28 Jun
2019
28 Jun
'19
9:57 a.m.
> I saw this half-dollar sized plastic fob on the
desk and asked what it
> was for.
On Fri, 28 Jun 2019, Liam Proven via cctalk wrote:
If I may just say -- only about 5% of humanity know
how big that is. I
don't. I don't even know if a half a dollar is a note or a coin, and
that's without getting extra-pedantic and pointing out that about a
dozen countries call their currencies the "dollar".
:-(
Oh, FAR FAR FAR less than 5%.
Most residents of USA haven't seen a half dollar or "50 cent piece" in
decades. They are as much of an oddity as the $2 bill. They are
nominally still in circulation, most recent being JFK, but I think that
they stopped making them in 2002, and there are federal vaults full of
uncirculated pre-2002 coins. Most recent has a portrait of Kennedy.
They are 30.61mm diameter, which is the largest relatively recent
USA coin (not counting the long discontinued 38.1mm SILVER DOLLAR)
You could have just ASSUMED THAT IT WOULD BE logarithmically between a
quarter[dollar] (24.26mm) and a dollar coin (26.5mm). That would be
completely WRONG, unless you use the 38.1mm ancient "silver dollar", but
hardly a problem.
"50 pence coin" would be CLOSE ENOUGH.
Actually, for THIS purpose, "large coin" is as accurate as you need.
Just as I am not at all familiar with British currency, that hasn't
dampened my appreciation of British TV, such as Doctor Who and a variety
of Brit-coms.
"Silver dollar" used to be a large coin. (38.1mm) It was the standard for
casinos. When it was discontinued (1935), the casinos started to mint
their own chips/tokens as a replacement. There was a brief attempt to
revive the silver dollar in 1971 with the "Eisenhower Dollar".
It is quite rare that you will encounter one of the "large dollars".
The Susan B Anthony dollar (1979-1981)
http://www.smalldollars.com/
was never widely accepted, mostly because it was MUCH MUCH too close to a
quarter in size. (26.5mm V 24.26mm) Different edge milling is NOT
ENOUGH. It COULD have been widely accepted, if the gubmint were to have
given a tax incentive to have video games that took a quarter to provide
five games for a "Carter Quarter"; and the "quantity sale" would have
been so profitable that the tax incentive would only have to have been
short term.
It is quite rare that you will encounter one.
It was later replaced with the Sacajewa dollar. Same problem.
It is quite rare that you will encounter one.
Then there was a commemorative series (gold colored) of presidents of USA.
Change of COLOR is NOT ENOUGH.
It is quite rare that you will encounter one.
And, I understand that the gubmint is planning an "American innovation"
commemorative series. We are far too arrogant to learn from our mistakes.
It will be quite rare that you will encounter one.
But, the states of USA commemorative quarters were so popular that they
followed that with national parks commemorative quarters.
The quarter is the largest USA coin that you are likely to encounter
in circulation.
--
Grumpy Ol' Fred cisin at xenosoft.com