This is kind of "up there" on the bad question list but I'll ask anyway. Since they don't make those "sizeable" silver dollars anymore where can you get a decent-sized coin for a coin toss? I'm moving to WH this season and don't want to look like a "low-budget" ref with a 50-cent piece. Any ideas?

Good question.
 

Try the Littleton Coin Company. I posted the link directly above. They sell the new U.S. silver dollars for a reasonable amount. You can get them by years also. Plus a wide range of other coins.

You should visit your local bank also. Sometimes they have the the larger dollar (Eisenhower) and half-dollar(Kennedy) coins in their vaults.

Check out an antique shop. They usually have a coin collection, including old silver dollar types. You can usually get a good heavy one for not too much.

We just bought some oversized coins for my daughter to play with... She's got a quarter, a dime, and a penny, each of which is about three inches in diameter... I'm half tempted to use one of them...

The only downside that I see is trying to carry the thing... :D

Thanks for the replies. I went to the web site suggested by Mike and they had one for $14.95. I had already tried my bank and came up empty so instead of paying a 1/3-game fee for a stupid coin I tried one last time and they had a couple.

Have you considered http://www.pluspos.com? They have a neat flipping coin dedicated to the victims of 9-11-01. On one side it has the bald eagle's head, WTC and Pentagon. The reverse has dedication over the U.S.Flag.

What's wrong with using a half dollar?????

A lot of people I know use a quarter. They're usually impressed with my half-dollar. :D

Another option is <a href="http://www.americanmint.com">americanmint.com</a>. I think they're considered second-tier (or lower) by coin collectors, so they're cheaper than some of the other ones...

BTW: Can you imagine how pissy some dedicated coin collectors would get if you bought some rare coin and told them it was for tossing before a football game..?

If you're close to a casino, don't cash in a casino dollar. Keep a couple or so. I used one for softball (flipping for home team in rec league), and got some second looks when I showed the steamboat as tails.

I find coins from other countries are great. They sometimes have a really good since, and you can make some sort of joke about where they come from. I have a really nice coin from Greece from the 70s, a few Chinese pieces, a Jamacian dollar and something else from Bolivia...

But what I tend to use is a Canadian silver dollar from the 60s, before they went to alloy. Nice size and heavier than the current ones. It has the Queen on one side and a Canoe on the other.
Since I'm in Germany, and the German for Heads is 'Kopf', I can tell them to call Kopf or Kanoe...

James

A friend of mine is a white hat in the Big 12 and he gave me the toss coin that he used in a big game between Colorado and Nebraska years back when Colorado was on top. It was made for that league. (It had a center on the coin, a view of him from the front as heads and a view of him from behind as the tails.) I think state associations or the leagues should mint toss coins. I bet they could sell them to FB fans, coaches and players as momentos of the season.

REPLY: "Tails" was a view of the snapper from behind!?! That's pretty funny <a href='http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb008' target='_blank'><img src='http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/29/29_1_9.gif' alt='Lol' border=0></a>

To add, one of the guys I work with, he uses a Canadian Looney coin. That brought back a memory when I was coaching, a white hat had a looney coin similar, and he told my captain to call "Queen or Looney", and my captain said, "Looney, since I'm one anyway". That got a few chuckles, which became uproar laughter when it actually came up looney side, and my captain said, "just my luck!"

I use all sorts of coins. Foreign, US, Canadian. Even have a couple of coins that were minted for conventions that the kids find interesting.
As a Ref I have the most fun when I have a new umpire. Ask to use his because "I left mine in the locker room". Then give it away as a souvenir.
BTW agree that there is nothing wrong with a 50c piece.
Worked a state playoff game a few years ago where the R brought out a penny. "Gee guys, between us this is all we have til payday....." The captains all broke up.

[Edited by Jim S on Jun 18th, 2004 at 02:25 PM]

Seriously though, what's wrong with a half dollar???

Coin Store
 

I went to the local Antique and Coin store and bought a 1988 silver dollar (the year that I started). The cost was 12.00. It is a nice coin. Big, and easy to catch.

I'm going to add another good one on top of the already superfluous topic.

In my Flag football league the supervisor of officials told us to use odds or evens (stick 1 or 2 behind your back, ask captain what it is, away from his view). Of course I asked why we didn't just use a quarter or other coin (penny:)), we did in the championship games, at least that is what they told us to do; I never recieved any answer.

