New Presidential $1 Coins are certainly a hit with many collectors, but their acceptance elsewhere since they were first introduced in 2007 has been slow.
Frightening slow... and very similar to previous failed attempts at thrusting dollar coins into the publics hands.
Like the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea golden dollars, Presidential $1 coins face a daunting and nearly impossible task of competing with the one dollar bill.
Regardless of the historical and interesting aspects of any dollar coin, handling and using paper bills in every day life is simply too convenient. When it comes to the dollar, most people want to use and receive paper in transactions, not coin.
The surging Canadian dollar known as the loonie struck many headlines throughout 2007 and now it gets at least one more - the selection by Time magazine as the Canadian Newsmaker of 2007.
The loonie started the year at 87 cents US and hit a peak on November at $1.10. Most notable for the loonie, however, was Sept. 20, 2007 when it struck parity with the US dollar for the first time in nearly 31 years.
The time, effort and expense of counterfeiting one dollar coins just doesn't make sense.
It's easy to at least understand a criminal's motivation in...