco, I once handed a cashier a bundled roll of $25 in coins. A suspicious cashier asked a supervisor if I should be photographed in case I was using funny money.

My dollar coins are worth the occasional scorn. There is grace in reclaiming tactile control of my money.

Each coin seemed a bit more valuable than a tattered dollar bill, giving me pause before I might spend it. They certainly seemed more valuable than my credit card.

Having a tangible sense of money became a new philosophy. I resisted automatic withdrawals from utility companies and paperless bank statements.

I had learned the hard way about the risk of being too detached. Years ago, I failed for months to detect a $20 monthly checking fee at my bank. And only because I paid my phone bill manually did I discover that AT&T had begun to charge me a $5 fee for not using my land-line long-distance plan.

[Rategbee]

Yes, all the time

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[redDoodia]

If the mint was serious about coins, they'd issue higher denomination coins, 5, 10, and 20 dollar coins.

[denwerdinoss]

If the mint was serious about coins, they'd issue higher denomination coins, 5, 10, and 20 dollar coins.

And get rid of worthless pennies, nickels and dimes.

[Enjoymmsq]

And get rid of worthless pennies, nickels and dimes.

yeah, can't give the people more than their value's worth.

[fkisjjdhh]

If the mint was serious about coins, they'd issue higher denomination coins, 5, 10, and 20 dollar coins.

Yep. And made of GOLD.

[cheapphenonline]

yeah, can't give the people more than their value's worth.

Maybe they are worried that the quarter will become the new penny?

Is there anything a nickel or dime buys on their own? I can't think of anything. Gumball maybe?

[angelxmagic]

i use them a lot, along with $2 bills. i like to confuse people.

[pirinosa]

Maybe they are worried that the quarter will become the new penny?

Is there anything a nickel or dime buys on their own? I can't think of anything. Gumball maybe?

without pennies and nickels, prices would be rounded up

[gopsbousperie]

Maybe they are worried that the quarter will become the new penny?

Is there anything a nickel or dime buys on their own? I can't think of anything. Gumball maybe?

all gumball machines are a quarter.

majority are fifty cents

[BlackBird]

without pennies and nickels, prices would be rounded up

Some things would be rounded down.
Everything is being rounded up anyway, by inflation.

[cewIdeatovace]

all gumball machines are a quarter.

majority are fifty cents

Thanks, haven't bought one in some time. That's my point, if a single coin doesn't buy anything, it's worthless.

[Franchise]

Last time I tried to use them the clerk looked at me like I was a terrorist, and she called in her manager, and they stared at them for like 2 minutes holding up the line. They gave me these evil glares, though I did feel bad for the people behind me in line. They eventually accepted them, reluctantly, since the manager was like "Well it does look real I guess."

[QiuCIOdO]

who are all these people who have problems using them? I use them everywhere, and never had any problems. maybe you should wash your hair, smile, and stop wearing all black.

[Rategbee]

Shami? that's because the cashier box doesn't have a space to put them in.....they might get confused and put them in with the quarters.

[giftplas]

I'm in the Peoples Republic of California. Just using cash is considered suspicious activity here. The clerk claimed she never saw/knew about those coins before.

Shami? that's because the cashier box doesn't have a space to put them in.....they might get confused and put them in with the quarters.

[DeronBoltonRen]

The base material is made in Cedar Rapids ... The worlds largest coin producer is PMX (a Korean cartridge manufacturer). While they don't make the coins they do make the rolls that are shipped to the mint for fabrication.

[sueplydup]

without pennies and nickels, prices would be rounded up

With all due respect, I'd like to counter this argument, because the continuation of these small coins is a refusal by politicians to acknowledge price inflation. If we all agree they are essentially useless, it makes the government's handling of our money system look bad.

I just cannot come up with a good example of the "rounding" problem. Let's start with larger purchases, say a pair of jeans currently selling for $29.95. First, they only reason everything is priced just short of the next whole dollar is to make it sound cheaper. So there is incentive for them to round down to $29.90. And if they don't, their competition will! And let's say neither did, a nickel on $30 is less than 0.2%. I'll gladly pay that to get rid of those small coins.

Now for small purchases, let's say a pack of gum for 79 cents. They can raise their price to 80 cents. But then their competition will make a slightly smaller bar (with the same cost per ounce), and charge 70 cents. Or, for 80 cents they can make the product slightly larger to compete with the "downsize" look. I trust that the free market will work if they let it.

This country used to have a coin call the "mil", which was 1/10 of a cent. Anybody feel screwed that we now round to the nearest penny? Of course not.

[Effofqueeno]

I ran into a fellow 3-4 years ago who COLLECTS them 'cause he thinks they will be worth more than 1 US$ in the future.

[Buyingtime]

i use them a lot, along with $2 bills. i like to confuse people.

What about half dollars? Those confuse people too. I once handed a cashier a few half dollars and she thought they were full dollar coins and gave me change accordingly.