Drunk entitlement whore!!!!

[Horsetuna]

OT Trivia: dimes used to be made of silver. when silver got really expensive, dimes were made smaller to cut costs.

I dont think they're made of silver anymore, but that's why the dime is smallest.

[dalesys]

OT Trivia: dimes used to be made of silver. when silver got really expensive, dimes were made smaller to cut costs.

I dont think they're made of silver anymore, but that's why the dime is smallest.

The silver dimes were the same size (17.9mm) - since 1837!

Sandwich (non-silver) since 1965.

If you rubbed a silver coin with mercury it would get very shiny! (and toxic, but we didn't care about that then)

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Forget pushing, there's nothing ruder than wasting an adrenalin high.

Quoted for truth.

I think that guy must be using the word "local" the way the rest of use the words "a fing pain in the ass."

[Tiberious]

OT Trivia: dimes used to be made of silver. when silver got really expensive, dimes were made smaller to cut costs.

I dont think they're made of silver anymore, but that's why the dime is smallest.

Further, the weight of either 10 dimes, four quarters or two half dollars was the same as the dollar coin. At least back when the coins had actual intrinsic value to them and the government wasn't making money by making money.

At least "quarter" (technically it's "quarter dollar") is exactly what it says on the tin. Nickels used to contain that metal at one point, I believe; I'm not sure if they still do. Dimes....er, no idea. >_<

The dime's name comes from the French word 'disme', meaning tenth part. Since a dime is 10 cents, and ten of 'em make a dollar, it fits.

My turn for interesting trivia: Roosevelt is on the coin because of his support for the March of Dimes. Apparently the mint thought it was a fitting coin to put his image on.

I am, however, on the side of the people who want to get rid of pennies here altogether. What other entity, save for The Government, could think that it is a good idea to continue actively minting a coin whose production cost exceeds it face value?! People only seem to save those for the coin machines or banks, anyway.

I'm not so sure. Think of how much the suck would increase when everything got rounded up to the next 5 cents (we all know that's how the rounding would be done). Also, you know how places love to advertise items for $99.99 so they can say it's less than a hundred bucks. The penny has been in this country since the 1790s, and it's not going away any time soon, at least the way I see it.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Think of how much the suck would increase when everything got rounded up to the next 5 cents (we all know that's how the rounding would be done). Also, you know how places love to advertise items for $99.99 so they can say it's less than a hundred bucks. The penny has been in this country since the 1790s, and it's not going away any time soon, at least the way I see it.

Rounding up to the next 5 cents is all the more reason to pay the exact price with a credit or debit card. Most of us probably already do that.

[wolfie]

Further, the weight of either 10 dimes, four quarters or two half dollars was the same as the dollar coin. At least back when the coins had actual intrinsic value to them and the government wasn't making money by making money.

Haven't seen a half-dollar, but the milled (little ridges) edges on dimes and quarters were to make it obvious if the coin was "clipped" (a bit of metal filed off - common scam when coins were made of precious metals). Nickels and pennies have smooth edges because they're made of base metals - historically, they weren't worth "clipping".

[Kinoo]

I'm not so sure. Think of how much the suck would increase when everything got rounded up to the next 5 cents (we all know that's how the rounding would be done). Also, you know how places love to advertise items for $99.99 so they can say it's less than a hundred bucks. The penny has been in this country since the 1790s, and it's not going away any time soon, at least the way I see it.

We don't have 1 or 2 cents here in Australia, everyone still advertised with the .99 though and the price is rounded up or down to the closest 5 so you win some you lose some. I love it & now wish they'd do away with the 5 cent as well.
But my favourite part of our money (apart from the notes being pretty coloured plastic of course) is the $2 coin - it's so little that you think you're flat broke with only a bunch of schrapnel and you've actually got plenty of cash. I regularly throw a lot of my coin straight into the depths of my handbag & once i emptied it & it added up to $90 !!!!

[draco664]

What's a quid? The British monetary system hurts my head lol.

I presume you mean the pre-decimal monetary system.

Two farthings = One Ha'penny.
Two ha'pennies = One Penny.
Three pennies = A Thrupenny Bit.
Two Thrupences = A Sixpence.
Two Sixpences = One Shilling, or Bob.
Two Bob = A Florin.
One Florin and One Sixpence = Half a Crown.
Four Half Crowns = Ten Bob Note.
Two Ten Bob Notes = One Pound (or 240 pennies).
One Pound and One Shilling = One Guinea.

The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.

(Taken from 'Good Omens' by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)

[Salted Grump]

The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.

(Taken from 'Good Omens' by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)

OW! my Brain! You owe me 57 dollars. One per broken braincell.

[Andara Bledin]

Haven't seen a half-dollar, but the milled (little ridges) edges on dimes and quarters were to make it obvious if the coin was "clipped" (a bit of metal filed off - common scam when coins were made of precious metals).

Half dollars have milled edges, too, as well as the old "silver" dollar coins.

All this from back when the money was backed by the precious metals it was made out of and it wasn't assigned a value based on mass faith.

^-.-^

[Ironclad Alibi]

The milled edges on coins date back to the 15th century. English coins started having milled edges in the 1560s, but did completely replace non-milled coins until 1662. Wikipedia article.

[kiwiwinelover]

New Zealand has done away with the 1c, 2c and 5 c coins. Smallest is now ten - and let me tell you its great counting a till!

[EricKei]

Coolness. We have numismatists here ^_^ Now can somebody tell me what "two bits" means? (As in "shave and a haircut...TWO BITS") --- Note that this is something I've only ever heard referring to American coins, and the value is supposedly one quarter/25 cents. I'm sure the math involved is gonna make my brain hurt, but I just gotta know.

[dalesys]

From American colonial times until 1857 Spanish dollars or 'pieces of eight' were legal tender.
The coins had a nominal value of eight reales ("royals"). The coins were often physically cut into eight "bits", or sometimes four quarters, to make smaller change. This is the origin of the colloquial name "pieces of eight" for the coin, and of "quarter" and "two bits" for twenty-five cents in the United States.

[Ironclad Alibi]

"Two bits" is 25 cents, a quarter. The term dates back to colonial days when Spanish dollars would be cut into 8 pieces to make change. Each piece was a bit, thus two bits is a quarter dollar. Spanish dollars were worth 8 reales and were also called pieces of eight.