The Calif. state quarter hits the street today. The way folks are buzzing about it, you'd think it would have a street value of more than $.25!
I was intrigued by this economics fun fact:
According to the mint, it costs a nickel to manufacture a quarter. Every state quarter removed from circulation and stuck in a coin album, a jar or a sock drawer represents a profit of 20 cents for the U.S. Treasury.
According to a poll commissioned by the Coinstar coin counting service, about half the adults in the United States say they are collecting the state quarters and trying to assemble a complete set of all 50 of them.
If that happens, the U.S. Treasury will turn a profit of $1.5 billion.
Imagine - they manufacture coins that they hope won't go into circulation! I bet the post office sells all those commemorative stamps for the same reason. Oh, the world we live in.
In the end, the ultimate design choice was a good political compromise. If Ahnold had chosen a Golden Gate design, it would have ticked off L.A. If he'd chosen that Hollywood montage, we northerners would have sneered. But nobody, from the north or the south, can relate to Yosemite. It's a nice safe design.
Even though it looks as if a gigantic John Muir could walk over and ruthlessly crush Half Dome under his boot heel. Fear the Muir! And his mighty condor! As they stride this western frontier, squashing all who oppose them! Heh. Sorry. I couldn't resist. Now back to our regularly-scheduled reverence.
I have hiked most of the Muir trail. He really was THAT BIG. Yosmite is truly a Statewide treasure. I find it ironic that a repulican picked Muir and Yosmite. The industrialists tried so hard to stop him!
Posted by: BB | February 02, 2005 at 09:57 AM