Talk:United States dollar/Coins

Three $1 coins

Why are three different one-dollar coins listed in the chart? The Golden Dollar is the only one minted and the only one considered current by the Mint. If we're going to list the SBA and the Eisenhower, why not the Franklin half-dollar and the Buffalo nickel, among others?

The Buffalo nickel has been gone from production since 1938; nearly 70 years ago. In constrast, the Susan B. Anthony dollar has only been gone since 2000 (it was last minted in 1999.) Georgia guy 14:52, 7 January 2006 (UTC)

I find a length-of-time argument to be unconvincing. How long does it have to be out of production before it's no longer included? 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years? The Eisenhower dollar has been out of production for nearly 30 years. And one never encounters one in general circulation. At least the SBA's are still out there (when I ask my bank for a roll of dollars, I generally get a mixed roll that's about 1/2 Golden and 1/2 SBA).

If we're including everything that's in general circulation, why are the Monticello-back nickel and the eagle-back quarter excluded? Those will even be produced again after the special series are done, unlike the SBAs, which are gone forever. The time argument doesn't work here, because the eagle-back was last produced in 1998, while the Monticello-back was last produced in 2003 and will be produced again this year. Jwolfe 21:38, 7 January 2006 (UTC)

I agree, for consistency and conciseness, keep just the currently minted versions in the table, and save the past versions for the individual denomination articles. 06:31, 22 January 2006 (UTC)

I read somewhere that all US currency retains its value. I tried to find the link but could not. I will keep searching and keep you posted. It does make sense though. Legally, a Susan B. Anthony coin is still worth $1 (in legal tender) even though it is not minted anymore. Killer Swath 00:51, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

$1 image in infobox

Before this becomes an edit war, let's discuss.

2/3 will be presidential coins, and 1/4 of those will be Washington, so 1/6 of the total will be Washington. So the old dollar coin will be the majority of obverse side will be Sacagawea.

Now, what do we do with the infobox at Dollar (United States coin)? The most common obverse will be Sacagawea, while the most common reverse will be the Statue of Liberty. Perhaps the precendece at Quarter (United States coin) is worth considering? --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 23:28, 6 February 2007 (UTC)

Oh, that is what you meant about the 1/4 thing. I thought you mean that one third of the coins would be Sacajawea, the others presidents.

However, I think that we should put the most recent coin there, and if we don't want to keep updating it, the Washington one would be a good one to represent the set. aido2002 02:26, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Edit: the precedence at the quarter page is to mix the obverse and reverse of the two, it seems to be a mistake there.

Wiki is not a crystal ball. I think it's silly to use a picture of something that doesn't exist yet. The Saccies are the most current U.S. dollar coin in circulation; for all we know, the picture of the Washington coin may not even precisely reflect what will be in our hands. --Orange Mike 23:37, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Putting that picture isn't violating the "not a crystal ball" principle, that is an actual picture of the actual coin that is being produced. They only recently released that photo, since they only recently (I assume) finished minting enough to meet the deadline. The point is, that is what we will have in our hands, it is too late for them to change the first batch. The Washington/Pres coins are coming out any day now, and the Mint is already listing them as "in production." (Note: I would include a link to where they do that, but I lost it when my PC crashed. I'll add it when I can track down the page again.) Anyway, let me repeat that the Washington coin wold only be used to represent the Presidential coin series, I realize that it will not make up the majority of the $1 coins. However, it represents that majority. aido2002 05:39, 8 February 2007 (UTC)

Showing the obverse of one coin design and the reverse of another design doesn't make sense to me. Neither does showing a coin design based on the commonality of the reverse side. It's the obverse side that people pay attention to. I think we should show the Sacagawea coin's designs (both obverse and reverse), not only because more of that coin will be produced than any one of the presidential coins, but because there are already over a billion of them in circulation. Of course, whichever design is not in the infobox should be prominently displayed in the article (which is not currently the case). Jwolfe 11:23, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

What about a coin that is not $1? All these problems would go away. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 19:10, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

Actually, it is 1/4 of the coins that will be Sacagaweas; the confusion is because the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005 is worded to require Sacagaweas equal to at least one-third of the Presidential coins issued (which translates to one-fourth of all dollar coins). Nonetheless, I think it's inappropriate to use the temporary Washington dollar as the only image of a U.S. dollar coin. Either expand the infobox so we can use the dollar bill, current Presidential dollar, and Sacagawea simultaneously (either obverses alone, or obverse & reverse); otherwise, use the Sacagawea which is still the current, permanent dollar-coin series. (Under the act, once the Presidential series ends, the Sacagawea will be the only dollar coin unless Congress changes the law again.) --RBBrittain 15:01, 18 February 2007 (UTC)

3 images? That's a big change, but maybe it's doable with hacks. But I still agree with you in principle, RBBrittain. What about a function that returns the Sacagawea dollar 1/4 of the time, each of the president dollar 3/16 of the time, randomly? --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 03:27, 19 February 2007 (UTC)

