The WSJ article ‘Dollar Coin Loses Currency on Savings’ in yesterday's WSJ recites
GAO estimates of cost savings in changing to the $1 coin that grossly understate
the ‘seigniorage’ savings. The $4.4 billion GAO figure quoted does NOT (as the
article incorrectly imputes) include the difference between the face value of a
coin and the cost of its production.

The real savings are about $60 billion. These savings have not recently faded away. They remain in excess of $55 billion.

See the article "How The One Dollar Coin Can Cure The Economy" at http://www.opednews.com/articles/How-The-One-Dollar-Coin-Ca-by-Clifford-Johnson-130515-443.html. For my recent correspondence with the GAO on the issue, see