Perhaps the public's inability to accept the new golden dollar coin is a psychological phenomenon, suggests Harvard Coop Supervisor Kevin Haggerty.

"The dollar bill is just so ingrained in the American psyche," Haggerty says. "As long as the bill is around, people will accept the bill over the coin."

But the golden dollar is an improvement over Anthony coin, Haggerty says.

"That was a bomb," he says. "When people do start using this, it's going to be a lot easier. There will be much less confusion."

At Bruegger's Bagels, employees say they find the golden dollar amusing.

Bruegger's employee Lenny Jones remembers being shocked by the weight of the coin when he tossed a golden dollar to a customer.

"They're heavy little suckers," Jones says.

Still, Cambridge Trust Bank employee Peter Adams says the golden dollar coin is slated to eventually replace the dollar bill.