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submitted 8 months ago by JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world to c/til@lemmy.world
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[-] PwnTra1n@lemmy.world 59 points 8 months ago

These aren’t rare or unseen. All legal US money

[-] WolfLink@lemmy.ml 38 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

These aren’t rare in the sense that everybody has one they keep as a collectible. If I went down to 7/11 and tried to buy something with it they’d give me a funny look.

[-] PwnTra1n@lemmy.world 55 points 8 months ago

no they wouldnt. its money. i work at a gas station we get these all the time

[-] Transporter_Room_3@startrek.website 45 points 8 months ago

I have a friend who works at a bank, and when he was a teller there was a guy who would come in every friday and exchange 500 in dollar coins of varying types, the little brass colored ones here, the silver looking ones, and also 50 cent pieces.

They didn't carry that much at any time because nobody really brings them in so they had to start special ordering them for this one guy. Every week.

No idea what he uses them for, but either he's got a shitload of them, or he makes it hail at strip clubs.

[-] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 31 points 8 months ago

No idea what he uses them for,

Let's say you want to buy a computer. You could, like a boring person, go to Best Buy and purchase a computer for 800 bucks on a credit card. Or you could dress up like a pirate with 800 gold doubloons in a sack, and slam that shit on the counter during checkout.

[-] darklamer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 8 months ago

At today's gold prices, 800 US dollars is just one single small gold coin. A classic 1 oz Krugerrand coin is currently worth more than 2,000 US dollars.

[-] Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 14 points 8 months ago

He was referring to using the sack of dollar coins as if they were gold doubloons, not actual gold coins.

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[-] TheOneAndOnly@lemm.ee 14 points 8 months ago

Likely owns a vending machine business. They're easier to return than a handful of quarters if someone uses a 5 dollar bill to buy something for a buck and change.

[-] swab148@startrek.website 2 points 8 months ago

I'd put money on it being one of those "Twice the Ice" vending machines, all of my dollar coins come from either that or the ticket thing at the train station.

[-] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

My guess is that he runs something that needs to give automated change. Vending machines, car washes, arcades, etc… Basically, if someone puts a $20 into the car wash but only wants a $10 wash, it’s easy to just dispense ten $1 coins as change.

Coin handlers are mechanically very easy. Coins don’t vary in size and shape, so it’s easy to automatically detect which coins have been inserted, dispense change, and reject coins that don’t match. Paper money sorters are much more complicated, and more prone to failure.

[-] HakFoo@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 8 months ago

50 cent coins contained silver for a few years longer than dimes and quarters. So you have a slightly better chance of finding a silver coin worth a few dollars in a roll of halves. It's free gambling for numismatists.

Source: I ask for the occasional roll of halves.

My grandfather used to do this with nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollar pieces. When he passed I got the "random coins" that were literally all years prior to the change in materials.

No idea how much it's all worth but it's in the back of a closet somewhere.

I guess this didn't occur to me because the guy also got the regular brass ones, which don't have any value above face value to my knowledge. They didn't contain actual gold at any point.

I would have thought people would have collected/sold the silver ones out of circulation by now.

[-] Mouselemming@sh.itjust.works 2 points 8 months ago

It would be cool to make a mural with them

[-] brian@programming.dev 4 points 8 months ago

fwiw I've personally had cashiers refuse to accept them since they didn't think they were real. not sure how common that is tho, especially now

[-] BakerBagel@midwest.social 18 points 8 months ago

The vending machine at my job gives change in dollar coins, and the Ohio turnpike does the same. They are fairly common, just people dont like to handle change is all.

[-] Spiralvortexisalie@lemmy.world 2 points 8 months ago

I recall in NYC for a while, dollar coins were known as metrocard change from when they first started installing the Metrocard Vending Machines.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 18 points 8 months ago

Thank you; I didn’t know that. You do have a rather big country and I still sort of wonder if it is universally recognized. Again, just going by never having seen them in movies. Maybe United Statesians aren’t just fictional characters in movies. We’ll never know.

[-] Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works 16 points 8 months ago

United Statesians

You can just say American.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

No offense intended. I have been to a lot of countries in the Americas and the US (despite being rather big) is not really a place I go to. So when I specify like that, it is from my own experience (and—you know—actual geography and stuff) and I am a little bit sorry to have apparently offended.

