I have never heard a good explanation for why you Canucks imitated several US coins. Was it just lack of imagination? Why not just join in a common currency. What kind of half-assed measure has resulted in your imposter jingle mixing up your pennies, nickels, etc. with our US ones. The varying exchange is mostly trivial, but jamming our freaking soda machines, it's almost an act of war, eh? WTF?

For the same reason Canada isn't called the great state of canada.
And I wasn't aware the USA had a copyright on coins, our the '100' monetary system.

O,IC. Well, the fact of the matter is, it's bloody shifty to coin your money to resemble your neighbor's, and then be underachievers and let the value slip, while we get stuck with the shit thinking it's real money.

Maybe there's some neat rational reason some economics egghead can expound on so I'll understand why the hell you did this. Or maybe we should leave Iraq and come up there and kick some ass. Or how about if we just start minting millions of US looneys, stay in Iraq, and fuck up our economy? How would you like that, Canuck?! We're gonna get even, d'ya hear?

O,IC. Well, the fact of the matter is, it's bloody shifty to coin your money to resemble your neighbor's, and then be underachievers and let the value slip, while we get stuck with the shit thinking it's real money.


Remove your cranium from where it's obviously residing. Coinage predates the US by a little bit, and there's a limit to how different coins can be. If you had travelled in, say Europe before the Euro, you might have noticed that their coins are similar, too. They were around before we were. We copied them, not the other way 'round.

Canada's coins and currency are better than ours, IMO. I lived there for almost three years - they have the Loonie and the Twonie, and real colored currency, which makes it easier to distinguish bills. What do the US residents do when the mint tries to change anything? Whine like the world is coming to an end. That's why the dollar coin doesn't circulate (that, plus the poor choice of size, being so close to the quarter) and why our currency is so bland. The new 20 is a baby step in the right direction, and whenever I hear comments about it, they are invariably negative.

Canada just decided to go with the coins and yanked the bills from circulation.

"Coinage predates the US by a little bit, and there's a limit to how different coins can be."

Duh, well, let's see: they have to be flat and metallic, that's true. And Canada did fine with the Looney, 2-ney, Sackey, etc. No infringement on US standards there. But your 1c, 5c, 10c, and 25c have at least as much deliberate similarity as do Michael Jackson's left and right eyebrows.

And you try to deny this? Outrageous! Yes, I consider you one of the Enemy, because you have lived among Them and are defending Their cxrimes. But we don't need UN inspection teams to prove this Canadian menace.

It's found lurking in unassuming American pockets every single day, and jamming our gumball, candy, and soda machines, causing bitter disputes over legal tender at lemonade stands and Wal-Mart with devastating regularity. I demand answers. The ridiculous fabrication that we both copied old European coins and coincidentally Canada wound up with the same size and color for lower denominations, after the same US denominations were long established... I's like listening to Baghdad Bob. And Iraq never insulted our petty cash like this, with little crescent -and-star versions of our pennies, Qusuarters and and Saddimes. We have obviously invaded the wrong country.
Times have changed,
Our kids are getting worse
They won't obey their parents,
They just want to fart and curse. Should we blame the government, or blame society, or should we blame the images on tv No!
Blame Canada! Blame Canada

With all their beady little eyes,
their flapping heads so full of lies
Blame Canada!
Blame Canada!
We need to form a full assault, it's Canada's fault! Don't blame me, for my son Stan, He saw the darn cartoon, and now he's off to
join the klan!> And my boy eric once, had my picture on his shelf, but now when I see him, he tells me to fuck myself>

Well, Blame Canada!

It seems that everything's gone wrong since
Canada came along
Blame Canada!
Blame Canada! They're not even a real country anyway. My son could of been a doctor or a lawer, it's a true, Instead he burned up like a piggie on a barbecue> Should we blame the matches? Should we blame the fire, or the doctor who allowed him to expire. Heck no!
Blame Canada!
Blame Canada!
With all their hockey hubaloo and that bitch Anne Murray too. Blame Canada!
Shame on Canada!

