ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade General Discussion Area The Color of Money

Electric Eagle,
I certainly know what you mean with regards to the $1 notes, mind you, it could often make a poor man look rich, with a big wad of notes.
What is a penny worth in the US?, also a dime and a quarter?
Just wondering.

I have to agree with Eagle about the good old American greenback. O.K., for people used to the currency in other currencies it's easy to criticize it for all denominations being the same shape, size, and color, but it is a really nice design -- It just looks like the solid, reliable currency that it is.
They hadn't introduced the new $5 and upward designs when I left the States, but I've used some since, and found them quite acceptable. They somehow managed to modernize them a little but still retain that traditional feel. (For any of ECN's foreign members who don't actually know what the bills look like, go here . The older >=$5 bills were more like the $1 with the picture smaller and central, and more "frills" around the edges.)

Trumpy,
Penny, nickel, and dime are official names for U.S. coins of 1 cent, 5 cents, and 10 cents respectively. The quarter (25 cents) is also known colloquially as "two bits" -- Not sure how that name originated.

I make that £8.18.3½

Hey Paul?,
Is the pound metric these days?.
As in 100 pence to the pound?.
Just wondering, as I was reading an article in a UK electronics magazine, recently and it made me sort of wonder, with the wording of 110p.
How long has this been around?

Electric Eagle said:


Yes. I have been saying this for YEARS. A coin will cost more to stamp in the beginning. But they last for years. I still see 20-30 year old nickles, dimes and quarters and 50-cent pieces circulating and they're in fine shape!!

I go out of my way to get and use dollar coins.

Canada uses a dollar coin. They also have a 2-dollar coin (just like we have a 2-dollar note). Why?

I think a coin is much more sanitary - and you can wash them if you're obsessively concerned about germs (or if, like me, you're in the habit of picking up pennies and nickles off the sidewalk). Have you noticed how bills STINK? UGH!!!

Then he said:


While I'd LOVE to see the .99 and .94 prices go away, I still wouldn't be thrilled about the fact that I couldn't be able to collect pennies from the sidewalk, toss them in a pickle jar and spend a few relaxing evenings after work just rolling the suckers up.

I've paid for lunch with penny rolls (50 cents per sleeve), after I've exchanged them in the bank, of course...

"Two Bits" comes from the "old" west when a silver dollar was cut into 8 pieces ("bits"), hence two "bits" equals 25 cents. Must've been a lack of smaller coin or something. Of course, back then, there was one dollar worth of silver in a one dollar coin, so cutting it didn't diminish its value.

Ah.. Thanks for that explanation. I've always associated the term with old westerns, so I guess that's why!

Yes -- We changed from LSD to decimal money in 1971, with 100 "new pence" to the pound. Thus one new penny was equal to 2.4d (old pence). They've been messing about with the denominations and sizes of the coins ever since.

I was 5 at the time of the change, so I'd just learned how to count money and then they changed it all!

I still have a card game called Snip-Snap, which was issued at the time to help people learn the new money. The cards depicted various combinations of coins, and you played it like the kids' game snap, saying "Snip" or "Snap" if you got either matching LSD or matching decimal coins, and "Snip-Snap" for LSD and decimal cards of equivalent value (e.g. 2/- and 10p.).


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 06-28-2003).]

Oh yes.... I came across these images of current-style Swiss bank notes while I was browsing.

Somebody, please tell me that these are a horrible joke inflicted upon the good citizens of Switzerland..........



As for the reverse side, I can only assume that it's the result of some horrendous bug in their printer software:


UGH!


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 06-28-2003).]

pauluk, it looks like the designers of Swiss money have been using some of that LSD you were talking about.

SvenNYC:

Don't sniff them too much...

Euro version

Maybe it's just me—but folded in sweaty leather near THAT body part?