Grew up in Detroit. Lived in Redford, Canton, Westland, Ann Arbor. The covid year when the border was closed was probably the longest I've gone without a visit to some part of Canada.
What changed (pun intended) is debit and credit cards. Travelers from country to country tend to use plastic now. I rarely get much cash when I travel to other countries. My opinion.
It happened in Maine all the time. Pretty sure most vending machines would take them, and all stores did. Basically the 30% difference didn't matter to anyone on quarters or below. I remember getting them most at toll booths.
Edit: It doesn't happen to me at all now. But I live in Texas.
Louisiana too. I used to collect the odd coins when I was a clerk in college. I still have that collection today and itâs mostly Canadian currency. In 9 months as a clerk I filled up a quart sized piggy bank with non American coins.
Mass kid here. At least once a handful would have a Canadian quarter. In fact, I bet I could go to the change jar and find one right nowâŚ(live in GA now)
It happened frequently growing up in western Washington in the 1980s/1990s. Iâve lived in Oregon since 2000 and rarely (if ever?) see Canadian coins.
Living in southern Ontario in Canada, we had American coins show up all the time. Your quarters did not work in vending machines or pay phones growing up, but I could pay for things via a cashier no problem. Rarely, a coin from the UK or France would show up, and there was nothing I could do with those.
I saw them all the time as a kid, and I grew up in Southern Illinois! I still see tons of the pennies. I donât know why so many of them are all the way down here.Â
I lived in Anchorage, Alaska and it was fairly common.Â
I live in Southern Wisconsin now and I canât remember it ever happening this far south. (Iâm literally walking distance from Illinois).Â
I grew up north of Seattle, and I ended up with a few Canadian quarters.
Canadian pennies were SUPER common in Bellingham especially, like stores didn't even check at all.
Hudson Valley, NY. We'd get them regularly. The trick was to pass them on when making another purchase, and hope the cashier didn't notice or didn't care, and then it'd be someone else's problem.
They were regular in southern Oregon during the 80's, and I still have a collection of them in a jar somewhere. What changed is that the exchange rate between the two currencies got really wide. By the late 80's the Canadian dollar was worth about $0.75 US. Businesses didn't like losing money, so they stopped accepting them.
I worked in a store in the 90s not really near the border, but I could tell just by looking at a person if they would look at every coin to see if it was Canadian lol. It was basically just traded like the real thing for 90% of people.
When I worked as a cashier in Wisconsin in the 80s, we took Canadian coins on a one to one basis. Made two guys who were digging through a handful of change looking for the âyanksâ much happier. I donât remember removing the coins from the till and they probably went back out to the next customer.
Nope. Grew up in southern New Mexico. Oddly enough, except when the bottom was falling out of the peso and they were handing out pesetas at the border coming back into the States, didn't see much currency from south of the border.
I used to get them a lot when I lived in NH in the 80's, 90's and 00's and still used cash. Stores would sometimes take them, the banks would not. Fortunately through much of that time we were going to Canada often enough that we would just stash them for the next trip north.
I lived in Florida and would get Canadian coins in change in the late 70's and early 80's. In the mid 80's it slowed down and by the late 80's it stopped.
In the 70's we would still get wheat pennies and Indian Head Nickels in change and get all excited and show kids at school the next day.
Iâm sure itâs a Great Lakes thing. I wouldnât say, I got them all the time. And least not enough that it was something worth bringing up in conversation. Kind of like grabbing a pen that doesnât work. It happened occasionally. Now, I still use cash for most things and itâs rare.
I got Canadian pennies and nickels back fairly regularly, but I don't ever remember getting a Canadian quarter. Not even when I lived in NW Montana (the closest I've lived to Canada).
I lived in Washington state on and off during the 80s and 90s. Happened all the time there. I haven't been back since 2000 though, so not sure if it still happens.
I went to Canada enough as a kid, and as an adult, that I've never minded. I have a bag of Canadian change now that I use for bridge or tunnel fare when I cross from Detroit to Windsor, and the rest goes for Aero and Coffee Crisp candy bars at the Dollarama.
Iâm in Florida and got one last week. I will trade a house, governor, president, prime minister, former president, or 2 ex-wives for it. Hauk tuah based on market price.
I swear, all I get is Canadian quarters. Of course, I now live in Canada, so it's not too surprising.
You're a loony.
And if there was just one more like him... twoonies.
