Funny money?

[mgk920]

I discovered the other day the soda machine in the breakroom at my work accepts Canadian coins. Had a Canadian nickel and I tried it, and it accepted it.

I forget the exact range of years, but for a while during the 1980s and 1990s, Canadian nickels were made of the exact same metal alloy as USA nickels (75Cu/25Ni).  These are the ones that are not attracted by a magnet and yes, they are thus not machine-sortable from USA nickels.

Mike

[vtk]

for a while during the 1980s and 1990s, Canadian nickels were ... not machine-sortable from USA nickels.

I'm sure a team of engineering students at OSU or MIT could come up with a machine sorting solution that might be considered practical if the scope and cost of this problem were greater.

[agentsteel53]

I discovered the other day the soda machine in the breakroom at my work accepts Canadian coins. Had a Canadian nickel and I tried it, and it accepted it.

vending machines are always fun.  I once got a silver quarter in change from one that, in 2001, was old enough to accept both silver and clad coinage.  in the late 80s, I got a silver quarter from a classmate who was trying to spend it in a machine that was new enough to not recognize it.

[akotchi]

I discovered the other day the soda machine in the breakroom at my work accepts Canadian coins. Had a Canadian nickel and I tried it, and it accepted it.

I forget the exact range of years, but for a while during the 1980s and 1990s, Canadian nickels were made of the exact same metal alloy as USA nickels (75Cu/25Ni).  These are the ones that are not attracted by a magnet and yes, they are thus not machine-sortable from USA nickels.

Mike

Funny you should mention magnetism . . . I was looking on-line not long ago for rolls of 2012 Canadian cents (last year of issue and all) and I discovered that there are two varieties:  magnetic and non-magnetic.  The RCM used both a copper-coated zinc and copper-coated steel blank.  Not sure if just for 2012, or for previous years also, in which I did not notice.

[mgk920]

I discovered the other day the soda machine in the breakroom at my work accepts Canadian coins. Had a Canadian nickel and I tried it, and it accepted it.

vending machines are always fun.  I once got a silver quarter in change from one that, in 2001, was old enough to accept both silver and clad coinage.  in the late 80s, I got a silver quarter from a classmate who was trying to spend it in a machine that was new enough to not recognize it.

Wasn't there a serious problem in your area back during the mid-late 1980s when, during a period of major inflation, Mexico started producing $1 coins ('$' = 'Peso' in Mexico, BTW) that USA vending machines could not tell apart from USA 25¢ coins (quarters)?  ISTR that the situation went as far has needing high-level diplomatic action on the USA's part to solve.

Mike

[rickmastfan67]

I discovered the other day the soda machine in the breakroom at my work accepts Canadian coins. Had a Canadian nickel and I tried it, and it accepted it.

I forget the exact range of years, but for a while during the 1980s and 1990s, Canadian nickels were made of the exact same metal alloy as USA nickels (75Cu/25Ni).  These are the ones that are not attracted by a magnet and yes, they are thus not machine-sortable from USA nickels.

Mike

Funny you should mention magnetism . . . I was looking on-line not long ago for rolls of 2012 Canadian cents (last year of issue and all) and I discovered that there are two varieties:  magnetic and non-magnetic.  The RCM used both a copper-coated zinc and copper-coated steel blank.  Not sure if just for 2012, or for previous years also, in which I did not notice.

2012 wasn't the first year that they did both types for the Penny.  From Wikipedia:

Although the RCM states 2000 as the year of transition from zinc to steel, zinc-core cents were issued in every year of the 2000s, except 2008. Steel cents dated before 2002 are test pieces for calibrating coin-operated machines, and are very rare in circulation.

[1995hoo]

I discovered the other day the soda machine in the breakroom at my work accepts Canadian coins. Had a Canadian nickel and I tried it, and it accepted it.

vending machines are always fun.  I once got a silver quarter in change from one that, in 2001, was old enough to accept both silver and clad coinage.  in the late 80s, I got a silver quarter from a classmate who was trying to spend it in a machine that was new enough to not recognize it.

Wasn't there a serious problem in your area back during the mid-late 1980s when, during a period of major inflation, Mexico started producing $1 coins ('$' = 'Peso' in Mexico, BTW) that USA vending machines could not tell apart from USA 25¢ coins (quarters)?  ISTR that the situation went as far has needing high-level diplomatic action on the USA's part to solve.

Mike

I recall there being an issue like that on the New York subway with a Soviet coin matching the subway token for a while.

[exit322]

I discovered the other day the soda machine in the breakroom at my work accepts Canadian coins. Had a Canadian nickel and I tried it, and it accepted it.

Yeah, I had a problem where it didn't take a Canadian quarter...which was doubly annoying given the quarter I used was one it spit back at me when I paid for $1.25 bottle of pop with two $1 bills.

[agentsteel53]

which was doubly annoying given the quarter I used was one it spit back at me when I paid for $1.25 bottle of pop with two $1 bills.

my guess is that the only way it could have gotten in there was the machine operator pre-loading a roll of quarters which had a Canadian in it. 

[exit322]

which was doubly annoying given the quarter I used was one it spit back at me when I paid for $1.25 bottle of pop with two $1 bills.

my guess is that the only way it could have gotten in there was the machine operator pre-loading a roll of quarters which had a Canadian in it. 

