This will probably be the case in the near future. It has to be only a matter of time before the US treasury or mint (not sure what it's called there) catches on to what other countries already know - the coins cost the same or less to produce and last wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy longer. We had all the same objections up here but in the end it turned out not to be a big deal. Plus, the Susan B Anthony isn't exactly what I'd call the greatest or best designed attempt :-)

Plus, on the upside as Jim N. stated, sometimes I end up throwing my $1 or $2 coins in my change jar and boy does that start to add up :-)

>The only time I will start carrying dollar coins is when the U.S. stops making the paper bills completely. Every other attempt to get us to use dollar coins has failed. This attempt doesn't seem any different.
>
>>Since the highest metal content in the coins will most likely be tin, they won't be heavy. Plus you still have the option of 1x$20 or 2x$10 or 4x$5.
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>>Plus with a pocket full of dollar coins you wouldn't have to worry about accidentally going swimming or putting them through the wash, they'll just be shinier :-)
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>>>How would you like to carry around $20 worth of dollar coins all day? I wouldn't.
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>>>>>Seems like a lot of countries are and/or have been going this way. The English pound is a coin and when I was there last summer they came out with a 2 pound coin remarkably similar to out toonie and have plans for a 5 pound coin. (For anyone confused, that's not the weight of the coin ;-)
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>>>>The coins have a much greater lifespan than the paper, so after the higher initial outlay for them, they can save a lot of printing/circulating cost over time...that's the main reason the US is going to them. Actually, they tried before with the Susan B Anthony dollar, but they were very unpopular < s >
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>>>>Eventually, they want to obsolete $1 bills completely, to force people to use the coins...if the public doesn't revolt, anyway :)