Hoover? I don’t even know ‘er!
August 10, 2015 at 2:54 pm | Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a commentTags: $1, $2, Currency Design, Politics
I’m just going to pretend that I never stopped writing these blog posts in the first place. You, likewise, should ignore the year-plus gaps between posts.
Two years ago, I related the lamentable news that the Presidential $1 coins would no longer be produced for circulation. “They will still be produced in limited numbers to be sold as collectibles, but everybody who was hoping to get a Calvin Coolidge coin as change someday is out of luck.” Well I was only partially right. The coins are only being produced as collectables, but that didn’t stop a few from sneaking into circulation. I had a bank teller break a $20 note for me today and among the change was a Calvin Coolidge dollar coin! And, as if that surprise were not pleasant enough, a Herbert Hoover $1 coin was also in the mix!
There is probably some lesson about the nature of coins and the satisfaction of them fulfilling their, as the French would say, “reason of to be.” But I was just pretty stoked to see a modern necktie worn on a circulating coin.
Broke a $20 note:
Received: Four $2 notes, twelve $1 coins (Washington, J. Adams, Jefferson (2), Monroe (2), J. Q. Adams, Hayes, Coolidge, Hoover, Sacagawea, Anthony)
Response: When I asked if the teller had any $2 notes in her drawer, “I knew that you were going to ask that! I’ve been waiting for you!”
Finally
September 8, 2010 at 1:59 pm | Posted in Other | 1 CommentTags: $2, Currency Design
My long weekend was so rough that I need a vacation. To that end, I’m going waterskiing for a week far from the reaches of the internets. While I am gone, entertain yourselves by trying to figure out how to do this:
1,367.01662 miles
August 27, 2010 at 11:21 am | Posted in Other, Theory | Leave a commentTags: $1, Currency Design, Politics
A BBC article was sent to me by quite a few people. Cole did it first, so he gets the credit. Basically it says what I’ve been saying for a long time: the dollar coin does not work because it is not given as change at the store. Almost all coinage in circulation gets into circulation in the form of change at the store. If cashiers don’t give the coins as change, the bulk of the populace never see them.
The article also informs us that the government has a stockpile of 1.1 billion dollar coins. Let us give a thought to how huge a number 1.1 billion is. Put it this way, .1 billion is one hundred millions. One hundred millions is less than one tenth of the number of dollar coins that are held in reserve by the United States. Observe the nifty infobox I “borrowed” from them:
Notice anything strange about that box? Does it raise any questions for you? That’s right, we are all thinking the same thing: why New Mexico to Chicago? Seriously? There isn’t a more interesting distance that happens to be 1,367 miles? That it is the same distance from Olympia, Washington to El Paso, Texas. At least that is the distance between two cities. 1,367 miles is also the distance from Budapest to Cairo, Milan to St. Petersburg, Helsinki to Rome, Manila to Bangkok. Not to mention that the Orange River is that long. And that is just two pages of google results. During the Han Dynasty, 1,367 miles of Great Wall were built. Yet, the BBC (or the US Mint) thinks that the best illustration of the distance is New Mexico to Chicago.
Best house ever.
July 27, 2010 at 11:26 am | Posted in Other, Theory | 1 CommentTags: $2, Currency Design
So I am very excited about this 1963 $2 note. The reverse is SWEET.
Here are a few notes on the design:
The building (in case you do not recognize it from your nickels) is Monticello. Thomas Jefferson’s house is so awesome that they decided it should be on a coin and on a bill. Don’t get me wrong, the Trumbull’s Signing of the Declaration is great, but it is a bit busy. It is like Homer Simpson’s made-up bill with “All of [the presidents], they’re having a party. Jimmy Carter is passed out on the couch.”
The words “In God We Trust” were added to the reverse of the note in the 1963 design. The words “Will Pay To The Bearer On Demand” were removed from the obverse in anticipation of the removal of silver from circulation.
The Project Pays Off!
July 26, 2010 at 11:25 am | Posted in Theory | 4 CommentsTags: $2, Currency Design
Handle enough money and you are sure to encounter some pieces that have some value to collectors. Of course, you might not recognize them when you see them. There is a numismatist who has a habit of putting valuable coins into circulation in an effort to get people interested in coin collecting. He also has an article on finding valuable coins in your pocket change.
Luckily, I didn’t have to look very close to determine that the $2 note the teller handed me was special. The red seal virtually jumped off the bill.
Closer inspection indicates that it is a 1963 $2 United States Note in (what I esteem to be) “Very Fine” condition. E-bay listings have asking prices for similar bills as high as $25. I don’t think I’ll be selling it any time soon, but I DEFINITELY will not spend it.
Misunderstanding
July 22, 2010 at 11:25 am | Posted in Practice, Theory | Leave a commentTags: $1, 50¢, Currency Design, Food
It has been argued that since Federal Reserve Notes are all the same size and color, the visually impaired are unfairly discriminated against. In fact, a four-year legal battle in the early 2000’s resulted in a court order that the Federal Reserve modify the notes so that they can be distinguished by feel. To date, as far as I can tell, there has been no progress made in this field.
Apparently, being blind isn’t the only source of trouble. I have reason to believe that a donut shop employee recently made an error in identifying some coins that I used.
Purchased one apple fritter:
Price: $1.09
Paid: One $1 coin (Jackson) and one 50¢ coin
Response: I noticed that she took some time to inspect the coins, but I was distracted by a sign that indicated that I could get a great deal on day-old donuts. When I inspected the contents of my pocket later, I found 91¢ (the amount of change I would have received if I’d paid $2 instead of $1.50.) I suspect that the cashier mistook the JFK half dollar for an old Eisenhower dollar and gave me extra change as a result.
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