We already have a $1 coin and it isn't very popular, too heavy. And the Susan B. Anthony didn't work too well either. To really save some money start with the bloated salary and perks of our elected officials, travel expenses, foreign travel etc. - and they can start at the top with the upcoming $4 million Hawaii vacation.

It'll save us 4.4 billion over the next 30 years. That'll keep us from going over the fiscal cliff.
Personally, I like paper. It's less bulky.

Yes, we should put Obama's face on it along with his face on the food stamp program.

A great idea...other than the fact that no one will use it. Idiots!!!

I think we should switch to a dollar coin. Lets face it, a dollar is not worth much at all any more. The older dollar coins were a flop because the paper dollar is still around. If the paper dollar is gone, then watch how quickly the dollar coin becomes popular. Coins last much longer, saving us a lot of money.

We already have a coin. If we want to help save money, we should start to use what is available.

Canada has had $1 coins called loonies (because of the loon on the reverse) and have $2 coins called twonies. It took awhile to get use to but is working well there. I haven't heard any Canadians wanting paper $1 & $2 bills when I visited friends up there

Yes to the coins! If, as we are told, they will save us money in the long run (a concept that seems so foreign to some people), what's the problem? As to their being heavy-- Americans could use the exercise. A little metal in the pocket has been a noble aspiration and a universal source of self-esteem since ancient times.

Let's save money in other areas...bring the cost of oil/energy down. Build the pipeline from Canada, frack some more, drill some more, coal gasification.....Dollar coins never were popular. let's not foist it on us! I like paper collars. Let Europe have the dollar/euro coins.

This is what I call a layup.

1) Most people will still predominantly carry the twenty dollar bill
2) Eliminate the penny
3) Reduce the size/weight and thus cost of the nickel while we are at it

We need to start ACTING on things and moving towards fiscal responsibility. This should be covered by common sense, which we seem to have so little of nowadays.

Currency should be exchanged electronically wherever possible. Reduce the amount of both paper money and coins over the next 30 years by taking it out of circulation and not making any more new bills or coins. It can still be valid, but debit cards with security passwords are the way to go.

Coins at least have some value in the metals to produce the coin. Who knows what the paper and electronic currency is backed up by these days.

Perhaps we should ask retailers what they would prefer....to run a more efficient till. It seems to me, moving pennies around no longer makes sense (5 seconds of work at minimum wage). I personally will accept change (get it?) that increases the efficiency of commerce. Credit and debit cards may be nice, but the retailer gets dinged for transactions.

We cant even get over the negotiation of the fiscal cliff let alone to attempt to convert dollars of paper to coins. if the democrats want them them the republicans will not. The coins may be useful for our bankrupt selectman.

Yes, as long as it is a different color. Europe (1 Euro) and the UK (1 pound) use coins worth more than the dollar. A 2012 dollar is the equivalent of 1 1970's quarter anyway. Let;s get rid of the one cent coin. That would save even more.

My pants pockets are not really designed to be bloated with lots of weighty coins. try putting coin change from a $10 bill of which you spend $9 back into your pocket. Nine space taking weighty and pocket tearing coins.

What will industry's cost to change all the automated machines that take paper money be?

There are enough other bloated "support"costs in every level of government that, if removed, could deliver a payback far greater than the so called savings associated with inconviencing all of us. How come that approach seems never to gain momentum. Hum...

Hey. If it works for the one dollar coin, why not a two dollar coin and a ten dollar coin and a 20 dollar coin, etc.? Think of all the money we'll save! Not to mention all the jingling...which is especially welcome at Christmas (or can I use that word anymore?).

Just make sure the dollar coin FEELS different from a quarter. When I go to Canada, I can tell by feel which coin is a dollar (loonie) which is a two dollar (twonie) coin and which is a quarter with no problem. It's really not rocket science and I fail to understand why the States has such a problem with it. Done right it works just fine. Canada dumped it's paper dollar in 1987 and the changeover doesn't seem to have destroyed many pockets since then. Just in case anyone is wondering (and to head off the "their dollar ain't worth" argument), today: 1.00 CAD =1.00659 USD [source: http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert/?Amount=1&From=CAD&To=USD ].

Works great in Europe with 1 and 2 Euro coins. I liked everything about it including emptying out my change jar and getting like 80$, wahooo. Living in Spain I often asked why we still use paper dollar bills. Hope this happens soon.

The Savings on Coinage is long overdue,in the UK many years ago they phased out the Shillings for Pence because of inflation the Pounds and Pence are better measure of economic value, no currency in Pence as paper. Uncle Sam has a Budget Cliff Hanger problem, anything that saves money for the Treasury should be a God Send ! The Phantom of the GOP Opera Grover Norquist on the No Tax Hike Scenario is a Killer of the American National Pax Americana of the recent Presidential Election ! Gerald Heng Sr.Metrowest Boston,MA.

Dollar coins will save money...only to have the govement spend it on something else. Will I see the savings in one of the 50 types of taxes I pay? I doubt it.

We all pay taxes. And we all benefit from them. I hope with Sam that we all share the benefits.

Save money for what? We dont have a money problem, we bring in almost 6 trillion a year. We have a SPENDING problem. I for one am sick of paying ever increasing taxes only to see my money spent to enrich others. I want to see an accounting for EVERY dollar we spend. If nonprofits are required to have complete transparency, so should the government.

Any time you spend the public's money, you should be able to justify EVERY penny you spend of OUR tax dollars. We make that happen, we will be back on the road to PERMANENT financial recovery!

One two letter word------NO.

Hasn't worked in the past and does anyone thing the Federal Government can successfully market this ?? their other semi-public venture the Post Office is almost kaput....you would need to eliminate the penny and develop a coin that doesn't feel like a quarter to allow room in the change drawers of registers- bring on the two dollar bill that New England phenom.

The Dollar Coins are TOO BIG, and do not reflect the actual value of a Dollar these days.

The NEW Dollar Coin should be the size of a Penny, or even smaller.

Yes and no. If we eleminate the dollar bill then we would save trees but adding another coin would be confusing. Also it would make wallets much more bulky and harder to find dollars. Also think about the cash registers they have specific spots for dollar BILLS all cash registers would have to be remade.

After living in Australia for a few years, I've always felt they had a much better currency. The bills are made of an untearable plastic no thicker than our paper bills. Each denomination is a slightly different size which is a huge benefit for visually impaired people. They also had one and two dollar coins which were not really that heavy. Perhaps the smartest thing they did was get rid of their penny! We should have done that years ago. Sometimes change is good! (pun intended)