Tom Gets a Dollar Coin

My mother, a bank teller, sent me a new George Washington Presidential Dollar coin. I'm thrilled! I know, it doesn't take much these days.

Posted at 8:27 PM

Madison Gets a Dollar

I just spoke with my mother on the phone. I called to wish her a happy birthday. She works as a bank teller. I asked if her bank has received the newly minted Presidential One Dollar Coins. She said she gets a lot of inquiries for them but her bank probably will not see them until near the end of the month. It appears as if the U.S. Mint plans to start with the first four presidents -- George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and, yes, James Madison -- and release the next four presidents each year after that. Their web page shows the last presidential coin will be Richard Nixon. Too bad we will not reach Ronald Reagan. Mom said she would buy an unopened roll of Reagan dollars for me. I told her maybe she should snag a roll of William Henry Harrison dollars since his term was extremely short. In 1841 Harrison delivered the longest inaugural address on an extremely cold day without wearing a hat. He contracted pneumonia and died a month later in the White House. So America, until "global warming" makes it return this summer -- must be nice to have an insane theory be correct once a year -- remember to keep your speeches short and wear a hat.

Posted at 7:16 PM

Underrated Items of 2005

The past year, 2005, brought its share of hype and hero worship. As I did last year I decided to give a select list of underrated items some exposure.

I read an excellent article on podcasting. Would anybody listen to a gazpacho dot net podcast?

Posted at 10:26 PM

The Kansas Quarter

Today I spotted my first Kansas Quarter. In many ways it reminds me of the new nickel and, for that matter, the old nickel. At least the new quarter is not an anatomy lesson.

So, they selected the sunflower and the buffalo to represent the state of Kansas. Funny thing is that I remember seeing more sunflowers on my drive through Iowa. Also, I saw more buffalo in South Dakota. When I think back to my Kansas experience I think of wind, flatness and the turnpike. I guess none of those would make an exciting visual metaphor for the state.

Posted at 10:32 AM

The New Nickel

Today I saw my first new U.S. nickel. At first it seemed like phony money. It feels lighter. On the obverse side the head of President Jefferson is cropped at the left side of the coin. You can no longer see his wig. On the reverse side there is picture of a buffalo. I collected nickels as a teenager and recall that nickels before 1938 featured a buffalo. This buffalo is different. In fact you can see its, er, package. Great! Now our currency is a lesson in history and anatomy!

Posted at 3:42 PM