Courtesy of: Visual Capitalist
Probably the most significant fact concerning U.S. dollars is that there are trillions of them making up 29.1% of global debt. Beyond that, however, today’s infographic covers 33 fascinating facts about the notes and coins themselves.
Another interesting fact worth mentioning: The United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing makes approximately $696 million in currency each day. Amazingly, according to their very fitting website MoneyFactory.gov, in the fiscal year of 2014 they printed over $2.2 billion in $1 bills alone.
It’s good practice, because with concerns of deflation circulating around Europe and Asia, the Feds may want to put the printing presses into overdrive.
Re: JEFF DESJARDIN
“The Rare 1913 LIBERTY HEAD NICKEL was PRINTED
by a rogue Mint Employee who made only Five of the Coins”
Well Jeff, here’s a “fact”
you apparently aren’t aware of:
Nickels (Coins) are MINTED,
not “PRINTED”!
Cheers,
S. Rex
Llpoh can squeeze a nickle so hard, he makes the buffalo shit.
#3 is wrong.
Some of the first colonial coins from America were from Connecticut, notably the Higley Coppers of 1737-39 and the Connecticut Coppers of 1785-89.
Hilarious Stucky. Did yew work all night on that. Good gawd it’s labor day weekend – I swear come Oct 10 I will put yew in a headlock squeeze yer magnificent balls til yew scream ‘call me Cap’n Noodle dick!’
I. C. says:
“#3 is wrong.
Some of the first colonial coins from America were from Connecticut, notably the Higley Coppers of 1737-39 and the Connecticut Coppers of 1785-89.”
#3 states “The first U.S. coins were made in 1792”, meaning coins authorized by the U.S. Congress and minted by the U. S. Mint.
Currency Pop Quiz:
Who can identify the following notes?
Porthole Note?
Woodchopper Note?
Chief One Papa Note?
Educational Series Notes? (really beautiful) $1/$2/$5 denominations (also expensive)
I have been a serious collector for many decades and recommend this highly .
Personally I like to collect Kentucky obsolete bank notes which are very rare. Prefer notes that have 8 or less specimens known to exist. United States currency is also a fav along with Confederate currency. You may find error notes interesting , which I also collect.
Bea, I love old US bank currency. One of my favs:
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I’ve always thought modern US currency is rather boring compared to the colorful currency most other nations use. I collect a few US error notes and I have a collection of paper money from every country I’ve visited or lived in. I snagged some pristine UNC Zimbabwe Notes in 10, 20, 50 and 100 TRILLION denominations when they were first issued. I just sold some circulated US notes dated between 1889 and 1934 that some dingleberry spent at a local store. There’s even a group of people who collect normal currency but with what they consider unusual serial numbers. When I find desirable serial numbers I can usually sell them for more than face value.
Close up of the above note:
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Chief Running Antelope was an adviser to Sitting Bull. The image of the headdress on the note is incorrect and was modified for the engraving because his own headdress was too tall. I snagged a small stack of the 5oz silver rounds that depict him as well.
#34: 97-98% of all “money” currently in circulation is bank credit notes or bank credit 1’s and 0’s, aka debt. The remainder is coin and old United States Notes (greenbacks) not redeemed when production was ceased in the 1970’s.
I/S
I figured you for a collector of currency out of the TBP community. Serial numbers can bring big bucks at times, such as solid number or very low number notes. The above $2 note is a (star) note which means it was a replacement note for a sheet that was not printed correctly. Just as the fact says ( I think it was #23), I have ordered packs of $2 notes from the bank and fished out the star notes. I have also purchased sheets of $2 notes (whole sheets) from the BEP.
Error notes are great for the newbie collectors. What errors have you been able to obtain? My bank called me one day and said I should come over as some guy got a $20 bill out of their ATM that was blank on the back. The Feds had been in to look at it and said it was not counterfeit and left. Long story short, I gave them a garden variety $20 for the error note and grinned all the way home as I had paid face value for a error worth $200 at the time.
Next up in the world of currency is polymer banknotes which are already in use in a handful of countries. I believe that the UK is getting ready to go polymer soon. Polymer notes have a much longer lifespan than paper notes.
Last I read up on polymer, Australia, Romania, Vietnam, and New Zealand to name a few are using the plastic banknotes.
What? Nothing about steel pennies? “Big Money” being phased out because it cost less to print the smaller notes?
I dated a girl once. One day I’m over her house and she says “Hey, come with me”… I thought we were gonna knock boots in the basement. Nope. She goes over to this big old 55 gallon oil drum and says “Take a look at this”…
That drum was completely filled to the top with WWII steel pennies… I could probably crush the math and figure out a rough estimate as to many there were, but I’ve never seen so many damn pennies in my life… her father had been collecting them his whole life, and had so many that nothing else would hold them all…
Here’s an article on “Big Money” – our currency used to be twice the size it is now… ever since 1929. Some really beautiful notes were made back in the day… they used to be called “Horse blankets” because of their large size…
More’s the pity… now we got toilet paper…
http://www.littletoncoin.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Display|10001|10001|-1||LearnNav|Large-Size-US-Paper-Money.html
Earlier colonial coins exist from what is now the U.S., the Massachusetts pine tree shilling from (going from memory here) 1655 or so might be the earliest colonial cons from the English colonies.
I think the first coin issued by the US Mint was the “half disme,” aka the half dime (a nickel in today’s language) in 1792. The half cent came in 1793. “In God We Trust” first appeared on a 2-cent coin in 1864.
The buffalo pictured on the reverse of the Buffalo Nickel (1913-1938) was indeed an immense buffalo caged at the Bronx Zoo. His name was Black Diamond.
#29. Save all nickels dated 1943-1945. They are 45% silver. For 1942, some are, some aren’t.
SSS, all of the war nickels containing silver have a large P, D or S mint mark above Monticello on the reverse. I believe these are the first US coins to carry a P mint mark. Also, they are 35% silver. At today’s spot price they are worth 0.82 cents each. They currently have the lowest premium for junk silver at 14%.
Those damn circulated US dollars are carrying a premium of 101.9% as of 9-1-15. Premiums are not listed for dimes, quarters and halves as it cannot be found on offer.
No. 18 is wrong, too. “Novus ordo seclorum” doesn’t mean “new order for the ages” but “new order of the ages” (the former would be “novus ordo seclis”). And I’d have to look it up, but I suspect it would probably read better as “seculorum” rather than “seclorum”.