The ethanol dime is a sorely undervalued piece of Americana. Search "ethanol dime" or "painted dime" in Google and the only relevant pages that will come up are these two pages, and both are on the same site. (By the way, kudos to Rapid City, SD, for being the focus of that event. We're representin'.)
The ethanol dime is a simple concept: paint dimes a pretty color, and give one to people for every gallon of ethanol-blend gas they buy. Almost all ethanol dimes are yellow, though red ones have also been produced. I couldn't tell you when the first ethanol dimes were made. The pages I linked to refer to an event in August 2002, but they've been around a lot longer than that.
When I was about six years old, my father gave me a yellow ethanol dime he had received in change at the grocery store, and it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Since then, I've slowly amassed a collection of six--count 'em, six--ethanol dimes, five yellow and a red. (I know I ought to post a picture, but I still can't find my digital camera. I live in squalor.)
Ethanol dimes are difficult to find, and I assume that I probably have an easier time than most when it comes to doing so, since I live in an ethanol-conscious state. In my experience, ethanol dimes are rarer than wheat pennies or silver dimes. Not many have been made, and only a fraction of those are still being circulated.
The ethanol dime has no value over 10 cents. Coin collectors don't recognize them. Nobody seems to care that this is an interesting bit of farm culture, a way to prove that the Midwest is changing to suit the needs of America. Corn isn't just food and feed anymore; it's improving the way your car runs.
I can't think of a way to end this goofy little nostalgia piece, so I'll just leave it here.
EDIT, 1 Feb 04: I googled "yellow dime," and there are 153 results (not all of which are relevant). I was going to sift through them to see if there was anything interesting, but I can't seem to find ethanol dimes very compelling after doing an entire post on them. Too much of a good thing, I suppose.
The ethanol dime is a simple concept: paint dimes a pretty color, and give one to people for every gallon of ethanol-blend gas they buy. Almost all ethanol dimes are yellow, though red ones have also been produced. I couldn't tell you when the first ethanol dimes were made. The pages I linked to refer to an event in August 2002, but they've been around a lot longer than that.
When I was about six years old, my father gave me a yellow ethanol dime he had received in change at the grocery store, and it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Since then, I've slowly amassed a collection of six--count 'em, six--ethanol dimes, five yellow and a red. (I know I ought to post a picture, but I still can't find my digital camera. I live in squalor.)
Ethanol dimes are difficult to find, and I assume that I probably have an easier time than most when it comes to doing so, since I live in an ethanol-conscious state. In my experience, ethanol dimes are rarer than wheat pennies or silver dimes. Not many have been made, and only a fraction of those are still being circulated.
The ethanol dime has no value over 10 cents. Coin collectors don't recognize them. Nobody seems to care that this is an interesting bit of farm culture, a way to prove that the Midwest is changing to suit the needs of America. Corn isn't just food and feed anymore; it's improving the way your car runs.
I can't think of a way to end this goofy little nostalgia piece, so I'll just leave it here.
EDIT, 1 Feb 04: I googled "yellow dime," and there are 153 results (not all of which are relevant). I was going to sift through them to see if there was anything interesting, but I can't seem to find ethanol dimes very compelling after doing an entire post on them. Too much of a good thing, I suppose.
posted by Allison at
12:00 PM
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