Coin slots

While in Europe something I always noticed but never really gave much thought about was the fact that the equivalent of the dollar bill was always a coin in the foreign currency. Even $2 is a coin. It made one really have to pay attention to the coins unlike in the US where most people I know, self included, quite frequently empty our pockets of all coins into a tin or bowl or if small enough into the tip jar. We just don't like carrying coins. They weigh down our pocket or purse and fact of the matter is most wallets (at least male ones) don't even come with a coin pocket. In Europe, they are quite accustomed to it and all wallets not only accomodate the different paper-note sizes but most have a coin pocket too. How nice. I never got one, still may never for preference reasons.

I'd occasionally think, though, why is this the case? Paper bills are easier to deal with and carry and they make the strip club more entertaining. Isn't it much more expensive in materials and process to have a metallic coin than a paper note? Still, never gave it much thought. After discovering that there's a government group that's been proposing the same thing here I was compelled to understand why by way of reading the summary. In short, the crux of it is that coins are more durable and don't need to be replaced as often. This makes some sense actually figuring that the dollar bill is the most circulated bill and therefore the most worn out. These days it's practically treated as disposable isn't it? I had no idea that bills have a typical usable life-span that was so short (less than 2 years for old bills, 4 years for new ones).

I wouldn't really object to the notion of replacing these bills by coins. I'm sure the bulk of the US citizenry will be up in arms for the inconvenience or one reason or other and of course it will soon devolve into some evil conspiracy to make the US a socialist/communist nation and some other plot to embed microchips into the coins to keep tabs on you and yours by the New World Order. But as for me, I would only ask that if they do it they bring back that Silver Dollar, not these quarter-sized ones. There's something pleasing to me about a big coin, maybe that's why casino's still use them. I still have a couple saved from when I was a kid.