Edit: that sounded sarcastic because it was a bit, but really, I didn’t intend to offend. Sorry, let’s be friends.

[-] Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works 14 points 8 months ago

It's not about offence, it's about how ridiculous it sounds.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 16 points 8 months ago

My friend, I am open to suggestions. “American” with like 100-ish countries in it doesn’t really narrow it down for me. Peace and love and all that stuff.

[-] Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works 14 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Mate, there is literally only one country with America in it's name.

Furthermore in a 2 continent Americas model, there is no other peoples American could refer to because the people from the continents are either North American or South American.

Shit if anything, United Statesians could refer to the United Mexican States. So you're making it confusing when it wasn't before.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 13 points 8 months ago

My friend, I used words with no intention to offend nor dive into pedantry. I am sorry you find it worth going on about. “America”. There, take it. Please have a good rest of your day, friend.

[-] Deceptichum@sh.itjust.works 8 points 8 months ago
[-] spacecowboy@sh.itjust.works 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You are fuckin ridiculous, you silly United Statesian. This whole exchange is a great example of why most of the world laughs at you.

Edit: I noticed you said “mate” up there. If you aren’t even from the USA this is even more embarrassing for you.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

You only have 5 accounts? Commoner. Anyway, thanks.

Edit: Oh, 10 accounts now. Keep downvoting as if anyone cares. Surely you are popular and respected in real life. You know; that thing.

[-] voodooattack@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

How about ‘Muricans?

Edit: /s

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 6 points 8 months ago

That has negatively built in and I truly didn’t want to offend. But! Given some of these comments, maybe “snowflakes” is the neutral term I should use.

[-] delirious_owl@discuss.online 3 points 8 months ago

Strong agree. For some reason theres a lot of weird US Americans want to claim the word America for their country only. Its silly, ignorant, and rude.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 3 points 8 months ago

Honestly, I’m indifferent about it. I’m not a nationalist. Call yourselves whatever you want.

[-] delirious_owl@discuss.online 3 points 8 months ago

Its not about Nationalism. Its about geography.

When you say somethin like "America had had more than one mass shooting on average last year", you annoy most Americans, who dont have these problems that are specific to the US.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

Most people are able to infer—by context—that someone saying “America” means US if the topic is the US. They are—to some extent—colloquially interchange, given context. I just didn’t say it myself because it isn’t normal nor natural here. Again, sorry to everyone hung up on my phrasing because it’s a non-issue as far as I’m concerned. Call yourselves and think of yourselves as whatever you want. You have my blessing and approval.

[-] Letstakealook@lemm.ee 3 points 8 months ago

Because it's been used that way in English to refer to people living in a specific region (now the US) since the 17th century. Now non-native English speakers are trying to force a change and (rather hilariously) have started taking offense to it. Really must be a blessed life if that's something worth bitching about.

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[-] justJanne@startrek.website 14 points 8 months ago

In some languages, it's actually common to say US-American to clearly specify what is meant.

[-] delirious_owl@discuss.online 5 points 8 months ago

America includes hundrets of nation States, most of which do not use the US Dollar.

[-] PwnTra1n@lemmy.world 13 points 8 months ago

yeah we still mostly use dollar bills but we do have dollar coins and have had dollar coins in circulation for a long while predating these versions even.

[-] JimVanDeventer@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago

It’s so cool to me. I wonder if I am the only one not from US who finds this a bit mind blowing. What other secrets are you keeping?

[-] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 17 points 8 months ago

We also have a two dollar bill that is rarely seen. So rare in fact that I’ve read stories of cashiers calling the cops on someone because they don’t even realize it’s legal tender.

[-] yngmnwntr@lemmy.ml 9 points 8 months ago

In Portland Oregon (most strip clubs per capita in the country) it is traditional to use $2 bills instead of singles. It is extremely common to see two dollar bills in Oregon, I would bet a majority of two's in circulation stay in the PNW.

[-] ABCDE@lemmy.world 4 points 8 months ago

Here in Cambodia we have a dual currency system: you can pay in dollars or riel and get your change in a mixture of currencies.

The $2 note is seen in businesses, especially money changing ones (from dollar to riel or vice versa), on display as a good luck sign.

[-] scottywh@lemmy.world 9 points 8 months ago

Lol... I've only ever seen the Sacajawea coin in the US.

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