The smut we must stop
The trash we must smash
Laughter and fun
must all be undone
We must blame them and cause a fuss
Before someone thinks of blaming us!

-South Park parents (http://www.comedycentral.com/tv_shows/southpark/)

Eventually, we must also confront Australia over their nickles, dimes and quarters as well. What's the matter with you British castoffs? Why don't you copy English coins, if you have no creativity?

I am still waiting for a serious explanation for why the Canadians copied our damn pocket change. This thread is in Economics for a reason, because brilliant economists supposedly hang out here. I really want to know, and I haven't even been able to google it out. Is this a sinister conspiracy, or is there some logical explanation? Inquiring minds want to know. Well, at least one does.

Few reasons;

Less modifications to vending machines. No re-adjustments from American currency size to Canadian and vice-versa. Therefore, Canadian Vending machine companies and American vending machine companies can both sell across each others borders. Public Phones and slot machines are another example of the same issue being easily resolved.

Ease of recognition. 90% of the Canadian population lives within 300 miles of the American border, and the border is a soft (aka friendly) border. It's easier to recognize currency that is similar in shape and size instead of having to rifle through your coin purse to figure out the change.

Canada produced the first nickel and dime currency in 1858 out of nickel and nickel alloy long before the United States replaced their gold standard in 1933 during the Great Depression. And American currency was roughly copied from the British minted coins.

The Great Coin Conspiracy. (http://www.thetoque.net/030415/coinspiracy.htm)

Australia doesn't have nickels, dimes or quarters.

Hype: If you all have such a problem with our devalued money, how come you all come shopping up here! MWAHAHA! Riddle me that batman!

I have never heard a good explanation for why you Canucks imitated several US coins.

We have? Which coin did we copy for the twonee? (how do you spell that?)

Why not just join in a common currency.

Because one of Canada’s prime factors of comparative advantage would disappear overnight. We have a relatively low dollar and as a result we have a very healthy trade surplus, Americans invest in Canada because it is cheaper then in the US, and one of the main reasons why is because of out dollar. If we unified there would be no reason for US business to stay in Canada, and we would go into a recession.

I hate coins. Why the hell are pennies still around? Have you noticed that you can earn more money if you worked at your job using the same time it takes to count & roll pennies?

its the same with new zealand and australia 5,10 and 20 cent coins. but the austrain dollar is only 10c better than ours so what are a few lousy coins gonna do?

how do you know that American currency came first?

Who cares about what shape our coins are anyway?

I bet you don't have a $1 and $2 coin.

an dI knwo the joke about our currency being called the Loonie.

"How can You take an economic crisis seriously 'the loonie is down'" Robin Williams

here i NZ we have 5, 10, 20, 50, $1, $2 in coins and
$5, $10, $20, $50, $100 in notes(which are plastic unlike cheap american ones"

what no $10 bill?

i forgot that one

how do you know that American currency came first?

Who cares about what shape our coins are anyway?

I bet you don't have a $1 and $2 coin.

an dI knwo the joke about our currency being called the Loonie.

"How can You take an economic crisis seriously 'the loonie is down'" Robin Williams

Actually we do have $1 coins. Almost nobody uses them, because bills are still around. You get them in change from postal vending machines, and that's about it. Apparently modifying cash register drawers and vending machines would cause such an economic upheaval that we'd be thrust into a collapse from which we would never recover, should we get rid of dollar bills and exclusively circulate the coins.

Thats the sakijuwiya dollar right?
hehe it was mentioned on the simpsons.

Marge: "You can exchange it at any back for a real dollar"

In Canada, we switched over to the Toonie without any problems and we slowly phased out the $2 bill. Now, it is uncommon to see one. Maybe the Americans can do the same with their money, but that would make too much sense. I think Canada should go like Australia and other countries mentioned and get rid of the penny, ti is just a bother to amke sure that you have the extra .02 on something.