The newer dollar coins were a great improvement just by changing the color; the Susan B. Anthony dollars (”Carter quarters”) were confusing to some people. They are definitely larger than a quarter, and with the gold color wouldn’t be mistaken for one.
“The whole physical money thing is on the path of obsolescence.”
It has been years since I have seen cash used as widely as I do now in NJ; the underground economy is growing, and to the illegals/welfare cheats/tax dodgers cash will ALWAYS be king. Cash is disappearing for working, taxpaying Americans who play “by the rules”; unfortunately they are disappearing anyway, and what is replacing them knows they can’t have transactions show an electronic trail.
Except the gold color tarnished to silver, and they weren’t that different in size. And of course in the end they’re still heavier than paper.
I pretty much only use physical money at bars and the barber, largely because for that kind of tip oriented transaction it’s easier; or for very small transactions because I feel goofy using the debit card for $5. But I’ve noticed my threshold for “too small for the card” is dropping