So I decided to do something a little different, I brought the captains together as usual and I went over rules, then I told them we would do something a little different with the "toss." I decided that we should do paper, rock, scissors for the toss; it starts the competition early and it loosens guys up. I even used it in the championship game when we actually had a coin.

Proper Paper, Rock, Scissors Technique

Of course if you use this method you must state beforehand whether you do it on scissors or on shoot. This could be a big problem if you run into 2 players that are from different schools of thought on proper Paper, Rock, Scissors, or from the south "Rock, paper, scissors," you must allow ample time to explain this as the reprocussions are disastorous. One time it went to about 5 rounds of ties, the captains were having a good time but I had to cut them short, we had a game to get to, so I gave the ball to the team who had the coolest jerseys, no complaints!

If there are any additional questions about this method please don't hesitate to ask me some questions.

I know some might not like this......
 

but the coin I use comes directly from +POS. It is one of those "September 11th" Coins. It has the twin towers on the tail side and a Bald Eagle on the other side. I have two of them and I only use them for Football Purposes. It is a great coin and is kind of big and easy to see. I have used this coin for the last 2 years. I love them.

Peace

big coin
 

I have used a big coin for the past 3 years. I got a whole set at Wal-Mart of all places for my kids to play with. I happened to take them to my work one day (unrealted story) and had it for a Fr game that evening. I decided to use it. The kids flipped when I showed them. I have sinced used it. The players seem to think it is cool or neat to have the huge coin.

just my .02 worth.....

The rock/scissors/paper story is an amusing one.
I remember a white hat on a JV game only had a
penny--- he flipped it and the wind cuaght it ---
we could never find it !! Another time I saw an R
in a sub varsity game w/o a coin flipped his plastic
game card after marking "H" on one side and "T' on
the other.
I bet the guys here have a million tales like that !

Re: big coin
 

How big is big?

Today I just got a flipping coin from Honigs, it had a head of a Zebra on one side and the tail of the zebra on the other side, along with the word tails. This coin will be a hard one to screw up, and captains will never have a question of which side is which (unless they are Lineman:)). Just kidding, the front line at my school included the #1 and #5 class ranked students, the closest for the rest of the team was about 30th.

Re: Re: big coin
 

It is about 3.5 inches in diameter. I was worried about having to carry it for the game, but I used to put it in my back pocket and really I do not feel it. If I remember to I take it out at 1/2 time, of if we wear out jackets out for pre-game (only in the colder weather) I put it in my jacket pocket.

Now, I put it in my card carrier that contains my card for penalties and other info. It slides in the front and I put both in my back pocket. It has worked for the past 3 years.

Well, it's nice to hear that the Canadian currency has value for some people. :D

Worth $1.20 US.

Worth $1.20 US. [/B][/QUOTE]



FYI

As of today (June 20), the Candadian Dollar is worth 73.4 cents (U.S.).

If you go the other way, the U.S. dollar is worth $1.36 Canadian.


Exchange rate still favors the U.S. Dollar, eh?

Worth US$1.20? That's looney!!!!

NF sells a "Flipping" coin for $5.
If you really want a silver dollar, stop by a federal bank (I think that's the term) and ask at a teller window. We picked up about four a few years back at a buck a piece (what a bargin,hahaha).

I think the that the current price of the Cdn $$ makes it worth it to buy my officiating supplies down in the USA.

A dollar for a dollar? That must be the last time you could get something for something!

A Danish Referee, now retired, gave me his flipping coin. It's a pretty big and thick brass thing with HEADS engraved on one side and TAILS engraved on the other in big letters.

Totally impossible to get wrong!

unique
 

my flipping coin was minted after the army unit I was with in Iraq captured Saddam. On one side it has the unit logo and the side has a palm tree and "December 13, 2003 - Operation Red Dawn".

I think it's cool.

FYI

As of today (June 20), the Candadian Dollar is worth 73.4 cents (U.S.).

If you go the other way, the U.S. dollar is worth $1.36 Canadian.


Exchange rate still favors the U.S. Dollar, eh? [/B][/QUOTE]

LOL I figured some loonie would post the actual values.