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Presidential Dollar Coin Program Unused dollar coins, worth more than $1 billion, have been quietly piling up in Federal Reserve vaults thanks to a government program that has required their production since 2007.
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Presidential Dollar Coin Program

Unused dollar coins, worth $1 billion, have been piling up in Federal Reserve vaults.

Fed Sits On A Billion Unwanted Dollar Coins

A billion dollars in dollar coins are stacked up in Federal Reserve vaults around the country because Americans don't want them. The dollar coin program has become a waste of money and space. Congress initiated the effort to promote presidential history and to build up interest in dollar coins as substitutes for bills. But the government wildly misjudged demand. And political sensitivities keep the program alive — even though some of its congressional sponsors acknowledge it has been a flop. Melissa Block talks to Planet Money's David Kestenbaum for more.

Fed Sits On A Billion Unwanted Dollar Coins

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How Frequent Fliers Exploit A Government Program

Jane Liaw Liaw orders coins from the U.S. Mint to earn frequent-flier miles. Jane Liaw hide caption

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Jane Liaw

Planet Money

How Frequent Fliers Exploit A Government Program

Travel enthusiasts buy thousands of coins with credit cards that award frequent-flier miles for purchases. The government picks up the tab for shipping.

How Frequent Fliers Exploit A Government Program To Get Free Trips

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Dollar Coins In The Wild

Teacher Rebecca Kayes shows off the dollar coins she uses in Quito, Ecuador. Rebecca Kayes hide caption

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Rebecca Kayes

Planet Money

Dollar Coins In The Wild

We talk to travelers who use frequent-flier-mile credit cards to buy dollar coins and pile up miles. And we hear how the U.S. Mint is cracking down.

Dollar Coins In The Wild

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Legislation Aimed At Killing Dollar Coin Program

A bill has been introduced in Congress to kill the troubled dollar coin program. Unwanted dollar coins are piling up in Federal Reserve vaults around the country, costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The program was designed to whet the public's appetite for dollar coins. But it's been a flop.

Legislation Aimed At Killing Dollar Coin Program

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Dollar Coins Are Done
John W. Poole/NPR

Planet Money

Dollar Coins Are Done

Earlier this year we reported on the pileup of more than a billion unwanted $1 coins in government vaults. It was the result of a law passed a few years back that ordered the mint to create coins honoring each U.S. president.Today, the White House said it will end the program.

Dollar Coins Are Done

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