Sacagawea Dollar Image

I think the Sacagawea Dollar image ought to be removed from the infobox and replaced with another coin, perhaps a quarter. Sacagawea dollars aren't used that much (at least, I hardly ever see them used) and, as such, are probably not the best choice of an image to illustrate the dollar. Thoughts? CapitalSasha ~ talk 22:55, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

I normally support the use of highest valued coin/banknote that is intended for general circulation. See the debate between me and Britcom. But I don't want to get into another debate right now. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 11:49, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

Since the name of the article is "United States Dollar," showing a currently-circulating one dollar bill and a currently circulating one dollar coin is most appropriate (although it would be better to "balance out" the relative sizes of the images). With the beginning of the release of Presidential dollars next year (through at least 2015), it might be best to anticipate an increase in popularity of the dollar coin and leave the picture of the Sacajawea obverse on the article page for the time being (according to the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, one-third of the dollar coins issued during the program will maintain the current Sacajawea obverse, and the Sacajawea dollars will continue to be produced after the end of the Presidential dollars program). 147.70.242.40 19:07, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

US $1 coin

No mention of this? - it was minted in 2000, and has an eagle on one side, and a Native American woman on the other side, with baby in papoose (I forget the name, someone who helped the Lewis & Clark expedition survive I think). - MPF 16:06, 27 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Ah yes, the "golden dollar." Bears a likeness of Sacagawea. -- knoodelhed 05:26, 28 Mar 2004 (UTC)

$1 coin

Why is the $1 coin under 'rarely used'? I see them almost every day, both the new gold ones and the SB Anthony ones. (they're interchangable in machines, most notably MetroCard machines) X570 06:06, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Besides metro, where else do you encounter them without specifically asking for them? What about grocery, lunch, shopping mall? --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 06:47, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

US Post Office vending machines.192.91.171.42 21:04, 19 January 2007 (UTC)

That's most likely the only, if not one of the few, example. --ChoChoPK (球球PK) (talk | contrib) 20:41, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

Dollar coin nicknames

I've never heard "Gold dollar" or "Sackey" for the Sacagawea dollar, or "Suzy B" for the Susan B Anthony dollar, but I have heard "Silver Dollar" for both of those, despite the illogic, especially with the Sacagawea one. Nik42 08:39, 6 November 2005 (UTC)

When speaking with tellers, they would laugh in your face if you called either of the small dollars "silver". The "Silver Dollar" is the nickname of the Large Size only. Everyone I have ever encountered knows what a "Suzy B." is. They do get confused when you talk about the "Gold Dollar" but understand when you say "Golden Dollar". "Sacky" is very common among the actual users and proponents of the coins. TEG 14:44, 11 November 2005 (UTC)

FWIW, I have heard all of the above. People's usage is often very imprecise. I have also heard the Eisenhower dollars referred to as 'bowl' dollars. Since I have only heard that in speach, I have no idea of the spelling or etymology.

As far as the Sacagawea dollar itself, I think it's best to just say "Sacagawea dollar" or "Sacagawea". It's a tongue-twister for some (and many even dispute the Mint's spelling of "Sacagawea"), but it's more NPOV than "Sacky" (or even worse "Squawback" or "Squawbuck", as suggested in the Sacagawea dollar article), and avoids the metallic confusion of "golden dollar" (or worse, "silver dollar").

As far as the family, I think it's best to recall the difference between large cents and small cents; the silver and Eisenhower dollars together should be called "large dollars", while the Anthony, Sacagawea, and Presidential dollars should be called "small dollars". --RBBrittain 14:51, 18 February 2007 (UTC)

Franklin Half Dollar

The Franklin Half Dollar was removed from the table because it was "no longer in circulation". It was restored to the table because "it is still legal tender".

My understanding is that all U.S. coins, except the gold ones removed from circulation, are still legal tender. If "legal tender" is the criteria, then almost all U.S. coins ever issued should be listed on the chart.

The chart says it is meant for "Contemporary Designs". This raises the question of how recent a design must be to be "Contemporary". On this question, I can only speak anecdotally. The Franklin half dollar ceased production in 1963. My wife has been a bank teller since 1989 and has never seen Franklin half dollar.

The next most recent coin that ceased production appears to be the Eisnenhower dollar. It was in production until 1978. It is still relatively common. My wife sees these at her bank about once a month.

