Getting the Public to Use Half Dollars and Dollars
 

What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

I think the following would work:

1. End production of Kennedy halves in 2004. The last year should have a
special date, 1964-2004. Starting in 2005, the half dollar would have a
portrait of Martin Luther King on the obverse. The words "United States
of America" would be in big letters above the portrait. The word
"Liberty" would be in smaller letters positioned on the obverse. On the
reverse, there would be the rendering of the Liberty Bell that was on
the reverse of the Franklin halves. Above the Liberty Bell would be the
words "Let Freedom Ring."

2. Starting in 2005, remove the portrait of Sacagawea from the dollar
coin. Replace it with a portrait of John F. Kennedy. The design of the
Kennedy dollar coin would have a new portrait. The reverse would remain
the same as the current Kennedy half.

We would then have MLK Halves and Kennedy Golden Dollars.

Changing the designs would only encourage hoarding by the public. It will
have no effect whatsoever on whether or not businesses order the coins to
use in regular transactions, which is an inherent cause of these coins NOT
circulating.




"Ami ." wrote in message
...
What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

I think the following would work:

1. End production of Kennedy halves in 2004. The last year should have a
special date, 1964-2004. Starting in 2005, the half dollar would have a
portrait of Martin Luther King on the obverse. The words "United States
of America" would be in big letters above the portrait. The word
"Liberty" would be in smaller letters positioned on the obverse. On the
reverse, there would be the rendering of the Liberty Bell that was on
the reverse of the Franklin halves. Above the Liberty Bell would be the
words "Let Freedom Ring."

2. Starting in 2005, remove the portrait of Sacagawea from the dollar
coin. Replace it with a portrait of John F. Kennedy. The design of the
Kennedy dollar coin would have a new portrait. The reverse would remain
the same as the current Kennedy half.

We would then have MLK Halves and Kennedy Golden Dollars.

I think the dollar coin should copy the British One Pound coin. It's a
small, thick little fella, and cannot be mistaken for anything else. It's
about U.S. dime sized but perhaps five to eight times as thick, made of a
golden colored metal, as I recall (haven't been in london for a decade so
things may have changed).

--K

p.s. Speaking of British, just saw 'Master and Commander'. Excellent
flick. Russel Crowe (sp?) rocks.

"Ami ." wrote in message
...
What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

I think the following would work:

1. End production of Kennedy halves in 2004. The last year should have a
special date, 1964-2004. Starting in 2005, the half dollar would have a
portrait of Martin Luther King on the obverse. The words "United States
of America" would be in big letters above the portrait. The word
"Liberty" would be in smaller letters positioned on the obverse. On the
reverse, there would be the rendering of the Liberty Bell that was on
the reverse of the Franklin halves. Above the Liberty Bell would be the
words "Let Freedom Ring."

2. Starting in 2005, remove the portrait of Sacagawea from the dollar
coin. Replace it with a portrait of John F. Kennedy. The design of the
Kennedy dollar coin would have a new portrait. The reverse would remain
the same as the current Kennedy half.

We would then have MLK Halves and Kennedy Golden Dollars.

Ami . wrote:

What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

The designs don't matter, the utility does.

Or, make use of Gresham's Law and give the other denominations some
real value by adding silver and copper, and suddenly people will
gladly spend the halves and dollar coins.

"Keith Fletcher" wrote in message
...
I think the dollar coin should copy the British One Pound coin. It's a
small, thick little fella, and cannot be mistaken for anything else. It's
about U.S. dime sized but perhaps five to eight times as thick, made of a
golden colored metal, as I recall (haven't been in london for a decade so
things may have changed).


Yes, they are made of brass.

You must remember that there was a lot of initial resistance to the new coin
in the UK. The method to get it accepted was to stop printing the one pound
banknote. Would the US Government be able to stop printing the dollar note?
(Physically, yeah--but politically?)

--
Mike Dworetsky

--K

p.s. Speaking of British, just saw 'Master and Commander'. Excellent
flick. Russel Crowe (sp?) rocks.

"Ami ." wrote in message
...
What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

I think the following would work:

1. End production of Kennedy halves in 2004. The last year should have a
special date, 1964-2004. Starting in 2005, the half dollar would have a
portrait of Martin Luther King on the obverse. The words "United States
of America" would be in big letters above the portrait. The word
"Liberty" would be in smaller letters positioned on the obverse. On the
reverse, there would be the rendering of the Liberty Bell that was on
the reverse of the Franklin halves. Above the Liberty Bell would be the
words "Let Freedom Ring."

