Know Common Cents wrote:All this talk about cents and nickels being used in vending machines makes me feel like I'm nursing home material. When I was a young'un back in central Ohio, there was a Coke vending machine at the local attempt of what was called a shopping center. Anyway, the short bottles of Coke (7 oz, I believe) were 7 cents. You could do the nickel and 2 pennies or 2 nickels or one dime would net you 3 cents in the coin return. An even bigger hoot was these were vended in returnable bottles. There was a wooden case on the ground and everyone was on the honor system to drink and place the empty there. We're talking early 1960s, sports fans! Damn. I just made myself feel ancient.
I remember the old man using cigarette vending machines when I was a kid. The 2 or 3 cents in change was dispensed as pennies, taped to the outside of the cigarette pack.
I also remember the old toll plaza's on I-80. They had pay toilets that cost a nickel.