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Another day, another dollar By Randy A. Salas
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) The U.S. Mint cashed in last week with the introduction of a new dollar coin that pays tribute to U.S. presidents. The question now is whether George Washington and his successors can succeed where previous $1 coins featuring Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea failed.www.usmint.gov/$1coinAs it is wont to do, the U.S. Mint has put together a rip-roaring site to promote the new dollar coins and educate people about them. Four coins are due this year, the first featuring George Washington with designs for the other presidents following every three months. The entire program is explained in detail, including a release schedule for those salivating to know when, say, Rutherford B. Hayes is due (third quarter of 2011). Best of all, there's a wealth of educational materials that banks, businesses, teachers and consumers can download or order. They include nifty freebies such as bookmarks, posters and display coin holders. I like the FAQ, which answers the question of how people can obtain the presidential coins by suggesting that they ask businesses for the coins in change. I can already see the blank stares from cashiers.psychohistory.wordpress.comAdam Nash offers some good reasons why the new coins might be a hit with fans like him in his Psychohistory blog. (Use www.startribune.com/a2318 to go right to the post.) The biggest reason is that lettering stamped into the edge of the coins will be randomly placed, including upside down and right side up. "Now, that's an ingredient for some additional collectibility," he says. His write-up is a good catch-all source for a nongovernment take on the venture because it includes a link to the New York Times' excellent examination of the new coins and a previous informational post by him.www.smalldollars.comSmall Dollars is ideal for students doing research or anyone who's just curious about the federal government's hits and misses with dollar coins, which first appeared in 1794. The main focus is on recent history with the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars. "From day one, the Anthony Dollar was rejected and ridiculed," the site says about the coin's 1979 debut. "The portrait was considered ugly and the coins were not easily distinguished from the quarter dollar." The gold-colored Sacagawea coin fared better when it came out in 2000, but it also quickly fell out of favor. The site presents a variety of images, as well as links to the legislation that created them.money.cnn.com/POLLSERVER/results/30089.htmlIn a recent online poll, CNN Money readers were asked if the new presidential coins are a good idea. Of the 45,000 respondents, 64 percent said yes. Now, let's see if those people actually spend them.www.discover.com/issues/feb-07/rd/smell-metal-sweat-coinYou know the "signature metallic smell" of coins? It's from the sweat of all the hands that have handled it before you. Discover's website has the lowdown on one chemist's study using various metal objects and artificial sweat — with pictures! Ick. Keep that in mind as you try to get your sweaty palms on the new currency.coins.search.ebay.com/presidential-coinYou can find the new $1 coins at banks and some businesses in ample supplies, the U.S. Mint vows. The price? Well, $1 each, naturally. Leave it to eBay sellers, though, to create a market for just about anything. On the online auction site last week, many listings showed a $25 roll of the coins going for $30 or more plus $6 for shipping. I wonder if any of the sellers would take Sacagawea dollars in payment? Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Randy A. Salas is a columnist for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Do you have a favorite Web site or a question about how to find something on the Internet? Send a note by clicking here.
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Mitch Albom | |||||||||||
