_Way_ OT: dollar coins was Re: Y2K stuff

From: Ward D. Griffiths III <gram_at_cnct.com>
Date: Mon Jan 11 09:42:45 1999

There are still a lot of Suzy B dollars in circulation. Among other
things, if you put a $5 bill into a turnstile machine for the trains
that go between New York and New Jersey (PATH), you'll get your
change in dollar coins. The same applies to bus/train ticket
machines for New Jersey Transit. I know that was also the case with
the light rail ticket machines in San Jose back in 90-91, but I have
no idea whether that's still the case. And if the ticket machine
runs out of Suzy Bs, you wind up with a major load of quarters.

Ward Griffiths
"the timid die just like the daring; and if you don't take the plunge then
you'll just take the fall" Michael Longcor

On Mon, 11 Jan 1999, Joe wrote:

> At 06:56 PM 1/10/99 -0600, you wrote:
> >At 12:53 PM 1/9/99 +1030, you wrote:
> >>Are they polymer rather than paper like all ours are now?
> >
> >Still paper, but with a few more security features.
> >
> >>To save money, the govt withdrew all coins below 5c, we now have $1 & $2
> >>coins,
> >
> >The US could have hundreds of millions of dollars by doing that (at least
> >$1 coins) but it has been demonstrated around the world that the only way
> >to do that *successfully* is to pull the bills out of circulation
> >immediately as the coins are released.
>
> The biggest reason that the US government was considering switching to a
> dollar coin was the satisify the vending machine owners. They were losing
> sales because many items sold for more than a dollar and people didn't
> carry enough change to make the purchases. The owners claimed they couldn't
> make a machine that would take bills but soon another company started
> marketing a change machine and when they did it killed the demand for a
> dollar coin. The public never liked the dollar coins and the banks seldom
> gave them out unless you asked for them.
> >
> >Our "Susie B" dollar was a failed attempt -- becuase the bill was not
> >pulled.
>
> FORCING the public to use it is not my idea of success!
>
> People claim silly things like it was too close in size to the
> >quarter (BS - try it sometime) or it was too heavy.
>
> It is too heavy compared to a bill. Try putting ten or twenty of them in
> your pocket and carry them around for a day!
>
> Joe
>
>
Received on Mon Jan 11 1999 - 09:42:45 GMT