Short Changed

Today was a beautiful fall day. One that made me glad the steamy, summer days are over. I walked to the CVS around the corner to pick up some things. It was just too nice a day, so instead of heading right back to work I decided to do a lap around the block. I was heading east on Adams when I spotted the post office. I remembered I was fresh out of stamps and decided to pop in and visit the stamp machines.

I walked up and checked out my selections. Fifty stamps were too many and five stamps too few. I settled on a book of twenty. Twenty stamps go for about $8 these days. I examined my wallet and found nothing but twenties. I saw the machine took $20 bills and I'd made the trip, so I figured why not. The machine took my 20, and gave me change - in the form of 11 mint condition Thomas Jefferson $1 coins.

I didn't even know these existed. And now I have 11 of them.

Looking back, I have no idea what type of change I would get. I guess I was hoping the machine would spit back a 10 and some ones. It didn't, and now I have no idea how I'm going to get rid of these. No vending machines, parking meters or laundromats will accept them. I can't even deposit them in my bank's ATM. If i try to use them as they are intended, I envision endless hassles from clerks not knowing what they are or believing me they are real. These bright, shiny gold coins don't look like real money. They look like new tokens at Chuck E. Cheese. They look like I stole them from a pirate's treasure chest. They might as well be Euros.

What absolutely blows my mind though is that you can currently bid for one of these $1 coins on eBay. And the going price? Two dollars plus $1.50 shipping. Well maybe that's what I'll do with them. Put them up on eBay. Heck, at their going rate, I could consider my $11 in coinage an investment.