Further evidence of the death of common sense

[kgbsquirrel]

Yep.  At this point, if you are at an overseas military exchange, they round everything to the nearest nickel.  Pennies are way too expensive to transport. 

They don't transport any coinage into the sand box for use on the bases. Instead they use little plastic pogs produced by AAFES and denominated as nickles, dimes and quarters in conjunction with paper money because it's lighter to ship into the war zones.

[Scout26]

In the late 80's the DOD and USAREUR agreed to the Treasury's request and all the pennies in Europe were shipped backed to the US because of the 'shortage'.  In trade we got all the two dollar bills and Carter quarters (Susan B Anthony dollar coins).  It became a game of hot potato as to how fast you could get rid of them, once you got them as change.  People (Especially the German places off-post that took US currency, which was almost all of them in Baumholder) would just look at you like "Dude, you're really going to do me like that?"  when you would hand them a two dollar bill or a couple of SBAD's.

Favorite thing to do was rip and then tape the Two's.  Then they would get taken out of circulation.  SPAD's just got chunked into the the nearest pop machine on post.

[KD5NRH]

Nickels, at last check, have 7¢ worth of nickel in them.

Unless they're the 1942-1945 ones; those have $2 worth of silver in them.  And watch for those pre-65 dimes; over $2.60 at current rates. 

[red headed stranger]

They don't transport any coinage into the sand box for use on the bases. Instead they use little plastic pogs produced by AAFES and denominated as nickles, dimes and quarters in conjunction with paper money because it's lighter to ship into the war zones.

I had seen a few of those, but they weren't in wide use where I was (Korea, Japan, Guam).  

In the late 80's the DOD and USAREUR agreed to the Treasury's request and all the pennies in Europe were shipped backed to the US because of the 'shortage'.  In trade we got all the two dollar bills and Carter quarters (Susan B Anthony dollar coins).  It became a game of hot potato as to how fast you could get rid of them, once you got them as change.  People (Especially the German places off-post that took US currency, which was almost all of them in Baumholder) would just look at you like "Dude, you're really going to do me like that?"  when you would hand them a two dollar bill or a couple of SBAD's.

Favorite thing to do was rip and then tape the Two's.  Then they would get taken out of circulation.  SPAD's just got chunked into the the nearest pop machine on post.

When AAFES started using the Sacagewea Dollars, the cashiers got a lot of flack from the retirees that "didn't want no fake money."  

The dollar coins would be a lot more popular if more vending machine companies set up their machines to accept them.  

[roo_ster]

The dollar coins would be a lot more popular if we were allowed to beat dollar coin boosters and penny-killers silly using sacks full of them, Sacajewia or no.

There, that's about right.