Wow, new $1 coins go into circulation today...and I never heard a peep. Is this news to everyone else, too? I wouldn't have even known if I hadn't spent a little extra time reading the news today. The new coins will feature George Washington, and later issues will have the face of succeeding Presidents on them, continuing well into the next decade.

I personally like using coins, but people seem really resistant to using $1 coins. Granted, the Susan B. Anthony's were easily confused with quarters, but the gold-colored Sacagawea $1 coins seemed like a nicely identifiable coin. I thought it was a shame that that the Sacagawea's were a flop.

From a preparedness standpoint, one could argue the merits of having rolls of $1 coins for emergency use rather than paper $1 bills (for small purchases when power and phones are out, so no ATM's or credit cards). The coins are heavier in case you need to bug out with them, obviously, but besides that, they're impervious to water damage, completely durable, you can bury them as they are, I think they could survive a house fire, etc. Well, having said that, I do not have a stash of Sacagawea coins anywhere, so I haven't exactly put my money where my mouth is. (Sorry, early morning pun <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> )

Anyway, just an interesting tidbit of news I ran across today. If someone tries to give you a $1 George Washington coin today, you'll know it's actually real money. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />