Will Cash Completely Vanish?

No, but it will be augmented by many other forms of currency

Anyone who has ever traveled to Britain knows the re-assuring jangle of a 1[pound] coin. It's weighty stuff, nearly twice the heft of an American quarter, and six times as valuable. It's got a gilt-colored exterior and a serene-looking Queen Elizabeth II on the face. It's a thick coin, about three stacked quarters high, and the British Royal Mint has dressed up the edge with fancy-looking Latin inscriptions ("Spend me wisely," they seem to say). The pound feels like real money. It feels great.

Americans are about to get their own version of this metallic frisson. A smooth-edged, golden-hued $1 coin...

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