Indeed, additionally - these are not "common" currency pieces. It isn't the monetary value, but the novelty in acquiring such pieces to give out.

"I gave a shit enough to go out of my way to get these, and carry them. Now I am giving one to you because you gave a shit enough to go out of YOUR way. Thank you."

Amen, my virtual brother.

May a real $2.50 some-time-soon cross your path.

It's a strange and oddly specific amount. Being transferred any value less than about $10 feels like more of an insult than anything, to me. Might as well be handing out gold star stickers and a lollipops.

If you are making $7.25 an hour serving several dozen people in that hour, $2.50 is a small but meaningful recognition of gratitude. It will not set one up for financial independence but should generate a moment of goodwill between two human beings.

(As well, I'm a Canadian but I believe those are unusual currency denominations so another little plus).

I think for a lot of people, even some on the ever bubbly hacker news, amounts less than $10 are still not considered insulting (context depending).

It has nothing to do with the amount. It’s an uncommon item with real value. Gold stars and lollipops are not US currency.

Also, I hope most people don’t believe a gift of less than $10 usd is an insult. It’s not nothing.

I would honestly be delighted to receive a free lollipop

I think I would even enjoy someone handing me a gold star sticker.

Once we get settled at our new house, I plan to send out some postcards with a quick note on them. It's been a pretty big move.

I figure that's enough of a lost art that someone might actually think "oh cool" and either pin it to the cork board or add to a shoebox of keepsakes.

Two dollar bills are really cool. I haven't even seen a 50c coin myself, need to track one of those down.

Looks like you can get $100 worth of half dollar coins for $147 from the US Mint https://catalog.usmint.gov/kennedy-2023-half-dollar-200-coin...

Pro tip: Go to your bank and you can order $100 worth of half dollars for $100.00.

Pro-er tip: You can also do this with two dollar bills.

yea - U.S. Mint is a ripoff

If you order $200 worth of two dollar bills, you'll likey get uncirculated bills, in a strap so you can feel gangsta/baller/whateverthe cool kids are saying these days.

Thank you for the wonderful tip. I am going to order these coins to handover to kids for Halloween. I am sure that they will love this unusual gift.

I am offering each visitor two candies, and the option to instead receive a half-dollar for each rejected tooth-decayer.

Yes, I'm the "full-sized candy guy" because I don't want the neighborhood kids vandalizing / stealing from my vehicles. Yes, I'm that old. Yes, my neighborhood is that sketchy.

A price I'm willing to offer. So far, no burglaries (and I leave the doors unlocked).

it's a novelty, they're not super common, and it has nothing to do with the monetary amount. Gold stars don't have any value either, yet they can represent something really special to both the giver and receiver.

You should try and look past the literal aspects of things.

Ah, the uncommonness aspect is completely lost on non-US audiences (such as myself)

To give another example: there was a small restaurant in my hometown that gave change in two dollar bills. It's sort of an easy way to be pleasantly quirky.

Ok agree. It makes no sense and is annoying for anyone to be given $2.50 as a tip.

I did the same with silver dollars for a long time,. Gave them as tips eating out but it sucks if your not autistic because everyone is confused/overly excited.

It's worth about $15 but people would think they won the lottery when I gave them a coin. That's why I stopped.

Junk silver is selling at my local coin store for 21x nominal value.

This makes leaving a Franklin half dollar all-the-more rewarding [to an observant recipient]. For reference, a Franklin half dollar is 90% silver. It is also, IMHO, the most-beautifully-surfaced US coin ever produced. It "tings."

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It is in my fantasies that I had reason to celebrate a grand-enough "night on the town" as to leave just a single golden buffalo coin as payment [about $2000USD].