The Eisenhower dollar seems recent and common enough to keep in the chart. However, the Franklin seems to be a rare coin, likely to be seen only by collectors. Based on that, and its position as the coin with the oldest circulation date on the chart, it seems reasonable to remove it from a chart of "Contemporary Designs". --Seitz 06:54, 6 September 2005 (UTC)

The Franklin half dollar, along with any other U.S. coin that contains silver (pre-1965), is no longer in circulation. If one looks at the history of this article, the Franklin half dollar was mistakenly put in as an entry that would belong to a table of all U.S. coins. --Kurthalomieu J. McCool 07:12, September 6, 2005 (UTC)

A few silver coins are in circulation. I've run across a few silver dimes and 1 silver quarter since I started paying attention to that about a few months ago Nik42 21:35, 9 November 2005 (UTC)

But, by the same logic, Indian Head cents are still in circulation too. I've found 2 in my lifetime, but this doesn't necessarily mean that are "in circulation". Circulation is being used here as a relative term meaning, more or less, "active circulation" and not fluke instances of a coin surfacing. --Kurthalomieu J. McCool 22:53, 9 November 2005 (UTC)

It seems to me that the criteria is, or should be, what coins/currency were still being made within the last year say. - Britcom 14:30, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

I wanted to add that U.S. gold coins are in fact legal tender, but at face value! If you want to spend any of those at face value, let me know; I'll be delighted to take them off your hands without any extra processing fee.--Orange Mike 19:24, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

Quarter reverses

I saw that this article only mentions statehood designs as the only reverse of the quarter. However, there are more than one: I have seen a bald eagle with an olive branch in its mouth reverse. Would this make the quarter a little more informative? FinalHeaven

You might wanna look under Quarter (United States coin) for a more in depth article about quarters. Joe I 20:13, 30 May 2006 (UTC)

Dimes

The page mentions Eagles, Dollars and Cents as the currency of the US. However, I believe the Dime is also one. This is supported by the fact that the dime coin says "One Dime" and not "Ten Cents". Can anyone confirm this? Mkehrt

It is. Furthermore, Eagle was never an official currency unit. The US Coinage Act established Dollars as the units, Dismes (sic) equal to 1/10, Cents equal to 1/100 and Mils equal to 1/1000. Eagle was used for the name of gold coins Eagle, Half-Eagle, and Quarter-Eagle, but was never authorized as a unit of currency. It had formerly explained the use of dimes, but that was changed at some point Nik42 09:49, 26 October 2005 (UTC)

The eagle was not mentioned in section 20 of the coinage act of 1792 specifying moneys of account, but it was used in section 9, grammatically as a denomonization, not as a name of a particular coin.

I have found that according to a resolution of the Continental Congress on August 8, 1786 [1] that congress intended the ten dollar gold coin to be called an Eagle, the five dollar gold coin to be called a Half Eagle, a twenty cent silver coin to be called a double dime, and the smallest to be called a Half cent made of copper. Mills are mentioned as "money of accompt", but no provision for minting a coin is mentioned. There is also no mention of a five, or twenty-five cent coin. - Britcom 14:24, 13 July 2006 (UTC)

Nickel

The reverse of the U.S. nickel is Monticello, Jefforson's residence, not the Indian Peace Medal. The page wont allow me to edit this so I'm posting it hear in hopes that someone else will be able to correct the mistake.

Actually, as of March 1, 2004, it is now the Indian Peace Medal. It will return to Monticello in January 2006. More information can be found at Nickel (U.S. coin)#Westward Journey Nickel Series. --Pascal666 02:19, 6 Jul 2004 (UTC)

since it is now 2006, the main page should now indicate Monticello as the subject of the reverse of the 5 cent coin.

Nickel

'Marteau: nickel is the term used by the mint. http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/index.cfm?action=coin_specifications

Yes, and the mint occasionally uses the word "penny" as well, for example at [2]. Nonetheless, both "penny" and "nickel" are slang terms, not the name of US coins. "Nickel" doesn't mean "twentieth of a dollar", it refers to the metal that the coin is traditionally made of.

I don't think it's slang anymore. Today, an educated man would say he picked up a 'nickle'; saying he picked up a 'five cent piece' would be unusual. Cent/penny; there is no argument, but nickle is no longer slang. IMHO, of course ;) Marteau

The same could be said of the "penny", in that saying "one cent piece" would be unusual. But ponder this. Each coin contains, in writing, its own name. The twenty-five cent piece, for example, says "Quarter Dollar". What is written on the "nickel"? Also, consider that the mint is only allowed to issue coins which congress authorizes it to. Read the law authorizing the issuance of the "nickel" and see what the law calls it... The word "nickel" is mentioned over at United_States_Coin, which lists every denomination of coin currently or previously issued.

Perhaps the fine distinction we should make is this. The word "nickel" doesn't mean "twentieth of a dollar", it means "five cent coin". -º¡º

Vending machines?

As most vending machines are incapable of making change in banknotes, they are frequently designed to give change in dollar coins and occasionally half-dollar coins.

I've never seen a vending maching give change in half-dollars, and have only heard of the Post Office's stamp dispensers giving change in dollar coins. I'm revising that Nik42 21:30, 9 November 2005 (UTC)

I have personally witnessed The United States Post Office vending machine dispensing dollar coins - Susan B. Anothony and Sachagiwa - as change if the amount of change meets or exceeds a dollar. Nuance13x 08:23, 10 May 2006 (UTC)

Half dollar coins are rarely used for change from machines. However, many toll systems use them for change, especially on ferry systems like the Washington State Ferries. TEG 14:46, 11 November 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, spitting those nasty gold-colored coins out of Post Office machines is the only way for them to get rid of them. -THB 08:09, 15 November 2006 (UTC)