NEW DOLLAR DEBUTS AT WAL-MART, SAM'S

Customers at Wal-Mart and SAM'S Thursday received a little more loose change than expected when the nation's newest currency was put into circulation.

An agreement between the U.S. Mint and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. allows customers to be the first to get the new "Golden Dollar" coin as change.

The new coins are being treated just like other cash in the till, said Chris Bohn, general manager at the Cape Girardeau Wal-Mart. A purchase must be made before the dollars are offered as change.

Not yet available in banks, the coin is available exclusively at 2,900 Wal-Mart stores and SAM'S Clubs through the end of February. However, it can be used as currency anywhere.

The coin is expected to be in circulation everywhere by March.

Lynn Parrish, spokeswoman for the U.S. Mint in Washington, D.C., said the Treasury Department decided to partner with members of the business community to publicize the dollar and get it into circulation more quickly.

Since the goal is to get the dollar in the hands of as many consumers as possible -- as soon as possible -- working with the country's largest retailer seemed to make sense.

"We're still talking to other businesses, but the Wal-Mart deal was finalized first," Parrish said.

"It's a good way for us to get the coins out to the public. This way it is out there much sooner than going solely through the Federal Reserve and the commercial banks," Parrish said.

General Mills is also distributing the dollar in special boxes of Cheerios, but the cereal is not available in all stores yet.

The coin will officially replace the Susan B. Anthony Dollar, which consumers and vendors had trouble distinguishing from other change.

The new coin looks like 14-carat gold but matches the electromagnetic signature of the Susan B. Anthony dollar, requiring no retrofitting of existing vending and transit authority machines.

Of course, if the machine was never upgraded to accept the Susan B. Anthony dollar, it won't accept the new one either. Vendors may wait and see if the new dollar is accepted by the general populace before upgrading machines.

Mark Kneer, circulation manager at the Southeast Missourian, said few of the newspaper's vending machines will accept the new dollar. Most of the machines accept quarters only. The others, which have a "totalizer mechanism" and will take any coin, have been updated for the new dollar, he said.

Bohn said he doesn't anticipate the same problems that existed with the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which resembled the quarter in size, looks and feel. "I think there's going to be a good response," Bohn said.

Cashiers at Wal-Mart didn't seem to have any problems with the new dollar, he said.

"The new coin has a wide, smooth edge, and the fact that it's gold sets it apart," Bohn said.

The coin is 88.5 percent copper as well as zinc, manganese and nickel.

On the front of the coin is Sacagawea, the 16-year-old Shoshone who helped guide and interpret for the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Sacagawea, who had been sold to a French trapper, is shown carrying his child on her back.

From a collector's standpoint, the coin looks promising.

"I think it's going to be very popular," said Mike Sprouse of River City Coins.

He said a friend had brought him a few of the new dollars from SAM'S.

"It's a lovely coin. I can find no fault with the design, and I can't think of a better person to honor than Sacagawea," Sprouse said. "Without her we probably never would have heard from Lewis and Clark again."

"I'm excited any time something new and different comes along. From a visual standpoint, the coin's alloy is very attractive, but it seems kind of soft, easily scratched. It'll be interesting to see how it stands up after it's been in circulation for a while. They may tend to look a bit beat up."

Sprouse said other countries like Canada and Australia, which have produced dollar coins, have eventually phased out the paper dollar.

The U.S. Mint has said there are no plans to phase out the dollar bill, which some say is a mistake.

Coins last a long time in circulation whereas the average life of a dollar is about 14 months, Sprouse said.