Reader Wants to Know if the Dollar Is Dead by Peter Rexford on Creators.com

Recently

What's Wrong About No Memory of the Wright Brothers I've long contended that there are particular words that should never be used in the same sentence. For instance, "homemade" and "helicopter." Think about it. Curiously and conversely, there are now words that are entirely …Read more. New Dollars You Probably Know Nothing About You may be familiar with the phrase, "Not worth a red cent." It means something isn't worth anything. It's a valid adage because, for collectors, red cents have a much higher value than those that are brown in color. Brown pennies are …Read more. Collectibles Prove U.S. Couldn't be More Divergent It's no secret that the U.S. has long been referred to as "the land of opportunity." Most relate that to employment or entrepreneurial possibilities. That's true. But because of our tremendously diverse history and geography, I look at it …Read more. Dead Poets (or Not) Get Their Postal Due "We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to …Read more.

Reader Wants to Know if the Dollar Is Dead

With the new year comes many a question. Time to answer a few.

Dear Peter: After years of collecting the U.S. dollar coins (or doing my very best to try when I could find them), I've now heard the dollar coins are being discontinued. After the who-knows-how-many billions of dollars I've sunk into this, I can't believe this is true ... or is it? Please let me know if I've wasted my time.

— J.N. Bethesda, Md.

I've got good news and better news. The good news is that the gold dollar program isn't going away and you haven't wasted your time. That being said, because the government just can't seem to get people to use the dollar coins they will now stop supplying them in bulk to banks for circulation. The better news is that the ongoing series of Presidential Golden Dollar coins will still be available to collectors but now only directly from the U.S. Mint. This means the recent James A. Garfield dollar coin will be the last one potentially found in general circulation. Future dollar coins will need to be purchased from the Mint.

One interesting piece of news is that I understand the paper now used for our dollar bills has been revamped to have a much longer life. Considering how inexpensive it is to print dollar bills versus minting dollar coins, it could mean a significant budget savings for the government. Then again, who cares? Congress will simply find something to spend those savings on elsewhere.

Dear Peter: I have two 1977 quarters. One has no mintmark and a dull finish. It is a normal thickness and you can see the little rim of copper on the edge. The other also has no mintmark but is very shiny, has no copper on the edge and is noticeably thicker than normal. I tried to put it in a vending machine several times, and it just fell through.

Any info will be appreciated, especially if it's worth more than a quarter.

— A.T.P. Chicopee, Mass.

Without seeing your coin in person it's hard to say what you have, but I believe I have a good idea. And it could be very good news for you.

Just stop trying to spend it! Here's why.

In addition to striking all the coins for the United States, the U.S. Mint also contracts out to produce coins for smaller countries and dependencies. Understand that the Mint is phobic about making sure any and all coins they create are perfect. But with billions produced annually, that job is next to impossible. So, every now and then a few curiosities slip out.

From your description, my guess is that the quarter you have was accidentally struck on a planchet (the unstamped round metal that becomes a coin) and actually was intended for another coin meant for another country. The key to this is the coin's weight.

I suggest you stop by a local or regional coin dealer to have it examined and weighed. They can also assist you in having the coin sent in for authentication and certification. If it comes back as the anomaly I believe it may be, its value could be anywhere between "pretty nice" and "wow!" It's definitely worth checking it out further.

Dear Peter: Now that all stamps are the "Forever" variety, does that mean the post office will stop making lots of different varieties and just go with one design? Just curious.

— T.J. Fresno, Calif.

To the contrary! For 2012, the U.S. Postal Service has several dozen regular first class postage stamps on tap covering a boatload of topics. In their ongoing effort to appeal to as many people as possible, here's just a sampling of stamps they'll be releasing in the coming months:

— Year of the Dragon

— New Mexico Statehood

— "Aloha" Hawaiian Shirts

— Arizona Statehood

— John H. Johnson (Black Heritage series)

— Legendary Film Directors

— Major League Baseball All-Stars

— Flags of Our Nation

— 1862 Civil War

— Pixar Characters

And the list goes on. As they're released, I'll do my best to include as much information about First Day of Issue cancels for collectors.

Editor's Note: A JPEG visual of the James A. Garfield golden dollar (the last one slated for general circulation) has been sent with this column.

To find out more about Peter Rexford and features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.