Silver Dollar Question

Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the 40's and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public back then?
Was there ever a time when it would be no surprise to get Peace Dollars in
your change at the gas station? (Or gold coins even...before the 1930's of
course). I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and I seem to remember Ike
Dollars being used a little bit. Not super common, but it was no surprise
if you got one in change.

"Banknote Addict" wrote in message
...
Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the 40's and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public back then?
Was there ever a time when it would be no surprise to get Peace Dollars in
your change at the gas station? (Or gold coins even...before the 1930's of
course). I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and I seem to remember Ike
Dollars being used a little bit. Not super common, but it was no surprise
if you got one in change.

Growing up in northeast the 1940's and 50's, I never saw a silver dollar used in
change. Banks had them, of course, at face value and although I collected coins
I couldn't afford to get a bunch to look through like we do today with small
change. They were mostly used as birthday and Christmas presents for kids. We
all knew they were available, but half dollars were "big money" to a kid with a
25 cents allowance.

My 90-year old mother-in-law says she doesn't recall seeing anyone actually
spending gold coins before the 1930's, but then she didn't frequent that many
western saloons.

Bruce

Bruce Remick wrote:
"Banknote Addict" wrote in message
...
Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to
keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has
that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the
40's and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public
back then?
Was there ever a time when it would be no surprise to get Peace
Dollars in
your change at the gas station? (Or gold coins even...before the
1930's of
course). I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and I seem to remember
Ike
Dollars being used a little bit. Not super common, but it was no
surprise
if you got one in change.

Growing up in northeast the 1940's and 50's, I never saw a silver
dollar used in
change. Banks had them, of course, at face value and although I
collected coins
I couldn't afford to get a bunch to look through like we do today
with small
change. They were mostly used as birthday and Christmas presents for
kids. We
all knew they were available, but half dollars were "big money" to a
kid with a
25 cents allowance.

My 90-year old mother-in-law says she doesn't recall seeing anyone
actually
spending gold coins before the 1930's, but then she didn't frequent
that many
western saloons.

Bruce

My dad was stationed at Camp Mercury Nevada in the 50's He said they
got paid in silver dollars. They spent them a lot. They would
hitchhike into Vegas when ever they had leave. It was easy for drivers
to see them at night, they all glowed in the dark after marching out to
ground zero after every nuke test. He saved a few and gave them to me.

Roger

My Dad worked as a Bank teller when he was a teenager in the early 50s
back east, he said Silver Dollars were pretty common. He recalled
moving quite a few as a teller.

Charlie

On 10 Feb 2005 10:30:19 -0800, "chasd2" wrote:

My Dad worked as a Bank teller when he was a teenager in the early 50s
back east, he said Silver Dollars were pretty common. He recalled
moving quite a few as a teller.

Charlie

I grew up during the 50's and I never got a silver dollar in change.
I was in tall cotton on days that I had a paper dollar and would get
back a Franklin Half in change. I did have a few silver dollars that
were given for birthdays and stuff like that and I would put them up
until I got hard up and then I would spend them and no one ever
reacted negatively when giving change for them.
I knew an older couple that had a bunch of Whitman folders and they
were always going to the bank and coming home with rolls of cents
through dollars (again this was in the 50s) and I remember trying to
pick kup the folder with about half the holes filled with silver
dollars and thinking that it was one heavy piece of work. On the down
side, when I dropped it, quite a few of the dollars rolled out of the
folder.
Of course, during this same time period a bottle of Coke was 5 cents,
then later raised to 7 cents and then to a dime. Sales tax didn't
kick in until you spent 11 cents and then you had to pay the extra
cent. I could get 2 cents cash for each empty bottle I brought back
and 3 cents in trade for candy and junk for each bottle. I'd save
bottle, my Capitola Flour tokens that were good for 5 cents in change,
and any coins I could find laying around and head to the "feed store"
(sold feed for the cows, chickens and horses and also sold baby
chickens that they dyed funny colors at Easter time, all this was less
than 6 miles from downtown Atlanta). At that store you could get 2
home made cookies for a cent, wax lips and wax coke bottles with syrup
was 3 cents each, those straws full of dry kool-aid were a cent each
and other candy was 5 cents a bar. If you walked in with a dollar you
walked out with a sack ful of stuff.
I never saw a gold coin during my entire youth.
Cliff

