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The pandemic has led to national shortages in testing supplies, PPE, and now, coins. 

We've been predicting a cashless society and the demise of the penny for so long that we may be underestimating how much people still use coins in places like laundromats and coffeeshops, and the occasional parking meter. 

And about eight million households are "unbanked," and rely on money orders, pawn shops, or payday loans, instead of banks. So, where are all the coins?

Also this hour: The world's earliest coins date back to ancient Greek and Roman culture. And each coin contains information often not found anywhere else in surviving relics of the ancient world. Some numismatists consider ancient coins one of the most important discoveries to fuel the renaissance. 

Lastly, how a North Carolina aquarium used coins from their waterfall to care for thousands of their animals during the pandemic.  

GUESTS:
Molly Olmstead is a staff writer at Slate
Brian Wallace is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Coin Laundry Association 
David Vagi is Director, Ancient Coins at the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and the author of Coinage and History of the Roman Empire  
Liz Baird is the director of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter

The pandemic has led to national shortages in testing supplies, PPE, and now,&nbsp;<a href="https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/08/national-coin-shortage-everything-to-know.html">coins.&nbsp;</a>
We've been predicting a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/06/business/cashless-transactions.html">cashless society</a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/29/business/coin-shortage-penny.html">demise of the penny</a>&nbsp;for so long that we may be underestimating how much people still use coins in places like laundromats and coffeeshops, and the occasional parking meter.&nbsp;
And about eight million households are "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/business/banking-race-black-inequality.html">unbanked,</a>" and rely on money orders, pawn shops, or payday loans, instead of banks. So, where are all the coins?
Also this hour: The world's earliest coins date back to ancient Greek and Roman culture. And each coin contains information often not found anywhere else in surviving relics of the ancient world. Some numismatists consider<a href="https://www.ngccoin.com/news/series/ancients/?page=1">&nbsp;ancient coins</a>&nbsp;one of the most important discoveries to fuel the renaissance.&nbsp;
Lastly, how a North Carolina aquarium&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-carolina-aquarium-has-been-closed-for-almost-five-months-now-its-using-old-wishing-coins-to-help-keep-it-operating/">used coins from their waterfall</a>&nbsp;to care for thousands of their animals during the pandemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Molly Olmstead&nbsp;is a&nbsp;<a href="https://slate.com/author/molly-olmstead">staff writer</a>&nbsp;at&nbsp;Slate</li>
<li>Brian Wallace&nbsp;is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.coinlaundry.org/about/staff/">President</a>&nbsp;and Chief Executive Officer of the Coin Laundry Association&nbsp;</li>
<li>David Vagi&nbsp;is&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ngccoin.com/about/ngc-graders/">Director</a>, Ancient Coins at the Numismatic Guaranty Corporation and the author of Coinage and History of the Roman Empire&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
<li>Liz Baird&nbsp;is the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ngccoin.com/about/ngc-graders/">director</a>&nbsp;of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores</li>
</ul>
Join the conversation on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ColinMcShow/">Facebook</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/wnprcolin">Twitter</a>

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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