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:
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.

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!
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.
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!!!!!
May 5th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Chris says:Carl R: I think your sarcasm is slowly killing me on the inside.
May 5th, 2008 at 1:09 pm
lozo says:from now on, i’m commenting in carl’s voice.
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?
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.