When the $1 coins were released, most stuff in vending machines were still within the cost of a dollar. Thought I’m not disagreeing with your comment. Coins, for the most part, are relegated to coin jars and aren’t really “spent” in the same way that bills are.
The problem is that coins generally are just so inconvenient. I only hold onto them for the rare occasion where I need to feed a meter.
LMGTFY