east village idiot

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Change is Good, But Useless Change is Bad

I ran into a bodega in Brooklyn on Saturday to grab a snack. The bag of chips cost $1.29. I paid with two dollars. I correctly recieved 71 cents in change.

Did I get two quarters, two dimes, and a penny? No.

Did I get two quarters, four nickels, and a penny? No.

Did I get seven dimes and a penny? No.

Did I get six dimes, two nickels, and a penny? No.

To my surprise, this is what the cashier handed me:

halfdollar1.JPG

A half-dollar! Who knew these things were even in circulation anymore? I have no idea how I’m going to be able to use this thing without getting strange looks - or without getting arrested.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 8:58 am and is filed under Life in NYC. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

7 Responses to “Change is Good, But Useless Change is Bad”

  1. May 5th, 2008 at 9:07 am

    Beejus says:

    I’m the type of guy who asks for $2 bills. Just to confuse people.

    Nice find though!

  2. May 5th, 2008 at 9:15 am

    Clinton says:

    Ask not what your half-dollar can do for you. Ask what YOU can do for your half-dollar.

  3. May 5th, 2008 at 11:02 am

    Carl R says:

    Wow! How exciting! It wasn’t even an error! And in a Brooklyn Bodega, not just an upper Manhattan Bodega or a Bronx Bodega! Wow! This makes my day!!!!!! I can’t believe it! I think I once got a Bicentennial Quarter from a Jersey City PIZZA place! Unbelieveable! I can hardly sit still with the excitement!! Thanks for this miraculous discovery!!!!!

  4. May 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    Chris says:

    Carl R: I think your sarcasm is slowly killing me on the inside.

  5. May 5th, 2008 at 1:09 pm

    lozo says:

    from now on, i’m commenting in carl’s voice.

  6. May 5th, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    PissedAndPetty.com says:

    Someone should fashion a new magic trick similar to the old “passing a cigarette through a solid quarter” trick.

    Only this time, the magician would pass a bullet through a solid half-dollar.

    I call it “The Oswald”.

    Too soon?

  7. May 6th, 2008 at 12:14 pm

    Amy in StL says:

    My dad always said that getting half dollars and other “collectible” coins in change is a sign the economy is tanking. People are spending their coin collections instead of saving them. Yes, some coins are worth more than face value but not a lot more. So it’s often not worth the aggravation or money to track down a coin buyer and cash them in.

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