Banknote Addict wrote:
Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to
keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has
that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the
40's and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public back
then?
Was there ever a time when it would be no surprise to get Peace
Dollars in
your change at the gas station? (Or gold coins even...before the
1930's of
course). I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and I seem to remember Ike

Dollars being used a little bit. Not super common, but it was no
surprise
if you got one in change.

Coinage magazine published a story ten years ago that
told how people that lived in the northeast never used
silver dollars, but that in Montana *everybody* used
cartwheels for daily purchases.

Apparently silver dollars bouncing around
in your pocket would eventually burst the seam out
and you'd need grandmother to sew it up.

I remember reading (in another article) that the reason
why Barber coinage looks so worn out is because people
did a lot of transactions that were for 50, 25 and ten
cents.

And finally, it seems that the US government melted
down millions of coins around the turn of the
century ( 1900's) so that silver could be coined
in India.

"Banknote Addict" wrote in message
...

Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to
keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the 40's
and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public back
then?

I was alive then, and occasionally came across a silver dollar, but it
was always something someone specifically gave me; I don't believe I
ever got one as change. I eventually spent them all, as they were worth
only one dollar at the time, except for rare ones. I think that the
1881-O was the most common one.

The golden dollars are a better idea for the present century, and I
always have some in my pocket to spend, especially at fast-food drive-by
windows. I don't recall ever having gotten one in change yet, though.
They make nice tips, along with two-dollar bills.

--
Steve

"Banknote Addict" wrote in message
...
Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the 40's and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public back
then?
Was there ever a time when it would be no surprise to get Peace Dollars in
your change at the gas station? (Or gold coins even...before the 1930's of
course). I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and I seem to remember Ike
Dollars being used a little bit. Not super common, but it was no surprise
if you got one in change.

Peace and Morgans were used commonly in change in parts of the US west as
late as the early 60s. I was about eleven in 1960, on vacation with my
family in Helena, Montana. I still remember standing at a tall counter in a
general store and my head turned when I heard the silver dollars hit the
counter when change was tendered for my dad's paper $10.

Bill

On Thu, 10 Feb 2005 11:25:29 -0600, Banknote Addict
wrote:

Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the 40's and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public back then?
Was there ever a time when it would be no surprise to get Peace Dollars in
your change at the gas station? (Or gold coins even...before the 1930's of
course). I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and I seem to remember Ike
Dollars being used a little bit. Not super common, but it was no surprise
if you got one in change.


My mom worked as a cashier at a bakery in Central California during
the 40's and 50's, and she said she might see two or three a wek.

take care,
Scott

"Bill Krummel" wrote in message
...

"Banknote Addict" wrote in message
...
Just curious... For the most part, people today are more likely to keep a
Dollar coin as a souvenir rather than spend it on cigarettes. Has that
always been the case? Can any of you guys that were around in the 40's and
50's remember if silver Dollars were commonly used by the public back
then?
Was there ever a time when it would be no surprise to get Peace Dollars in
your change at the gas station? (Or gold coins even...before the 1930's of
course). I was a kid in the early/mid 70's and I seem to remember Ike
Dollars being used a little bit. Not super common, but it was no surprise
if you got one in change.

Peace and Morgans were used commonly in change in parts of the US west as
late as the early 60s. I was about eleven in 1960, on vacation with my
family in Helena, Montana. I still remember standing at a tall counter in a
general store and my head turned when I heard the silver dollars hit the
counter when change was tendered for my dad's paper $10.

Bill

Funny how it was such a regional thing, how silver dollars were regarded in
commerce. Maybe in Puritan New England we just felt that if the government
decided to stop making them, they must not want us to be using them-- not that
we ever did use them much pre-1935. That's why we decided to get rid of our
6-ton Kaiser sedan.

Bruce