WDW to help US Mint circulate new $1 coins

[OogieBoogie]

The Disney blog is reporting that WDW has partnered with the U.S. Mint to participate in the circulation of new 2009 Native American $1 coins.

The front of the coin shows a Native American woman planting seeds and says United States of America $1 on the back.

The website also states that Disney feels that the coins are more environmentality friendly than paper bills since the coins are recyclable and last longer than the $1 paper bills.

Coins will be circulated at the following sites until December 13th, 2009.

Epcot – American Adventure:

• Liberty Inn
• Fife and Drum
• Heritage Manor
• Kodak Kiosk
• AA Carts

Magic Kingdom Park:

• Columbia Harbor House
• Liberty Square Market
• Liberty Square Popcorn
• Liberty Square Hot Dog
• Liberty Square Turkey
• Sleepy Hollow
• Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
• Haunted Mansion Cart
• Heritage House
• Yankee Trader

To see the coins, please go to U.S. Mint $1 Coin Pilot Begins at Walt Disney World Disney Parks Blog

[mikelieman]

Woo Hoo! American Loonies!

[almandot]

Pocahontas won't be exchanging them at Animal Kingdom?:P

[SnorkletsMom]

cue tourist confusion in 3...2...

[Expo_Seeker40]

Typical guest reaction: "Excuse me, I don't want any public transportation tokens...I'd like some dollar bills please." o_O

[lazyboy97O]

Odd that they are only doing the Sacagawea dollars and not including the concurrent Presidential series.


Personally, I think this program is going to be a bust. Americans in general hate the dollar coin. Personally, I think that if this has any chance of succeeding it need to be coupled with use of the $2 bill. Americans, in my experience will refuse a single dollar coin, and up to four for a single transaction is only going to be worse.

[longears]

I don't know that I'd want to have to carry them with on vacation. As a guy, gathering any coins on vacation can lead to a serious storgae and weight issue. Anymore than 4 makes me wory they'll fall out of my pocket. The coins are more durable, but bills are easier to carry.

[ni_teach]

Originally Posted by OogieBoogie

American $1 coins.

That trick never works!

[Mr. Bungle]

I'd rather not carry coins.

[MarkTwain]

Originally Posted by lazyboy97O

Odd that they are only doing the Sacagawea dollars and not including the concurrent Presidential series.


Personally, I think this program is going to be a bust. Americans in general hate the dollar coin. Personally, I think that if this has any chance of succeeding it need to be coupled with use of the $2 bill. Americans, in my experience will refuse a single dollar coin, and up to four for a single transaction is only going to be worse.

It's funny; I happen to visit Canada every now and again, and up there $1 and $2 coins are used completely interchangably with bills and change. It's kind of nice, because if you think you've run out of small bills, you can check your coins and leave a tip that way, haha. But as other posters have said, the large coins start weighing down your wallet fast.

Americans seem to like the idea of dollars on bills, and cents on coins - it's just a cultural difference, and there's nothing wrong with that. I personally don't know why the mint is trying so hard to get the $1 coin to catch on (except maybe to help Canadian tourists feel less disoriented), but if they can get it to catch on, then more power to them.

[PeoplemoverMatt]

Yeah I gotta go with the size & weight problems here. Coins just weigh so much more than bills do that sometimes it's difficult for me to comprehend how countries more adept at using coins (like every country in the world besides the USA) can operate, but maybe they just don't know the difference?

I was kinda confused by one of the pros being that coins are recyclable. $1 bills being paper somehow are not recyclable? Since when are we recycling any form of money? None of that really makes any sense.

Also consider that the additional size & weight is bad not only for the guests, but for the park as well. Think about all those dollar coins that have to be counted & accounted for on a daily basis. No bank's going to want to take them in a deposit, so they really can't go anywhere besides into guests' pockets as change. It makes it very difficult for a Resort, which will now have thousands of them to deal with, to get rid of them. Then multiply that times infinity if they want all businesses to deal with dollar coins, and it becomes a rather large problem.

So yes this not a very smart thing to do & no amount of "Americans should do it too!" is any kind of solution to all the problems this creates.

[Mr. Bungle]

The mint is pushing dollar coins because of manufacturing costs or something like that. Or maybe that was the "eliminate the penny" folks.

[flynnibus]

in europe I have coins that go all the way up to the equivalent of $4

I hate it because coins are much easier to lose and are more annoying to carry. And in this case, losing a coin or two is big money!!

I think the smallest paper bill I've seen in Norway is 50NOK which is about $9. Everything below that is coin.

But in the same regard, they don't mess around with 'cents' like we do. Prices are basically full divisible amounts in 95/100 cases. So no more '1.99' crap. It's 2 bucks, including tax.

[Mr. Bungle]

Yeah, if we had something like VAT included in prices (but states each have their own tax %) and them ending in easily divisible numbers, then having dollar coins and such would make more sense. As it stands, with all the .99, .88, etc. prices, that's too many coins.

[MarkTwain]

Originally Posted by PeoplemoverMatt

...

I was kinda confused by one of the pros being that coins are recyclable. $1 bills being paper somehow are not recyclable? Since when are we recycling any form of money? None of that really makes any sense.

...

By "recyclable," they are referring to the fact that a bill doesn't usually last more than a year, from changing hands and getting folded so much. So, the mint is always having to print new ones, which gets expensive, unlike coins, which can last decades.