belfordrocks

And that's why the program's discontinued.

Pup

My wife actually did that, though the tellers had always been nice and happy to take them (maybe 70K total).

We're taking a free cross-country trip on Amtrak thanks in part to coins and she wanted to use the coins for tips. With the latest slow-down and now discontinuation, we didn't have any left. So she went to the same bank and asked to buy $25 of dollar coins.

Oddly enough, we didn't get "our" coins back. These were loose, a random mix of presidents with some Susan B. Anthony dollars included, even though we'd been ordering only NA recently.

The bank had always been happy to take them and said that people asked for them. It's a small town. You don't suppose we were actually putting some of those presidents in circulation?

Ritz

+$1 ^

timstravel

I beg to differ in part as I haven't really carried paper money for over a year now. All my purchasing needs were covered by either the cards in my wallet or the $1 coins in my pocket.

I am sad to see this go (it's just not worth the effort/cost to send/mail a check). I had rather enjoyed my reputation as "the coin guy" and always having a ready supply of cash on the closet shelf. It will take a bit of effort to get back to using paper money again. Now where exactly did I put that ATM card...

lobo411

I got a pile of them when I had to pay for parking at the University of Kansas last week and only had a $20 bill. They actually came in handy for paying tolls on the Kansas Turnpike and leaving tips for housekeeping in my hotel rooms though!

I never did the coin scam though, and I always hated the idea that people were getting away with this. I had a feeling that the rest of us were footing the bill for the pleasure of a few.

timstravel

While we are writing epitaphs, let me relate the most humorous experience I had with the coins over the past few years:

Last year, I'm returning from a long vacation with a dozen or so rolls in two pockets of my laptop carryon. The bag gets picked at xray for additional screening, no doubt because of the large number of metallic cylindrical objects in it.

A TSAer takes the bag over to a table and begins to rifle through it with his newly-gloved hands. He's working his way through every pocket he can find, but is having no luck locating the several pounds of metal in my bag. Eventually, he calls over one of his accomplices and she takes her turn.

All the while, I'm silently laughing to myself. It's not like the bag has some super-secret compartment wrapped by a cloaking device! The coins are in two pockets whose zippers are concealed under a fabric flap, but that's it. You would have expected two of the TSA's finest to be able to figure that out, would you not?

Anyway, after about five minutes of fruitless searching, one turns to the other and shrugs, "I dunno. Maybe they're batteries." No doubt to be used by me to power a detonator. Then they zip the bag back up and hand it over to me without further question or comment and I go on my merry way...

broadwayblue

I agree...there is very little need for a $1 bill anymore. But sadly, I can't see them eliminating it since it features Washington.

Max M

I'm seriously thinking of closing my YahooMail account. Yahoo decided to put the story on their front page about a week ago.

I've haven't used Yahoo as a search engine in years, and never again will for the rest of my life because of the publicity Yahoo gave.

I truly believe it was Yahoo's article that was the tipping point.

Let's boycott Yahoo, and for those that listen to NPR, forget ever contributing a dime to a station that utilizes NPR.

Other FT'er's, feel free to list other media outlets we should boycott that gave mucho publicity about our golden goose with the Mint.

Hoping that CNN is innocent. [because of a certain FT'er]

Max M

Yikes!

$1M in Dollar Coins?

Hope you know of a good armored car/truck company.

Max M

Precisely!

Look at how well the Mint's attempt with Dollar Coins worked years ago with the Susan B. Anthony Dollar Coins.

jamesteroh

Boycott NPR And find out who all their corporate sponsors are and write to them and urge them to discointue contributing And write your elected officials andencourage them to pull the plug. At least our tax dollars don't support Yahoo and yahoo is a free service.

jamesteroh

I know I purchased well over $1 million in coins. If you have an exemption it is very easy to do. Even 2 orders of $10K in coins a week is over a million in a year.

u600213

No Problem. Start paying senators and Congressman in $1 coins. The mandate will end quickly.

jamesteroh

Oh yeah, and when Jackie Speier is up for reelection, contribute money to her opponent and make sure Jackie is aware of the contribution and why

show_me_the_points

I never understood the whole coin thing. Seemed like a huge waste of time and gas for little benefit.Plus it being unethical in that it waste bank and federal reserve resources also did not sit well with me. There are so many offers from credit card bonuses, that I just stick with those...