First of all let me say thanks to everybody who responded to this thread, very cool of you.
I don't think so. TPTB already have a gazillion other ways in which to get that point across. Why spend money inventing a coin to do it ?
Now Kayem I'm on the fence just as much as the next person but it's not like they're actually spending money. It's all budgeted, and they get
bigger budgets if they produce more coins. The years the US mint does not produce dollar coins their budgets decrease.
Also, money is the one thing all people use every day, from kids to grownups and even the homeless. Everytime you get a Susan B. or a Sacagawea what
do you think?
"Ah crap I got one of these things?"
WHen you get a kennedy half?
"Hey cool a kennedy."
It's all psychological.
Basementaddix mentioned he thought the quarters had been minted to spur on collectors and that's true and it has.
The mint is more than capable of designing a coin collecters want and consumers embrace. Collecters don't want the SBAs or the Sacagaweas and
neither do consumers.
New Jefferson nickels are about to hit the streets celebrating the Louisianna Purchase. The monticello is gone on the reverse. Two new designs will
be issued and the coin geeks are all a buzz. The old coins are being snatched up and new rolls purchased in advance.
This next bit is for Skadi and anybody else who cares:
The indian head/buffalo nickel minted from 1913 to 1938 (I think) is considered one of the quintisential american coins. Whitey did really bad things
to the indians and yeesh, lets not even talk about the buffalo and this coin was made before any woman involved in establishing the colonies was given
homage.
Not that the Native Americans don't deserve something, a coin seems kind of like a slap in the face though.
"Sorry for the dirty blankets, the crappy land, the alcoholism, rape and slaughter. Put one of ya on a nickel though. We even?"
Spiderj