Penny pinching: Can Obama kill the one-cent coin?

[Malthus]

No, I'm replying to a guy who doesn't like using cash at all, except for " ... a $20 bill or two" as an emergency stash for places that are cash-only where his credit card is no good. I said nothing whatsoever about dollar coins having "no impact on those who prefer to use dollar bills to dollar coins". That's something you invented. Even you should understand that labelling something I've not said as a "misapprehension" is a misapprehension on your part, not on mine. 

I can't imagine many are going to be carrying a couple of individual dollar bills as an emergency stash.

I think you misunderstand the "guy" and so imagine poorly.

Yeah, I'm much worse off going by what he actually posted rather than by your imagination as to what I've posted.

[alfred russel]

They are useful for the sort of applications one tends to use single dollars for - tips, and vending machines of all sorts. Dollar bills (in the US, and when we had 'em) are often so worn that the machine just spits 'em out.

But more importantly, they mean the bills actually in your wallet are the valuable stuff while the change in your pocket or coin pouch is the small stuff you use for truly minor transactions.

Think of it in reverse - if you hate coins so much, why not get rid of 'em altogether and have 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 25 cent bills? Because, I suspect, you would find them filling your wallet, making it thick like a telephone book, and making it hard to quickly find more valuable bills.

As far as I'm concerned, get rid of the penny, nickel, and maybe even dime altogether.

I think the fact is that some of us (Garbon and I) don't have coin pouches. This whole thing can probably be summarized as if there are dollar coins we will need to carry coin pouches.

[mongers]

Please, make a list?

The one obvious advantage is that 12 has more factors than 10 does.

Is that the right word, factors?  Been a while.  Or is it divisors?

This is somewhat useful if you are doing carpentry by hand.

Even there...
-"Move 1/2"
- Back 1/4
- 3/8
- ok we got it.

Now, with metric:
- Move 3mm to the left.
- Done.

An argument I've seen advance for base 12, was that it was easier to use where no plan existed of what was being built and most parts of it were constructed as a proportion of other components of the structure.
For example some of the medieval cathedrals, though one does find it hard to believe that at least some of them didn't have a plan.

[garbon]

They are useful for the sort of applications one tends to use single dollars for - tips, and vending machines of all sorts. Dollar bills (in the US, and when we had 'em) are often so worn that the machine just spits 'em out.

Say what now? Point taken on vending machines but tips? I don't see why a coin would be preferable there.

But more importantly, they mean the bills actually in your wallet are the valuable stuff while the change in your pocket or coin pouch is the small stuff you use for truly minor transactions.

Dollars are not valuable?

Think of it in reverse - if you hate coins so much, why not get rid of 'em altogether and have 1 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 25 cent bills? Because, I suspect, you would find them filling your wallet, making it thick like a telephone book, and making it hard to quickly find more valuable bills.

Actually in either form they'd be fairly useless. Unless you are saying the dollar (and the 2-dollar) are on the same useless scale, not sure why you'd dollar denominations turned into coins.

[Neil]

Dollars are not valuable?

Not especially.

[garbon]

I think the fact is that some of us (Garbon and I) don't have coin pouches. This whole thing can probably be summarized as if there are dollar coins we will need to carry coin pouches.

Which would be obnoxious.

[Neil]

I think the fact is that some of us (Garbon and I) don't have coin pouches. This whole thing can probably be summarized as if there are dollar coins we will need to carry coin pouches.

Pockets?

Do you guys carry a lot of singles on you?

[garbon]

I think the fact is that some of us (Garbon and I) don't have coin pouches. This whole thing can probably be summarized as if there are dollar coins we will need to carry coin pouches.

Pockets?

Do you guys carry a lot of singles on you?

Coins can easily fall out of one's pockets - especially when one is taking items out like a wallet or phone.

Oh and as I said, I currently have 15 ones in my wallet all that I got while out at bars.

[mongers]

I think the fact is that some of us (Garbon and I) don't have coin pouches. This whole thing can probably be summarized as if there are dollar coins we will need to carry coin pouches.

Pockets?

Do you guys carry a lot of singles on you?

Coins can easily fall out of one's pockets - especially when one is taking items out like a wallet or phone.

Oh and as I said, I currently have 15 ones in my wallet all that I got while out at bars.

I partially solve that about a quarter of a century ago, 35mm film cannister are ideal for containing up to fivers worth of change and being somewhat rounded have the advantage of helping to preserve suit or pants pockets.   

[Neil]

I think the fact is that some of us (Garbon and I) don't have coin pouches. This whole thing can probably be summarized as if there are dollar coins we will need to carry coin pouches.

Pockets?

Do you guys carry a lot of singles on you?

Coins can easily fall out of one's pockets - especially when one is taking items out like a wallet or phone.

Oh and as I said, I currently have 15 ones in my wallet all that I got while out at bars.

Coins don't really fall out of your pocket though.  I think you might be doing it wrong.

At any rate, it's all pointless anyways.  Cashless is the way of the future.

[Admiral Yi]

Only time stuff falls out of my pockets is when I'm taking my ease on the barcolounger.

There are probably 15 cigarette lighters in its inner recesses.

[Eddie Teach]

At any rate, it's all pointless anyways.  Cashless is the way of the future.

And coins are the way of the distant past, when their value was the same as the metal contained within.

[mongers]

Only time stuff falls out of my pockets is when I'm taking my ease on the barcolounger.

There are probably 15 cigarette lighters in its inner recesses.

Tip, you many want to cut back on the amount of smoking you do in that chair. 

I can see the headlines now:

Man immolates self in butane death trap chair.

[Admiral Yi]

Tip, you many want to cut back on the amount of smoking you do in that chair. 

Tip, cigarette lighters don't teleport themselves out of pockets when you're not smoking.

[mongers]

Tip, you many want to cut back on the amount of smoking you do in that chair. 

Tip, cigarette lighters don't teleport themselves out of pockets when you're not smoking.

Yeah, but you've already set the trap.  :tickingtimebomb: