Indexed

These were still compatible last I checked. The only problems I know of were when we tried making a thinner quarter in the early 2000s, and our machines rejected them too (switched back shortly after).

we have an ongoing problem with a rogue canadian quarter in the laundry-money jar… I find it every time I try to start a load, but when it gets spit out I inevitably throw it back into the jar without thinking. blame canada.

Actually, modern US vending machines have electronic coin mechanisms that have a dip switch that can be set to accept or reject Canadian coins. How that switch is set is up to each vending company. The closer a machine is to the Canadian border, the more likely it will accept Canadian coins.

Having grown up in Ohio and lived (for the last twenty-five years) in Michigan, I have taken for granted that a Canadian quarter or nickel or dime was worth the same as their respective American counterparts (although indeed machines would rarely take them). So, I have often been surprised when traveling outside of these states, that these coins weren’t acceptable tender.

@Chezjake — Canadian Quarters are everywhere in Michigan. Machines almost never take them.

@Patrick — IN Kentucky I was told if I wanted to spend a Canadian quarter, I had to go to Canadia (sic).

Canadian quarters are relatively common in Texas, so I expect the accursed coinage can be found anywhere Stateside short of Hawaii.

For what it’s worth, I’ve not met a vending machine here that won’t take them.

I found that the French franc is also of very similar size and weight - got one in a roll of quarters from the bank no less! The laundry machine rejected it, which is how I found it. This was after France switched over to the Euro, and had stopped accepting francs for exchange, too.

I was shocked when I moved from Montana near the Canadian border about Canadian money. No one in Arizona would accept it. We had tons of change that was worthless. In northern Montana it was used as often as American money was.

*edit* $0.75US to each $1.00C *edit*

I live in Michigan and pretty much everyone here uses small Canadian coins regularly. As long as you don’t use all Canadian, most people don’t care. However, vending machines here are set to not accept Canadian change. Away from the border, things seem different. In Colorado, where my in-laws live, we have found that humans won’t take the Canadian money, but machines will. Once I was in Florida and handed the clerk a Canadian dime as part of my payment and he was so freaked out I thought he was going to call the police on me. I hadn’t even noticed.

@ Robinn:

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* = how far north you live
@ = non-acceptance of canadian change

Another Michigander here, I too have noticed that machines won’t take the Canadian change but people will. Kind of annoying sometimes when standing in front of a pop machine with $C 0.25 and $1.00…just a quarter short according to the machine..just take my Canadian quarter dammit.