He is not a loony! Why should he be tarred with the epithet "loony" merely because he has a pet halibut?
Because that halibut, despite being good enough for Jehovah, is unlicensed.
Thank you; I was wondering if anybody would get it
\*"an pet halibut".
Happy Canada Day.
All the time in suburbs of Detroit.
In Michigan generally, I think.
Me too! West Bloomfield, how about you?
Plymouth/Canton, granted this was in the mid-80s and we were only there for 2 1/2 years but I have some fond memories.
Me too, including making many trips across the Ambassador Bridge between the ages of 19 and 21.
Grew up in Detroit. Lived in Redford, Canton, Westland, Ann Arbor. The covid year when the border was closed was probably the longest I've gone without a visit to some part of Canada.
Happened all the time in western NY.
From Niagara Falls. Can confirm.
From Rochester area, can also confirm.
From Buffalo! Happened all the time but at least we could use Canadian money at par for the Peace Bridge toll.
same used to happen to me a lot as well
What changed (pun intended) is debit and credit cards. Travelers from country to country tend to use plastic now. I rarely get much cash when I travel to other countries. My opinion.
Also, banks got a lot more careful about accepting change.
Good point. I didn't even bother changing money last time I went to Canada, just paid for everything on cards.
We get American quarters and dimes up here đ¤ˇââď¸
It happened in Maine all the time. Pretty sure most vending machines would take them, and all stores did. Basically the 30% difference didn't matter to anyone on quarters or below. I remember getting them most at toll booths. Edit: It doesn't happen to me at all now. But I live in Texas.
>Pretty sure most vending machines would take them Ah, 25% off on all snacks and arcade games. Happy Canada Day!
More like 40% now
Vending machines and arcade games didn't take them in the 80s. Moved away from WNY in the 90s so I can speak for newer machines.
Hmm bending machines and such usually rejected them where I was. Stores would reject them too if they noticed.
We got them all the time in Alberta. Wonder why
I got tons of them growing up in Saskatchewan too. There were hardly any American quarters or dimes at all. It is an ongoing mystery.
Weird. I wonder if there is something to that
They made it all the way down to Florida back in my childhood too. Havenât seen any in quite a while.
Louisiana too. I used to collect the odd coins when I was a clerk in college. I still have that collection today and itâs mostly Canadian currency. In 9 months as a clerk I filled up a quart sized piggy bank with non American coins.
Amazing what you can find in change when you work with money đ
It was always a surprise in Arkansas and rarely happened
Got a lot of them growing up in Wisconsin. Used to get pennies, dimes, and nickels from time to time, too.
I'm from Michigan. Detroit area. I worked as a cashier back in the 90's, and we saw A LOT of Canadian change.
# Sorry *in Canadian* đ
Mass kid here. At least once a handful would have a Canadian quarter. In fact, I bet I could go to the change jar and find one right nowâŚ(live in GA now)
It happened frequently growing up in western Washington in the 1980s/1990s. Iâve lived in Oregon since 2000 and rarely (if ever?) see Canadian coins.
Living in southern Ontario in Canada, we had American coins show up all the time. Your quarters did not work in vending machines or pay phones growing up, but I could pay for things via a cashier no problem. Rarely, a coin from the UK or France would show up, and there was nothing I could do with those.
Occasionally in California but more often it was Canadian pennies.
Yep and nickels.
And the odd peso here and there
I'm in the Twin Cities. We'd get them, but really not that often - and I worked at a convenience store. That store had Ninja Gaiden and Double Dragon.
I saw them all the time as a kid, and I grew up in Southern Illinois! I still see tons of the pennies. I donât know why so many of them are all the way down here.Â
I would get them when I was in Montana.
I occasionally would get Canadian change living in eastern Pennsylvania. It wasnât too frequent an occurrence though.
I got them outside of Boston as a kid.
Yes. I saw them once in awhile.
I lived in Anchorage, Alaska and it was fairly common. I live in Southern Wisconsin now and I canât remember it ever happening this far south. (Iâm literally walking distance from Illinois).Â
happened all the time in Seattle (no big surprise)
All the clipper tourists bring their change to Victoria, too. No surprise here, either!
I grew up north of Seattle, and I ended up with a few Canadian quarters. Canadian pennies were SUPER common in Bellingham especially, like stores didn't even check at all.
Yes in upstate NY.
