How About Returning The Eagle For Circulation?

Here is something that maybe even Fox and I can agree on! How about restarting production of Eagles and related coins?

Eventually I am sure that the cent and nickel are going to be abandoned or reduced to just produced in collector sets. Once that happens the quarter can go away too. Reduce the size of the half and dollar coins and "small coinage" would consist of the dime, half and dollar.

Get rid of small paper currency one or two denominations at a time, starting with the one and two dollar bills and then in time the $5 and $10.

Replace the smaller bills with Eagle coinage, a $2.50 Quarter Eagle, then a $5 Half Eagle, $10 Eagle and later on a $20 Double Eagle. These coins can be introduced one at a time over a period of a few years as similar bills are withdrawn.

I suggest each coin have a unique shape and color. Do things like a 7 flat-sides coin, one can have petals, another could be a curved triangle and perhaps one could have alternating mill and flat edges. Use versions of gold and silver colored plated steel or nickel alloys and mix in bimetallic patterns.

Designs should have Eagles on the reverse. While I prefer Liberty designs on the obverse I am afraid that the politicians will insist on presidents or other political figures.

This would result in a total of 7 circulation coins, although I suspect the Double Eagle would not circulate much. I also do not think that any type of precious metals would be used although I would love to see a real silver coin available at face value.

Imagine a Half Dollar sized sized Double Eagle made of 90% silver, a Quarter sized Eagle and a dime sized Half Eagle... Of course the sizes and shapes would have to be different enough to separate them from the current coin sizes.

(Canada makes a $20 silver coin about the size of a quarter as a collector coin sold at face value, I suspect the silver content is worth about $3 or $4 these days.)

Now I also suspect that coins will likely be obsolete before Congress ever agrees on any substantial reform of our circulation coins and currency so the whole thing is probably moot but it is fun to discuss and dream.