2. Starting in 2005, remove the portrait of Sacagawea from the dollar
coin. Replace it with a portrait of John F. Kennedy. The design of the
Kennedy dollar coin would have a new portrait. The reverse would remain
the same as the current Kennedy half.

We would then have MLK Halves and Kennedy Golden Dollars.

how about we just eliminate the half altogether since it is almost totally
unused in commerce except by some casinos.

tweaking the pictures on the coins is not a good idea. even though both are
bad choices IMO, the current design of the $1 coin should remain the same,
just for continuity. you can't keep changing it hoping that someone will
decide to use it because of a new face. it just ain't gonna happen unless
they remove the $1 FRN from circulation, and the cost of that would be very
high.

"Ami ." wrote in message
...
What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

I think the following would work:

1. End production of Kennedy halves in 2004. The last year should have a
special date, 1964-2004. Starting in 2005, the half dollar would have a
portrait of Martin Luther King on the obverse. The words "United States
of America" would be in big letters above the portrait. The word
"Liberty" would be in smaller letters positioned on the obverse. On the
reverse, there would be the rendering of the Liberty Bell that was on
the reverse of the Franklin halves. Above the Liberty Bell would be the
words "Let Freedom Ring."

2. Starting in 2005, remove the portrait of Sacagawea from the dollar
coin. Replace it with a portrait of John F. Kennedy. The design of the
Kennedy dollar coin would have a new portrait. The reverse would remain
the same as the current Kennedy half.

We would then have MLK Halves and Kennedy Golden Dollars.

"Keith Fletcher" wrote in message
...
I think the dollar coin should copy the British One Pound coin. It's a
small, thick little fella, and cannot be mistaken for anything else. It's
about U.S. dime sized but perhaps five to eight times as thick, made of a
golden colored metal, as I recall (haven't been in london for a decade so
things may have changed).

but then it would not fit into any current coin slot. really bad idea.


--K

p.s. Speaking of British, just saw 'Master and Commander'. Excellent
flick. Russel Crowe (sp?) rocks.

"Ami ." wrote in message
...
What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

I think the following would work:

1. End production of Kennedy halves in 2004. The last year should have a
special date, 1964-2004. Starting in 2005, the half dollar would have a
portrait of Martin Luther King on the obverse. The words "United States
of America" would be in big letters above the portrait. The word
"Liberty" would be in smaller letters positioned on the obverse. On the
reverse, there would be the rendering of the Liberty Bell that was on
the reverse of the Franklin halves. Above the Liberty Bell would be the
words "Let Freedom Ring."

2. Starting in 2005, remove the portrait of Sacagawea from the dollar
coin. Replace it with a portrait of John F. Kennedy. The design of the
Kennedy dollar coin would have a new portrait. The reverse would remain
the same as the current Kennedy half.

We would then have MLK Halves and Kennedy Golden Dollars.

Keith Fletcher wrote:

I think the dollar coin should copy the British One Pound coin. It's a
small, thick little fella, and cannot be mistaken for anything else. It's
about U.S. dime sized but perhaps five to eight times as thick, made of a
golden colored metal, as I recall (haven't been in london for a decade so
things may have changed).

Well, the differences are not quite as drastic ;-) The UK 1 pound coin
is 22.5 mm in diameter, ie. closer to the US quarter than to the dime.
And yes, it looks and feels thick but it is "only" about twice as thick
as the dime or the quarter (3.15 vs 1.35/1.75 mm) ...

Pretty handy indeed. But I find it hard to imagine that, after two
dollar coin "test runs" that more or less failed, yet another dollar
coin with different specifications could be introduced.

Christian

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 17:22:06 -0500, Steve Okonski
wrote:

Ami . wrote:

What are your ideas on getting the public to widely use half dollar and
dollar coins in everyday transactions?

The designs don't matter, the utility does.

Or, make use of Gresham's Law and give the other denominations some
real value by adding silver and copper, and suddenly people will
gladly spend the halves and dollar coins.

Um. How will that work? There are plenty of silver halves out there
now that no one spends. Dollars too. Not to mention all those eagles
and fractions.

Padraic.

la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu
ast meiyoer ke 'l andrext ben trasfu.

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 15:33:39 -0600 (CST), (Ami .)
wrote:

We would then have MLK Halves and Kennedy Golden Dollars.

moan! Just what we need, recycled coin designs!

Padraic.

la cieurgeourea provoer mal trasfu
ast meiyoer ke 'l andrext ben trasfu.