The Daily Difference - Day 3: Money

In comparing currency, France takes the advantage. The Euro, like the metric system and the celsius temperature scale, just makes more sense. No wonder -- they had a long time to perfect the system. European fiscal leaders had been planning for a common currency since the 1960s, and they took three whole years to launch the Euro since its "virtual" birth in 1999 (coins and bills started circulating in 2002). Yes, the Euro has problems - I won't go into the fiscal fiascos - I'm just interested in how the average Joe uses coins and banknotes.

Why do I prefer the Euro over the Dollar? First of all, let's compare the coins.

The Europeans have three small copper-colored coins of 1, 2, and 5 cent pieces. 10, 20, and 50 cent denominations are gold colored. And then you graduate to the hefty 1- and 2-euro coins (the 1 is silver in the middle with a gold edge, and its big brother, the 2, is gold in the middle with a silver edge). What makes sense is the size of the coins: they gradually increase in size as the value goes up.

Well duh, right?

Not so fast, let's take a close look at American coins.

Most Americans are so used to irregular coin sizes that they don't even think about it. But I remember teaching my girls the values of our coins when they were young, and it was difficult for them to understand why the dime (10 cents) was smaller than the nickel (5 cents)! After all, the dime is worth more. Our penny (one cent) is bigger than a dime but smaller than a nickel. What?? At least Americans only have to learn 4 coins instead of 8.

Now let's examine the banknotes.

Again, the Euro has the right idea: not only different sizes but also unique vivid colors for each denomination. And no little one-notes to artificially fatten up your wallet. Those are taken care of with coins. (Incidentally, one drawback to the 1-and 2-euro coins is the psychological devaluation of their worth. They're just coins, I tend to think, not "real" money. On the other hand, sometimes digging under the couch cushions can reap rewards!)

Now look at the US banknotes. Same size, virtually the same greenish color (although technically the background colors differ slightly). You have to pay attention when using cash in the US or you can easily mix up the bills. On second thought -- who pays with cash these days?

So there's my two cents. Sorry - couldn't resist.