Does anybody else foresee a day when coins will be non-existent?

[7up2000]

I still regularly find coins. I usually find them in old subdivisions or areas where unhoused people sleep. However, I've noticed there's starting to be a dearth of coins at city parks, i.e. large parks with lots of people and still only a few coins are found. With society continuing to go toward more and more credit card use and electronic payments, perhaps our hobby is dying or will be dead sometime in the near future? I still enjoy the hobby -- even if I am only finding coins--but those days may be numbered.

 

[ARC]

We all better hope not.

 

[ARC]

And not to be a smart arse... but i cannot help but ask...

is "unhoused people" a politically correct term for "homeless" ?

 

[UnderMiner]

And not to be a smart arse... but i cannot help but ask...

is "unhoused people" a politically correct term for "homeless" ?

Pfff, you're both too politically correct, the real term for them is bums. "There's alot of bums living in the park losing change."

 

[7up2000]

And not to be a smart arse... but i cannot help but ask...

is "unhoused people" a politically correct term for "homeless" ?

Yes, that is the more politically correct term. "Homeless" is seen as denigrating

 

[ARC]

Yes, that is the more politically correct term. "Homeless" is seen as denigrating

Wow... what's has it all come to ?

That's like someone breaking into someone's else's home and calling that intruder a "non resident"... heh

 

[UnderMiner]

Wow... what's has it all come to ?

That's like someone breaking into someone's else's home and calling that intruder a "non resident"... heh

"Hello 911, there is a non-resident attempting to forcefully procure items of value from my personal domicile without proper compensation or polite courtesy - and they're potentially under the influence of recreational perception-altering substances! I need an unarmed soft spoken social worker here fast!"

 

[mrwiskers]

...@UnderMiner ... young caller: "Hello 911, there is a non-resident attempting to forcefully procure items of value from my personal domicile without proper compensation or polite courtesy - and they're potentially under the influence of recreational perception-altering substances! I need an unarmed soft spoken social worker here fast!" ...
...60 year old responder: "You've got the wrong number ... you need to call The View..."

 

[pepperj]

And not to be a smart arse... but i cannot help but ask...

is "unhoused people" a politically correct term for "homeless" ?

We've heard "In Transition" "Non-Franchised"
It's watering down the truth of what it is.

 

[ARC]

We've heard "In Transition" "Non-Franchised"
It's watering down the truth of what it is.

Housing challenged

 

[ARC]

"in between housing individual" ?
"housing challenged individual" ?

 

[ARC]

An "exposed to the elements individual" ?

Dont really feel great about making fun of the terms an all... but hey... um...... errrr.... ahhhhh... blah

 

[tahomatom]

I still regularly find coins. I usually find them in old subdivisions or areas where unhoused people sleep. However, I've noticed there's starting to be a dearth of coins at city parks, i.e. large parks with lots of people and still only a few coins are found. With society continuing to go toward more and more credit card use and electronic payments, perhaps our hobby is dying or will be dead sometime in the near future? I still enjoy the hobby -- even if I am only finding coins--but those days may be numbered.

Well that should make coins a real novelty that should increase in valve.
As far as unhoused people. Lots have changed in words lately beginning with what the media reports as news.
When I was a kid I used to ride my bike to the bum camp next to the railroad tracks and talk to the bums. I would always get good advice and was warned who to stay away from. These were men down and out for whatever reason but they had a certain pride about them. There was no trash or drugs there and always good talks I remember.

 

[pepperj]

Well that should make coins a real novelty that should increase in valve.
As far as unhoused people. Lots have changed in words lately beginning with what the media reports as news.
When I was a kid I used to ride my bike to the bum camp next to the railroad tracks and talk to the bums. I would always get good advice and was warned who to stay away from. These were men down and out for whatever reason but they had a certain pride about them. There was no trash or drugs there and always good talks I remember.

Hobo is another one that has been used for many moons.

Here's a bit of how it was just 40+ yrs ago.
Hopped a freight train in El Paso TX. Got about 100 miles west of San Antonio TX. The train stopped on a siding waiting for another train. The engineer came back to the 4th unit (engine) and said that they knew I was riding, and gave me food and water. (day 3 of this never ending journey)

He told me that I was getting the boot off the train in a "Wetback" Border Patrol sweep in about 20 miles down the line.
There's nothing out there, and you're still 80 miles away from San Antonio.

Sure enough it happened, flood lights off a helicopter, jeeps with flood lights, officers on horseback.
They told me to step off
Radio asked the officer what he got?

His reply: "Just a Hobo"
I wore that one like a badge of honour, and I replied "Thank You"

Hobo was an earned status, above Tramp, or Drifter.

 

[pepperj]

I would love to find an itinerant workers nickel one day.

 

[pepperj]

I still regularly find coins. I usually find them in old subdivisions or areas where unhoused people sleep. However, I've noticed there's starting to be a dearth of coins at city parks, i.e. large parks with lots of people and still only a few coins are found. With society continuing to go toward more and more credit card use and electronic payments, perhaps our hobby is dying or will be dead sometime in the near future? I still enjoy the hobby -- even if I am only finding coins--but those days may be numbered.

Have no worries as you have a lot of holes to dig yet before those days of no coins being found arrives.

As of late 2025, there are over 300 billion pennies
and likely over 100 billion additional nickels, dimes, and quarters in U.S. circulation, making a total in the hundreds of billions.

 

[cudamark]

The new CCC camps.....Constantly Cooked Campers......

 

[daddyflea]

You are probably correct saying our Hobby is dying. It has been dying for some time. Pennies no longer last over 4 or 5 years in the ground. Now Pennies have been discontinued. But on the bright side, it will be several generations before it is totally gone. My CTX maybe a valuable detector because it likes Nickles and there should be more Nickles now. Change is no longer valuable enough to carry in your pocket.

 

[7up2000]

You are probably correct saying our Hobby is dying. It has been dying for some time. Pennies no longer last over 4 or 5 years in the ground. Now Pennies have been discontinued. But on the bright side, it will be several generations before it is totally gone. My CTX maybe a valuable detector because it likes Nickles and there should be more Nickles now. Change is no longer valuable enough to carry in your pocket.

What part of the country are you in? How do you like your CTX? I'm thinking of switching to a PI dectector such as yours to get better performance in mineralized soil(I live in desert Arizona). The Garrett AT-Pro which I currently use only gets 2-2.5" depth (with coin size targets) in desert soil and struggles with accuracy.

 

[pepperj]

What part of the country are you in? How do you like your CTX? I'm thinking of switching to a PI dectector such as yours to get better performance in mineralized soil(I live in desert Arizona). The Garrett AT-Pro which I currently use only gets 2-2.5" depth (with coin size targets) in desert soil and struggles with accuracy.

The CTX isn't a PI detector, it uses FBS 2 (Full Band Spectrum) technology.