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Comment by ajtaylor | Hacker News Reader

As an American living in Europe I can say that I love having 1 and 2 Euro coins. Yes, they sometimes can get heavy and they do jingle. But that's more than offset by the convenience. Quarters seem very puny in comparison now.

As a side benefit, a pocket full of coins can mean you're carrying around 10+ EUR. No wallet needed at all!

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It's the same here in Canada with the $1 and $2 coins. I always like to keep a minimum of $10 on me regardless of my cards and what not. But it's such a convenience just to have the change in my pocket rather than my wallet (which is so stuffed full of cards and paper that it's heavier than a pocket full of change as-is) when I'm just visiting a friends house down the street.

I take this combination of euro-cent coins with me when I go shopping: 1, 2, 2, 5, 10, 10, 20, 50.

Et voila, you can always pay exact change for any cent value with only 8 coins.

I take a plastic card instead. Voilà, I can always pay the exact sum!

Ah, well, where I shop that's not always an option. Besides, I like leaving a tip when I get served.

And I find all of the copper-coloured coins (1, 2, 5) a hassle.

Switzerland seems to have this figured out as the smallest coin is 5 centimes. To the average American who doesn't like dollar coins, imagine their reaction when they find out that Switzerland has a 5 CHF coin. Their smallest bill is 10 CHF.

Some Euro zone countries (definitely Finland, IIRC also the Netherlands) have abolished the 1 and 2 cent coins; purchase totals are rounded to the nearest .05 value.

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