Change over to Metric

[agentsteel53]

A $5 coin would probably work, but we're so much further down the path of electronic transfers with every passing day, that it seems like a bit of a boondoggle at this point.

that reminds me that before 1933, the US had gold coins up to $20 denomination in regular issue, and even a few $50 coins made during the California Gold Rush. 



I'm not sure what the circulating status of that $50 was.  I have heard it worked more like an ingot, as an item of ensured weight and fineness, that just happened to have a denomination on it.

that said: given that $50 is two and a half ounces of gold, roughly, or about $3600 current dollars (!) - that's a coin I wouldn't casually toss into the center console.

[formulanone]

Oh yeah, we even had 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 20 dollar coins, all in gold.

The one-dollar gold piece was quite small, the three coincided with the 3-cent piece (stamps used to be three cents), but the 4 dollar (the "stella") piece was one of those curiosities that I have no recollection why they tried it, like the short-lived 20-cent piece.

[silverback1065]

Ive always wondered this, is gold priced in troy ounces or normal us ounces?

[mgk920]

Ive always wondered this, is gold priced in troy ounces or normal us ounces?

'Precious' metals are priced in troy ozzes (USA$1,553.00 at this typing).  OTOH, it makes more sense to me when the price is given in grams (USA$49.93/g).  (source http://www.goldprice.org )

BTW, a pre-1933 Double Eagle ($20 gold coin) has very slightly under 30 grams of gold, about $1500 at the above price (actually, USA$1497.90).  That was the coin's buying power back then!

Mike

[agentsteel53]

the 4 dollar (the "stella") piece was one of those curiosities that I have no recollection why they tried it, like the short-lived 20-cent piece.

the four-dollar and twenty-cent coins were both designed to be of identical weight to European coinage: twenty francs and one franc, respectively.

I forget who exactly came up with the $4, but the 20c was suggested by a Nevada representative, who wanted to have Nevada silver circulate internationally.  All the 20c coins were struck in Carson City.

[Alps]

Oh yeah, we even had 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 20 dollar coins, all in gold.

The one-dollar gold piece was quite small, the three coincided with the 3-cent piece (stamps used to be three cents), but the 4 dollar (the "stella") piece was one of those curiosities that I have no recollection why they tried it, like the short-lived 20-cent piece.

Actually, we never had a 2 dollar. We had the quarter eagle at $2.50.

[Road Hog]

This was in circulation for a while...

[cpzilliacus]

While I can see how Celsius might be better for colder climates (0c vs 32F), I believe Fahrenheit is much better in warmer climates (35c vs 95F).  The use of triple digits make really hot days standout more in my mind.

Also, how would the pro-metric folks handle the following (and by "handle" I mean would you keep the customary units or force those in the sport to "go metric")...

Baseball -- 90 feet between bases
Football -- 100 yard fields
Basketball -- 10 foot high baskets

Bowling* -- 60ft lanes, each board is 1-inch wide, pins are 3 lbs 6-9 ozs, all bowling balls are weighed in pounds.
*I'm throwing this one in because I am an active league bowler... would I have to look for 6.80388 kg (15 lb) bowling balls if we went metric?

Personally, I say just leave things as is.

I have no problem with sports retaining Imperial units of measure.

[mgk920]

While I can see how Celsius might be better for colder climates (0c vs 32F), I believe Fahrenheit is much better in warmer climates (35c vs 95F).  The use of triple digits make really hot days standout more in my mind.

Also, how would the pro-metric folks handle the following (and by "handle" I mean would you keep the customary units or force those in the sport to "go metric")...

Baseball -- 90 feet between bases
Football -- 100 yard fields
Basketball -- 10 foot high baskets

Bowling* -- 60ft lanes, each board is 1-inch wide, pins are 3 lbs 6-9 ozs, all bowling balls are weighed in pounds.
*I'm throwing this one in because I am an active league bowler... would I have to look for 6.80388 kg (15 lb) bowling balls if we went metric?

Personally, I say just leave things as is.

I have no problem with sports retaining Imperial units of measure.

In fact, the international fútbol guys tried to 'hard-metricate' the dimensions of a regulation field several decades ago (remember, that game, like many others played Worldwide, was developed in the UK) and determined that to change the various dimensions, including the height and width of the goals, from hard yards to hard meters would have too much of an effect on the play of the game.  Thus, the FIFA rulebook gives the official dimensions in 'soft' converted meters to a couple of decimal places, while they in fact are retaining their old even yard lengths.  Only the radius of the corner-kick arcs is an even one meter.

One big clue to this is if you watch either a football or fútbol game on a field that was striped for both and the midfield line of the fútbol field is the same as the 50 yard line of the football field, the center circle of the fútbol field will match up exactly with the 40 yard lines on the football field.



Mike

[english si]

But funnily enough, Rugby football, which is far less internationally popular than association football, is fully metricated.

Probably because France is more passionate about rugger than soccer...

[Michael in Philly]

"Probably because France is more passionate about rugger than soccer..."

It is?  My impression - I studied French, try to keep up, and read French sites - is that rugby's a regional thing, limited to the south and the Paris area (where it may have been transplanted by southerners for all I know).  In Belgium, it seems to be completely off the radar screen.

[english si]

World Cup 98 and Euro2000 did swing things back towards soccer, but even now France backs its national rugby team more fervently than it's national football team - like Wales.

Even in England, Rugby is regional - Union is rare up north, and the area near Bristol, and the area near Slough are the key places. Then again, Rugby League owns the M62 corridor.

[ghYHZ]

Centre Field Line and Right Field at Rogers Centre in Toronto......Imperial and Metric

(FYI......Angels 10 / Jays 6)