That was my thought.  Luckily, I have a container full of Canadian change for the next time we get up there.

[bugo]

I bought 12 rolls ($60) of dimes today and didn't find a single pre-1965 silver dime out of 600 coins.  I found 14 in one week at work. including two in one roll, but it looks like my luck has run out.  I'll keep looking, but I'm not going to expect to find anything.  I wonder why I found so many at one time?

[NE2]

A lack of coincidences would be the biggest coincidence of all.

[Alps]

2012 wasn't the first year that they did both types for the Penny.  From Wikipedia:

Although the RCM states 2000 as the year of transition from zinc to steel, zinc-core cents were issued in every year of the 2000s, except 2008. Steel cents dated before 2002 are test pieces for calibrating coin-operated machines, and are very rare in circulation.

Damn, I only find out about this after they're all out of circulation. Guess my collection will never be complete ):

[florida]

2012 wasn't the first year that they did both types for the Penny.  From Wikipedia:

Although the RCM states 2000 as the year of transition from zinc to steel, zinc-core cents were issued in every year of the 2000s, except 2008. Steel cents dated before 2002 are test pieces for calibrating coin-operated machines, and are very rare in circulation.

Damn, I only find out about this after they're all out of circulation. Guess my collection will never be complete ):

I have a bag of Canadian coins with at least $2 in cents, and am pretty sure I've got most of the varieties give or take some scummy ones.

[oscar]

2012 wasn't the first year that they did both types for the Penny.  From Wikipedia:

Although the RCM states 2000 as the year of transition from zinc to steel, zinc-core cents were issued in every year of the 2000s, except 2008. Steel cents dated before 2002 are test pieces for calibrating coin-operated machines, and are very rare in circulation.

Damn, I only find out about this after they're all out of circulation. Guess my collection will never be complete ):

I managed to fill in most of the holes in my Canadian penny collection (1937-2012), just before pennies largely went out of circulation in Canada (five days in Canada so far, I've seen not a single penny).  The rest of the holes are mainly varieties of some of the older dates, which were hard to find in circulation even when pennies were circulating.  If I ever fill those holes (not likely), it'll have to be with help from a coin dealer.

[mgk920]

I recall reading a few years ago that when the RCM went from bronze to the same copper-plated zinc that the USA still stubbornly uses for their 1¢ coins, their metallurgists found that to reduce the coins' metal content to the point where the metal would cost less than C$0.01 per coin while retaining their same outside dimensions, the flat center part of the coins would literally have to be a thin 'foil' that even a child could poke his or her fingers through.  And yes, their mid-late 1990s pennies were already a near absurdity.

Mike

[bugo]

Recently, in addition to the 1999 Venezuelan 20 bolivar coin, I've found several other foreign coins: a 1917 French 50 centimes coin (85% silver!), a 1988 British penny, and several Canadian pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.  On the domestic side, I've found countless wheat pennies, several pre-1960 nickels, 14 silver Roosevelt dimes (1964 and older - I found these 14 dimes in 1 week - most of them are 1964 for some reason), dozens of bicentennial quarters (not worth anything, but they're cool for my rainy day piggy bank and I like the reverse design), a few Kennedy half dollars, a couple of Eisenhower dollars, countless Susan B. Anthony dollars (I collect these too, to put in the emergency fund), several $2 bills, some in near perfect condition and several pre-redesign bills, in denominations of $5, $10 (Series 1969A!), and two $20 notes.  Those bills were so elegant and classy than the toilet-paper-is-more-attractive bills that we have today and are rarely seen (I have seen 2 $5 bills, 1 $10 bills, and 2 $20 bills since March and bought all of them except for one of the 5s that wasn't in very good shape.)  Our money used to be so stylish and pimp and now it's ugly and gaudy.

[agentsteel53]

Our money used to be so stylish and pimp and now it's ugly and gaudy.

I would equate the word "pimp" with "ugly and gaudy" - "stylish" is a completely different term, and indeed can be applied to the 1928-1993 series, as well as the notes that came before that.

[Alps]

Our money used to be so stylish and pimp and now it's ugly and gaudy.

I would equate the word "pimp" with "ugly and gaudy"

Pimp Bill Clinton begs to differ.

[bugo]

"Pimp" means stylish and cool.  You're thinking of "bip".

[Brandon]

"Pimp" means stylish and cool.  You're thinking of "bip".

Must be a regional thing.  "Pimp" around these parts has a negative connotation.

[bugo]

"Pimp" means stylish and cool.  You're thinking of "bip".

Must be a regional thing.  "Pimp" around these parts has a negative connotation.

It just might be the crowd that I hang out with.  To us, "pimp as fuck" means extremely cool.

[Scott5114]

Our money used to be so stylish and pimp and now it's ugly and gaudy.

I would equate the word "pimp" with "ugly and gaudy" - "stylish" is a completely different term, and indeed can be applied to the 1928-1993 series, as well as the notes that came before that.

What is Series 1995, chopped liver?

[Takumi]

I found a fee Canadian pennies in the office at work this week. One of them (1943) even has George VI on it.

[agentsteel53]

What is Series 1995, chopped liver?

$1s and $2s remain stylish.  it is the higher denominations which, starting in 1995, went to the wacky designs that I've never quite gotten used to.