US Mint square coins for US collectors

HalfDime

The US Mint might make its first non-round coin since the 1915 PanPac gold coin released 110 years ago.

This is intended to be shaped as the Liberty bell next year to celebrate 250 years since 1776. Many other mints have done coins that are non-round, and many of these are square coins. So I thought it might be interesting to hear what the advantages are for making squared coins similar to this one designed as a US Quarter:

While square coins are not common in circulation, there is a case to be made for having square coins, primarily from a collector's perspective:

Uniform storage: Square coin capsules like the Quadrum system allow collectors to store coins of different diameters in a single, uniform collection system. This creates a visually appealing and organized showcase for diverse coin collections.

Stackability: Square coin tubes are stackable, which makes them more efficient for storage in safe deposit boxes or personal collections. This feature prevents coins from rolling around, potentially reducing damage.

Ease of handling: Square shapes can be easier to handle and less likely to roll away compared to round coins, which could be beneficial for people with dexterity issues.

Unique aesthetic: Square coins could provide a distinctive look, potentially increasing interest among collectors and the general public.

However, it's important to note that these advantages primarily apply to coin storage and collection rather than circulation. For everyday use, round coins remain more practical due to their compatibility with existing vending machines and coin-operated devices.

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Many purists will not like this but I think they would sell as collector coins, and would be more important as coins than merely adding a privy mark to established releases to where a proof set of all squared coins would sell extremely well (assuming they give a squared interpretation of the round designs). Also, if one fell out of my pocket, it wouldn't roll into a corner somewhere that takes me five minutes to find it.

PS I see where they almost authorized a square commemorative three years ago for baseball, but it struck out.

anablep

I’m not against this idea but it should be for the right reasons & not gimmicky. A reissue of the Pan Pac $50 would be interesting.

MsMorrisine

i can see no reason it is advantageous for circulation and the slightly rounded corners would decrease die life

Goldminers

Many ideas have been tried over the years. Here are a couple of ancient "half-dimes".

Maywood

The_Dinosaur_Man

The Bahamas and Malaya both had square coins. While they certainly worked for those nations, I think in the United States they would start a trend that collectors would eventually dislike.

Sapyx

In terms of circulation coinage, countries that have used squares and other odd shapes have tended not to have a high degree of vending machine usage. These countries also tend to have a high degree of illiteracy, at least in the language used on the coinage (I'm thinking of India as an example here), so giving each denomination a different shape assists with coin identification. In more developed parts of the world, odd shapes or at least odd edges are used to assist visually-impaired people distinguish the denominations more easily.

Australia experimented with square cupronickel pennies and halfpennies in the 1920s to replace the large copper pennies then in circulation. Several patterns were produced by the Mint to assist the government in the discussion, but in the end the government nixed the idea solely on the recommendation of the then-still-quite-small vending machine lobby, who noted that square coins simply didn't work in regular vending machines.

In more recent decades, the Australian mints have produced NCLT coinage in all sorts of odd shapes. Including a shape of the map of Australia. Yes, we think such coins are gimmicky. They keep making them anyway. So, beware what you are asking for.

CaptHenway

The U.S. Mint struck a hexagonal coin for the Belgian Congo during WW2.

Alpha2814

Good luck using those in vending machines, and that lobby has power.

ProofCollection

@Alpha2814 said:
Good luck using those in vending machines, and that lobby has power.

If it's a commemorative then they won't circulate and not a factor... Unclear if OP is talking about a coin intended for circulation and I can't imagine that would be the intent.

dcarr

@MsMorrisine said:
i can see no reason it is advantageous for circulation and the slightly rounded corners would decrease die life

.

The rounded corners actually extend the die life. But more importantly, the rounding is needed to reduce stress concentrations in the corners of the collars. My first square collar split apart at the corner. I then increased the radius of the corners for the dies and collar.

Here are the square pieces that I have struck:

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BStrauss3

@The_Dinosaur_Man said:
The Bahamas and Malaya both had square coins. While they certainly worked for those nations, I think in the United States they would start a trend that collectors would eventually dislike.

The US Mint could give away London Good bars of gold and SOMEBODY would complain about being charged $5 for shipping on a "free" bar.

LanLord

At least they wouldn’t spin in the Dansco openings.

One benefit of a bad idea.

MsMorrisine

@dcarr said:

@MsMorrisine said:
i can see no reason it is advantageous for circulation and the slightly rounded corners would decrease die life

.

The rounded corners actually extend the die life.

yes of course. i was mostly commenting on the small radius of curvature