Maybe off topic

newbiecollector

I never knew this problem before



BBC news

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Interesting. It reminds me of the situation in Iraq during the embargo when the Iraqi Dinar lost most of its value all the lower denomination notes were discontinued because they became too costly to print and nobody had any 250 fil notes to pay for the little things or make change for larger notes. It may be a case where the government there is trying to minimize it's losses by not producing small denomination coins in great numbers. It's like that everywhere, though. The smallest 2 or 3 denominations of coin cost more than their face value to produce, but the government goes on making them because they are needed.

WillieBoyd2

Small change crisis for Argentina

Small change could be a matter of life or death for the city's poor.
Residents of the Argentine capital Buenos Aires have plenty to worry about, like rising crime, the economy and increasing football hooliganism.
But the most immediate daily concern of many portenos, as city residents are known, is how to make sure you have enough change for your bus fare home.

There are simply not enough coins minted and there is a serious shortage.

This is a common problem in Latin America due to currency inflation

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I expect it will sort itself eventually. If the currency is that depressed, then prices for goods and services will have to rise and the demand for low value coins will lessen as higher value coins and notes get used more to pay for things.