Coinage Hasn't Kept Up With Inflation

There were advantages to living back then, life was less complicated in some ways without internet, cell phones, colour TV, fax machines etc. but it also stunk with medical issues, think about all the advances in health care in the last 40 years.

You could get by on a single income then, but you got by with a lot less than you have now. You did have one car per family, not like 2-3 like now. You had one TV(B&W 2-3 channels), not 2-3(Colour, w. cable and 100+ channels)like now. The grocery selection was a lot less, stuff was priced less than now, but represented a greater portion of your income. For instance B&W TV's, like a 13" were about $100 in the mid 1960's. I have a 1975 Sears Catalog in the bookshelf that was my Grandmothers, the prices were high in there compared to what people made. Clothes, toys etc were not really that cheap by comparison to now(thanks China)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1968...ar_W0QQitemZ a href= https://www.coincommunity.com/go/link.asp?target=https://www.ebay.com/itm/-/320145966645 target= _blank rel= nofollow 320145966645 /a QQihZ011QQcategoryZ6236QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Bigger engine, power options, etc.

I'm reading the original thread, and I think we may be talking apples and oranges. I know this is three days late, but It seems to me TS is just asking why we don't have a $2 and $5 coin in essence. I am certainly not saying that our wages have kept spot on with inflation, but they have been semi directly proportional. I understand the argument of a bag of candy only being 10 cents, and also being able to buy one cent candy, but wasn't that when minimum wage was $1.35 an hour? Think about it.

While there would be some reasons to want to be brought up and raised in the 50's and 60's, people fail to realize that there were a lot of bad things going on then as well. Korean war, Vietnam conflict, gas shortages. Sure, it was the muscle car era for the gearheads, but could you have been able to afford one? They were just as affordable as a new corvette is today probably with the change in inflation. Why do you think your parents only had one car and it was a Pacer!! No internet, no ESPN, no video games except Pong, no cell phones. Although all four of those things I think need to be limited for kids these days and are not....

Regardless, I think the initial thought was why we don't have even $5 and $10 coins to keep up with the current prices of things in convenience stores etc. TS, straighten me out if I misinterpreted your original thoughts.

Yeah the great healthcare thanks to the advancement in medecine but on service if you are living in the 3rd world you will die in the waiting room especially if you dont have money even in life threatening cases or emergency.

and in other countries the first world the medecine is expensive, others go to the border for their prescrition and the medical insurance depends on what contract and to what point you are covered.

and the services in third world you can have a private room if you can afford one or transfer to one expensive hospital to the other mostly the rich one can afford that tehy are only few in those places.

bed space is not a problem in first world doesn't it?in developed countries you will not going to cue for your services in long line for their are mostly well off doesn't it?

Health care is poor in this country. Longevity is falling behind other countries because of it. Costs are totally out of control and health care is rationed. In the '40's and '50's no one had insurance but health care costs were so low it didn't matter. A few days in the hospital cost $60. There are a few more diseases that can be cured now than back then but unless you have one of those and good insurance you were better off in the days when doctors called the shots.

There's no silver in the change because inflation wiped out the value of the dollar. It would be much more convenoient for most people to have some larger denomination coins and get rid of the small stuff. We really don't need coins with a value of less than about 7c but it does need to be an even and workable number so we're stuck with the nickel for now.

It sure would be convenient for me to have some vending machines around again but these aren't very economical since people don't want to force currency into them and everything costs too much for coins.

Thank you SM.

They have different contract or plan for health insurance SM...like ,A,b,c plan when you got sick you are covered but it depends on what plans and to what amount of expenses they will cover, they will not cover serious illness that will cost them several thosands or hundred thousand for just a small amount of money they will get from their clients and spend the bulk of it to several clients that have serious illness and will consume their whole collection,I think.

That the cost of ones health is more costly than others may have thought,just for me.for in the third world they doing it as a businesss,show me the money first and I will admit you for their are countries like the Philippine change the law that it is a crime to deny a patient of services when they dont have deposit for their are hospital practicing this in the past and now was changed, its it that the pharmacetical and the medical services is costly or maybe commercialized for many if not most hospital and health insurance are now being privatise coz. others says its most effective but for me,much more costly and not a public service anymore but for PROFIT.
this days just only varies in degrees of cost only depends on which part ot the world you are base and how good is your goverment,how inflation affect those costly medicine that some are band in other countries that other are selling their houses just to have that medication ,is all those expensive medication and hospitalization are covered by the insurer or only upto what plan that they have taken,does most of the population take the highest plan or only those that the majority can afford or no plans at all.

It is also true that a recent survey or studies that young men are afraid to go for check up medication that they may discover an illness that may turn up long term for serious illness are common even few decades ago.

For me health care and services is expensive for their are reports about companies and hospital exchanging notes about people applying for insurance for they the company avoiding huge expenses for their worker that may cost bulk of money from the company.

And its also heard some report about wrong doing of health insurance from onced own by the goverment change to private and change to goverment again or in that cycle and the insurance that most of the people today may not be that great help in the future for the expense in hospital and medication is very expensive even they are covered by their plan maybe only upto a point or what plan they choose,just for me.

I just simply dont agree that inflation does not affect the health care,maybe we only go seldom to be hospitalised that insurance ease the burden only to a point and degree of illness.

"I would suggest we really don't need coins less than 10¢ now, the dime having the purchasing power of a 1960's cent."


I agree, except it's necessary to have a nickel to bridge the gap between the quarter and the dime. ie- How would you get 15c change otherwise. The quarter could be eliminated but that would be extremely expensive to waste all the effort that went into making them. And the dime is an unwieldy coin for older people because of its small size.

Hence the best solution is eliminate the cent, switch the nickel to aluminum, and circulate a $1 coin. When people get used to it then introduce a two and five dollar coin as well.

Of course the $1 bill has to go.