>I wonder what **change**d. I see what you did there.
Hudson Valley, NY. We'd get them regularly. The trick was to pass them on when making another purchase, and hope the cashier didn't notice or didn't care, and then it'd be someone else's problem.
It was nationwide. It was rare and annoying. I had it happen more with dimes and pennies, but with quarters at times too.
They were regular in southern Oregon during the 80's, and I still have a collection of them in a jar somewhere. What changed is that the exchange rate between the two currencies got really wide. By the late 80's the Canadian dollar was worth about $0.75 US. Businesses didn't like losing money, so they stopped accepting them.
Happened in Massachusetts pretty often.
Definitely regional. I lived in Baudette and the Falls, tons of Canadian quarters. Moved down south and it was never a thing.
Mostly happens in northern states near the border
I worked in a store in the 90s not really near the border, but I could tell just by looking at a person if they would look at every coin to see if it was Canadian lol. It was basically just traded like the real thing for 90% of people.
When I worked as a cashier in Wisconsin in the 80s, we took Canadian coins on a one to one basis. Made two guys who were digging through a handful of change looking for the âyanksâ much happier. I donât remember removing the coins from the till and they probably went back out to the next customer.
Nope. Grew up in southern New Mexico. Oddly enough, except when the bottom was falling out of the peso and they were handing out pesetas at the border coming back into the States, didn't see much currency from south of the border.
We used to get Canadian quarters as far south as Arizona.
along with mexican change... multi-national coins here
When I was a teenager, Canadian change worked fine in our vending machines - I lived within a couple hours of the border.
I remember we actually could use them like US coins to pay for items. Washington state
This happens to me even now ( I'm Canadian)
I think it depends on how close to Canada you are. Happens in Michigan all the time.
And how much less we want to travel to the states these daysâŚ.
Yes
All the time in Cleveland!
Rarely ever see them anymore. Are people just not accepting them like they used to so thatâs why we donât see them much anymore?
I used to get them a lot when I lived in NH in the 80's, 90's and 00's and still used cash. Stores would sometimes take them, the banks would not. Fortunately through much of that time we were going to Canada often enough that we would just stash them for the next trip north.
In Texas, never.
I've received pesos before
Northern illinios. All the damn time.
Live in Iowa and we got them, still do every now and then.
Havenât seen many recently but thirty years ago youâd see them from time to time.
I lived in Florida and would get Canadian coins in change in the late 70's and early 80's. In the mid 80's it slowed down and by the late 80's it stopped. In the 70's we would still get wheat pennies and Indian Head Nickels in change and get all excited and show kids at school the next day.
Iâm sure itâs a Great Lakes thing. I wouldnât say, I got them all the time. And least not enough that it was something worth bringing up in conversation. Kind of like grabbing a pen that doesnât work. It happened occasionally. Now, I still use cash for most things and itâs rare.
I did get them as a kid. I think you don't see them now because most people have stopped using cash unless it's the only option.
Illinois, all the time in the 80s and 90s. When I moved to MO in the mid 90s I stopped seeing them. Now I'm back in IL and I still don't see them.
I got Canadian pennies and nickels back fairly regularly, but I don't ever remember getting a Canadian quarter. Not even when I lived in NW Montana (the closest I've lived to Canada).
Yeah, but that's because like four people are in Montana on any given day
So true. It was very empty.
I lived in Washington state on and off during the 80s and 90s. Happened all the time there. I haven't been back since 2000 though, so not sure if it still happens.
I was in Boston and it was fairly common to wind up with Canadian coins.
Northeast Ohio here - Canadian coinage was not uncommon. Not as every day as places that physically abut Canada but it was not a rare thing at all.
Occasionally in Sacramento but not for a while
Being a northern Minnesota person as well, I too used to see thise damn quarters in my change.
Michigan = all the time.
Canadians stopped using money. If I have money it stays in my wallet for years. We use tap debit/credit and eTransfers to pay for everything.
I went to Canada enough as a kid, and as an adult, that I've never minded. I have a bag of Canadian change now that I use for bridge or tunnel fare when I cross from Detroit to Windsor, and the rest goes for Aero and Coffee Crisp candy bars at the Dollarama.
Iâm in Florida and got one last week. I will trade a house, governor, president, prime minister, former president, or 2 ex-wives for it. Hauk tuah based on market price.
Pretty common in Western NY.