When I was a teenager I was working at McDonalds and someone came in and paid for a meal using old US Silver Certificate bills. Some people just are careless and don't notice old or unusual things.
replyI've had that happen a couple times, too. The first time I was super excited, and looked up the collectable price, and it was like $8 for a (pristine) $5 bill. I think I kept it for a few days to show to people, and then spent it. I inherited a couple from my dad last year, and the collectors' price hadn't changed, so I did the same thing. Still cool, though. I hope whatever cashier received them from me got a similar thrill.
replyI used to see those once or twice a year, now it's been a decade since I've seen even a $2 in the wild.
replyIt’s probably been that since I used cash. Kids pocket money is the last frontier in our house. We even managed travel between 3/4 countries without any. Wise is great.
replyYou can get new $2 from your bank
replyAnd they're still a pain to spend, because too many people refuse to believe they're real money. Or else don't want to take them because there isn't a slot in their cash drawer. I inherited a couple of bundles from my dad last year (he made $2 bills his "thing", much like Woz, because he enjoyed arguing with cashiers), and exchanged them all at the bank for "real money".
replyI believe that you have run into difficulty with some person(s) not understanding that $2 bills are real money.
replyI don't believe that they've been anywhere nearly as much of "a pain to spend" for you as you're stating. You're just gabbing.
I know and do; it's a question if I get one in change or otherwise.
reply(IIRC some businesses used to give change in $2 to show their "influence" on the area.)
deleted
replyWow. I like how those look almost like modern bills except for a cool seal and text saying it's redeemable for silver, subtle flex.
replyOnly time I ever got rare money was a buffalo / Indian head nickel as change in a cafe very recently, not a valuable form though.
> if you tell me someone just stumbles onto and old coin...
replyI found a bill from the Weimar hyperinflation era. Its face value was several billion (Milliarden). Its only value was as a curiosity.
Who doesn’t miss the days when a Milliarden was worth something?
replyI took my kids to one of those gaming centers (skee ball, claw machines, etc.) and stumbled across a 19th century 50-cent piece in the change machine. It apparently is worth about $150 last time I checked.
replydeleted
replyThe oldest coin in my collection is an 1838 large cent, which my dad says he found as a kid in a crack in the sidewalk. He was born more than 100 years after that date.
reply