Not a very good analogy, though, Jill. US coins and currency don't represent a debt anymore. There is no promise to pay anything, ever. If you take a dollar to the Federal Reserve bank, they will give you another piece of paper, or some tokens but will not give you "money" for it. There is no money but silver and gold. The government will not give it to you anymore unless you happen to buy it on the commodities exchange when they sell more of our national treasure for more unredeemable paper.

Think about it when you hear arguments of whether there really is a Social Security 'trust fund' with money in it. There is not.