Anthony is how old?

Watching change apparently occupied a number of people over the weekend, according to my email.

I did the same thing, though the only coin I received in change that is worth a comment is an AU example of the 2009 Lincoln cent with the unfinished Capitol dome on the reverse.

This is the second Lincoln Bicentennial cent I have received in the last few weeks.

Turning to a subject raised by my email, I take our change dispensers that use dollar coins in the Krause Publications breakroom for granted. It has been there for many years.

However, the use of that and similar devices apparently has not saturated America because I received an email from a reader in Texas that reads:

“The other night, I visited a local hospital at night with my son-in-law. It was late when we left, and the toll booth for the parking lot was closed.

“He slipped a $10 bill into a pay slot for the fee. Eventually, a bunch of coins rattled out of a chute like a slot machine.

“Five metal dollars. One Marten Van Buren, two Sacagawea, two of the lady whose name I cannot remember. I’m sure you know. (Son-in-law has my coin book).

“This was the first time I had seen metal dollars in change. They looked as if they had run that gauntlet many times.

“Hope he has no problem spending them. I once had several 50 cent pieces to spend. I was informed that the store, America’s leading, did not accept tokens.

“Took a little effort to get that matter straightened out.”

I appreciate reader email and I do like to learn what is going on around the country at the individual collector level.

I find two items of interest about the five $1 coins are that are mentioned in the email. The first is the fact that there was only one Presidential dollar issue in the group. The second item of interest is the fact that the story of the portrait on the two Susan B. Anthony coins apparently is now so far in the past that collectors are forgetting who is on the coin.

I must admit it has been nearly 34 years since the coins were issued in July of 1979.

Anthony’s name was on the lips of virtually every collector then because the use of her image had deprived the hobby of seeing Frank Gasparro’s Miss Liberty design instead.

It is interesting that some of the dollar coins that nobody wanted to use in 1979 are still out there actually serving a useful function.

I find I am even a bit curious about the dates and mintmarks on the two Anthony dollar coins.

Buzz blogger Dave Harper is editor of the weekly newspaper "Numismatic News."