Coin Non-Knowledge--Your Story?

What great stories!

I have had similar experiences. One that's slightly different: I presented two Kennedy half-dollars to a young clerk to pay for a coffee refill. She looked at them for a couple of seconds, with a quizzical expression on her face, and then asked, "Are these Canadian?" I replied, "No they're fifty-cent pieces. Legal tender in the good 'ol US of A."

Before she could say something like, "This dude doesn't look like Fiddy...", I departed, cup 'o joe in hand.

Having the worst day EVER, completely broke, my gas light was on and I was 100 miles from home with $6 cash and nothing else, no cards, no cellphone, nothing. Horrible, in tears, hideous sort of day. I walk into the 7-11 gas station, and the customer at the counter is fighting with the clerk. I think to myself "Great, just what I need today"

As I stand there, I realize the fight is over the fact that the customer is trying to buy his pack of smokes with 1900s Walking Liberty $1 coins. The clerk is insisting its not "American Money" the customer is screaming racial slurs about idiot clerks. I look at the man and ask how many of those do you have? 4 he says. I ask him if he has another $1 bill, he says yup. I then proceed to trade him my $5 for his $1 bill and $4 in 1900s Walking Liberty's.

I pocket the $4 in coins. Ask the clerk to put $1.75 on my gas pump, gas was like $0.95 a gallon and he gives me back a $0.25 - I proceed to call my husband from the pay phone and tell him hes going to have to pick me up 50 or so miles closer to home because by then I'll be out of gas running on fumes and no way am I making it home.

I still have those coins somewhere. The story is so worth telling *laughter*

That is a good story, ericalynn13.

Save these and we could publish a fun booklet, priced at 12 1/2 cents so that you have to buy at least two.

This is fun!

ericalynn -- at least your bad day ended with some great souvenirs!

I can remember driving home on nothing but fumes, finding a gas station and having to ask the clerk if he could make change for $100 before filling up. That was .... maybe 30 years ago. He checked the register drawer, said 'yes' and thanked me for asking. Hundred dollar bills were not all that common back then.

Few weeks ago at a local bank a teller asked me if I wanted some of those really large dollar coins. She said they looked real when a guy brought them in so she took them. I purchased 4 hand done rolls of 10 each of those large Silver Dollars for face value. All were Ikes but sure wish they were older ones.

I had a similar experience to Pennywise in several places, the most memorable was at Monticello. Jefferson's home in Virginia gives out crisp, new $2 bills in change and is, according to what I have read, the largest user of the least-used denomination of US currency. I used a $20 bill to buy a bottle of water and got 9 $2 bills back in change.

I am sure the local coffee shops and McDonalds are used to seeing them.

At the several gift shops and restaurant I overheard several other customers say "Can I use these back home?" or "Can I have real money instead please?". One guy told his daughter "These are just like the Disney Dollars we got last year."

The clerks all had a standard refrain that went something like "Yes, these are real US currency, you can use them anywhere."

As an aside, all of the gift shops also had various vintage coins for sale like large cents and other coins used during Jefferson's life. They also had nickel sets for sale. The nearby Montpelier, home of James Madison, also had a selection of old coins for sale in the smaller gift shop.

Way to spark interest in the hobby!