Michaels, a craft store with over 900 locations in the U.S. and Canada, has taken a rather unique view on change -- or at least one store has. Recently the Michaels in Hemet, California wouldn't let a youngster, who was shopping for her mother's birthday present, pay for a $4 purchase in quarters. When she began counting out the 16 coins for the cashier she was informed that it was store policy not to accept change. This forced Hayden to borrow from her younger sister in order to ensure a happy birthday for her mom.

I've put in an email to Michaels to find out if this ridiculous policy is in fact store policy, or simply an employee exercising poor customer service, but I haven't heard back from them yet. Even if such a policy exists, refusing to take 16 quarters for a purchase is simply lazy. I can see the same cashier refusing to take 16 singles next week because counting them would be too much of an inconvenience. Turning down this small of a quantity of change would obviously violate the spirit of any such policy if one exists.

If like me you wondered how a store can refuse a government issued coin, which is "legal tender for all debts public and private" it's because while these coins can be used to satisfy any debt, private businesses do not have to accept them. The Coinage act of 1965 set this policy into place meaning that coins and bills are a legal means of paying a creditor but allowing private businesses to set rules on forms of payment on their own.

The U.S. Mint is officially the P.T. Barnum of currency. It's addicted to showmanship. Yesterday, in a heartwarmingly goofy ceremony at Washington DC's Lincoln Memorial, an actor dressed as Abe unveiled its four new designs for the penny, all of which will be released in 2009 to commemorate the 200th birthday of the put-upon Civil War president. They're just the latest pocket party favors for our ongoing patriotic fervor.

While Lincoln will appear as usual on one side (facing right, the only president to do so on our circulating coins), the flip side will depict four Abe-ish icons issued in rotation: a log cabin inscribed with his birth year, an image of Lincoln the rail splitter studying on a log, a portrait of the young legislator in front of Illinois' state capitol, and a shot of the U.S. Capitol under construction as it was when he was our troubled country's leader.

But as historian James W. Leowen investigated in his 1999 book Lies Across America, the log cabin is a fake. That right. The cabin pawned off on the public as the one Lincoln was born in, and the one that will be engraved on our money, was built in 1895, 30 years after Abe's death, as a tourist draw.

The U.S. Mint has unveiled a prototype of the first U.S. coin to feature readable Braille characters, the 2003 Alabama state quarter also featured Braille, but in small print.

This silver dollar coin will debut in 2009 and features Louis Braille, who invented Braille, on the head side of the coin. This silver dollar is celebrating Louise's 200th birthday. Despite a recent ruling that the U.S. has failed to adequately differentiate paper money for the blind, coins have a better track record with varying weights, shapes and other distinguishing features.

The new coin will come complete with a $10 charge, which will be directed to groups which benefit the blind. One of these programs is aimed at increasing the literacy rate in Braille of blind children and teenagers.

Pssst, Hey buddy, have I got a deal for you.

Every once in a great while you might get an approach similar to that at your friendly neighborhood resale shop. That can be especially true if it's a shop you're not very familiar with. When a thrift store employee or operator brings out something from under the counter which they have "saved for special customers,"... watch out! The chances are good that you'll be looking at an item from a questionable source.

Take for instance that mint condition collection of Buffalo Head nickels, or a complete set of sterling silver flatware in its own velvet lined case. The sales person may tell you that it came from an estate sale they were at that same morning. Take care about your purchase or you could become guilty of receiving stolen property. It's a dead giveaway when the store clerk suggests that you go outside to look at items they have in their car. Yeah, it's not on the shelves and it's not on the books. Ask them if you really look that much like an idiot.