jlueke Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Not stupid coins at all, more like the people you have encountered are stupid. For soem reason here in the UK the £2 is sometimes questioned in cornershops(Kwik-E-Mart style shops) & Petrol stations (Gas stations for you Americans ) and this is mainly due to the fact that they are the places you are most likely to get fake £1 coins. Not accusing them of anything but a local shop near me has a staggering amount of fake ones. The USA seems to be the only country that really has a problem with this, God only knows why, here in the Uk, Canada, Australia, New Zealand & Euroland there has been no problem yet some in the US still can't fathom (sp) out that there is a $1 coin, honestly it really is a better move, could you imagine £1 notes over here now? the £5 notes are in bad enough state as it is, no wonder they stopped minting the £1 notes in 1983 & withdrew them completely in 1988 The USA would be fine if they stopped printing $1 bills. Everyone would be over it in 1-5 years. I think the problem is that the manufactures of the linen the bills are printed on is head-quartered in Massachusetts and that the Senators from that State help ensure the $1 bill keeps being printed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 I have no plans to visit the US, but if I do, the first thing I'll do is get myself a huge batch of dollar coins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny 1989 Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 The USA would be fine if they stopped printing $1 bills. Everyone would be over it in 1-5 years. I think the problem is that the manufactures of the linen the bills are printed on is head-quartered in Massachusetts and that the Senators from that State help ensure the $1 bill keeps being printed. Time for them to stop me thinks & time for them to follow the rest of the Western world, I've nothing against $1 notes but their shelf life could only be a week before then need to be pulped again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stilson Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Time for them to stop me thinks & time for them to follow the rest of the Western world, I've nothing against $1 notes but their shelf life could only be a week before then need to be pulped again? They actually have a decent life. 2001, 2002 and 2003 are real common some times you see stuff from the 1990's still around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 They actually have a decent life. 2001, 2002 and 2003 are real common some times you see stuff from the 1990's still around. Decent life you say? Most of the pound coins I get are from 1983. It is not actually possible to find an older example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeOldeCollector Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Several minutes??? Did he say anything to you during this time or was it an awkward silence? "Eight hours later, *looks at coin, looks at Doc, looks at coin, looks at Doc*"... Tumbleweed rolls past in the background. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwing Posted February 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2008 "Eight hours later, *looks at coin, looks at Doc, looks at coin, looks at Doc*"... Tumbleweed rolls past in the background. With the exception of the tumbleweed that's kind of how I pictured the situation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dockwalliper Posted February 5, 2008 Report Share Posted February 5, 2008 Several minutes??? Did he say anything to you during this time or was it an awkward silence? We were in a meeting with the Buisness center manager so he couldn't go directly to the machine. I watched him turn it in his hand and check it out for some time. No tumbleweeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 I have no plans to visit the US, but if I do, the first thing I'll do is get myself a huge batch of dollar coins! I stepped on my train this morning at Penn Station and found the car full, so I moved to another one. The moment I stepped inside I spotted gold on the floor! I bent down and found three brand new James Madison presidential dollars. I'll hazard a guess that someone bought a subway token for $2 with a $5 bill and got these in change. I'll guess again that this person looked at the coins for a few minutes and then threw them down in disgust. "What am I going to do with this stupid play money?" Gotta love New Yorkers! I admit I like the various Euro designs more than the new presidential dollars but I'm not too cool to bend over and pickup free money. Especially uncirculated free money... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny 1989 Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 I stepped on my train this morning at Penn Station and found the car full, so I moved to another one. The moment I stepped inside I spotted gold on the floor! I bent down and found three brand new James Madison presidential dollars. I'll hazard a guess that someone bought a subway token for $2 with a $5 bill and got these in change. I'll guess again that this person looked at the coins for a few minutes and then threw them down in disgust. "What am I going to do with this stupid play money?" Gotta love New Yorkers! I admit I like the various Euro designs more than the new presidential dollars but I'm not too cool to bend over and pickup free money. Especially uncirculated free money... $3 is $3, even if that's not worth alot over her now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabbs Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Guess that for €2 or so, even I would bend over. But I'm used to the idea that a coin could actually be worth something ... Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 Well, I'm in Edinburgh and taken the opportunity to try and spend some £5 coins.... with 100% success rate! The first one I spent in a McD's (had been hungry for hours, we where passing it) The guy took it off me, stopped to look at it for a second and then said "I'll be keeping that!" The next two we spent on cinema tickets, the guy wasn't to sure about them, and wondered where on Earth I got them but he took them all the same, my friend who was behind me in the line requested them as change though so we got them back to spend again! The third (and funniest one) was in a casino. I ordered drinks to the value of £4.30, I haded him the £5 coin and without looking at it he walked off towards the till, a few seconds later he suddenly realised that I had handed him only one coin, and normally that could only have been a £2 max. He looked at it, double taked, then turned round and seemed quite interested in it! They processed my order as normal but I did see one of them take the coin away for a while before returning and placing it in the till. Today we also used one on a bus, though we did ask the driver before placing it into the machine (in case it would jam the mechanism) he glanced at it briefly before telling us it would be fine. Still have a few more to get rid of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiho Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 $3 is $3, even if that's not worth alot over her now It still buys breakfast here in the States. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted February 8, 2008 Report Share Posted February 8, 2008 I turned up to an near-empty bar way early for a gig. handed over a £5 coin for a bottle of scrumpy, the the two guys where going to till it when the bar manager came over and claimed that it "wasn't legal tender", I told him it was but handed him a note (which isn't actually legal tender!) instead. The second bar I was in the guy spotted it before he even asked for payment (I had it and a £5 note out ready to pay for the drinks.) He seemed quite interested in it and accepted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwing Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 I turned up to an near-empty bar way early for a gig. handed over a £5 coin for a bottle of scrumpy, the the two guys where going to till it when the bar manager came over and claimed that it "wasn't legal tender", I told him it was but handed him a note (which isn't actually legal tender!) instead. The second bar I was in the guy spotted it before he even asked for payment (I had it and a £5 note out ready to pay for the drinks.) He seemed quite interested in it and accepted it. Wasn't legal tender??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Yes, because he hadn't seen one, he effectively refused to take a legal tender Royal Mint coin, instead accepting a Scottish banknote which is not legal tender at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwing Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Yes, because he hadn't seen one, he effectively refused to take a legal tender Royal Mint coin, instead accepting a Scottish banknote which is not legal tender at all! Scottish banknotes aren't legal tender? Did the Euro replace it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccg Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Scottish banknotes are private bank issues, i.e. Bank IOUs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabbs Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Scottish banknotes aren't legal tender? No. Only British coins are legal tender in Scotland. The Bank of England (!) notes are not, and the notes issued by various banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland are not legal tender anywhere. Not that it practically matters much - the concept of "legal tender" only affects paying a debt. The only problem is that, when it comes to paper money, some merchants in England are reluctant to accept anything but BoE notes ... Did the Euro replace it? Christian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted February 9, 2008 Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 I wouldn't be laughing yet, With the SNP ever growing in popularity, Scotland may be using the Euro sooner than you think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwing Posted February 9, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2008 Christian I don't get it, but that's probably because I'm in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abish Posted February 10, 2008 Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 I normally leave them as tips so I don't really see the reaction, but recently I dipped into the tip money (pres. dollars) to buy myself a snack at a Safeway grocery store, and the cashier exclamed in exasperation "More? How do people keep ending up with these?" I took it as a positive sign that I am not the only person in town trying to circulate some of the odd bits of currency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwing Posted February 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2008 I normally leave them as tips so I don't really see the reaction, but recently I dipped into the tip money (pres. dollars) to buy myself a snack at a Safeway grocery store, and the cashier exclamed in exasperation "More? How do people keep ending up with these?" I took it as a positive sign that I am not the only person in town trying to circulate some of the odd bits of currency. What did you say to the cashier when he/she made that statement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abish Posted February 11, 2008 Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 I just asked if she'd been seeing a lot (at least a few every day, apparently) and told her that I got interested in coins when someone spent one I'd never seen before when I was working as a cashier. I also mentioned I used them as toothfairy money, and she got excited about that idea. So maybe there's hope that even if she wasn't corrupted into coin collecting by my efforts, she'll unwitting sucker in her kids or grandkids . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwing Posted February 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2008 I just asked if she'd been seeing a lot (at least a few every day, apparently) and told her that I got interested in coins when someone spent one I'd never seen before when I was working as a cashier. I also mentioned I used them as toothfairy money, and she got excited about that idea. So maybe there's hope that even if she wasn't corrupted into coin collecting by my efforts, she'll unwitting sucker in her kids or grandkids . Nice story! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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