What US currency president would you change?

[BowlsofCream]

I love Jackson. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be living in my nice home in sunny Florida Silly "injuns"

[The Norse Hordes]

Id replace Jackson with Teddy.


Teddy was the man.

[Katganistan]

Change the $100 bill. I'm so fucking tired of hearing "Benjamin" over nine thousand times daily.

NOT a President.

[Katganistan]

Since when were Franklin and Chase Presidents? LOL

Or Hamilton.

[Drachmar]

Pictures on the money is stupid and infantile.

Each note should be unique. And no "money transfer" should be legal without reference to (ie verifiable possession of) a unique note or notes.

The anonymity of money is precisely what is evil about money. And it's not hard to fix.

It would put a spoke in the wheel of bankers, too. They have the power to mint currency (to create bargainable assets at no cost -- ie, mint currency) and they would not have that power if 'money' was strictly defined as unique treasury notes.

For nearly the first 100 years of the history of the U.S. this was done, and it was an absolute failure. Counterfeiting was rampant, and there was no guarantee that your notes were transferable from one bank to another. If one bank failed, another was not obligated to back your note. It's was a horrible system, and the reason the U.S. went to a standardized paper/coin system of notes.

[Lucky Bicycle Works]

Pictures on the money is stupid and infantile.

Each note should be unique. And no "money transfer" should be legal without reference to (ie verifiable possession of) a unique note or notes.

The anonymity of money is precisely what is evil about money. And it's not hard to fix.

It would put a spoke in the wheel of bankers, too. They have the power to mint currency (to create bargainable assets at no cost -- ie, mint currency) and they would not have that power if 'money' was strictly defined as unique treasury notes.

For nearly the first 100 years of the history of the U.S. this was done, and it was an absolute failure. Counterfeiting was rampant, and there was no guarantee that your notes were transferable from one bank to another. If one bank failed, another was not obligated to back your note. It's was a horrible system, and the reason the U.S. went to a standardized paper/coin system of notes.

I fail to see how counterfeiting is even possible if each note has a complete "paper trail" -- a searchable record of who legally owns each note. That might not have been possible a hundred years ago but it is now. Even in so far as paper money is even necessary (electronic transactions are already fully auditable) it can be made machine-readable by simply printing a bar-code on existing notes.

The next generation of notes should have microchips in them, so that the redemption value of a note can be cancelled at the Treasury's discretion. That puts a much higher onus on users of the money not to accept the proceeds of crime, which ultimately makes crime for profit less feasible. Yes, you can sell an illegal good for Ho-bucks, redeemable only with your local gang ... but that's a lot less attractive than legal cash which can be spent anywhere on earth. The exchange rate (or laundering cost) would be a strong deterrent to the black market, since it would settle at the level which law enforcement permits unauthorized transfer of money.

The benefits for tax compliance and detection of crime and corruption are alone enough to make such a scheme revenue-positive.

There are more serious objections, surely? Isn't what I'm suggesting exactly like the "gold standard" but without the gold to back it?

At the very least, object on the grounds of the vast restructuring necessary to back all existing debts with assets. Borrowing to invest puts the economy in an aggressive stance which is actually dependent on economic growth, and puts at a disadvantage any trader who tries to operate without debt. At some point of growing debt and growing ownership of debt (private corporate and governmental) someone isn't going to get their money back. We can't all be borrowers!

But let's just wait 'til it breaks, shall we? Because the alternative is like coming off drugs, a long hard grind which is experienced as a recession because profits are going to where they should always have stayed, in capital investments. The long period of consolidation means no new spending, no new sectors growing of the economy without reduction of some other. No, it's much easier to just stay artificially pumped on debt until something breaks ....

What about economic growth, you ask? Isn't growth good? Simple. Economic growth equals the rate of printing new money (unique bills or even just the identifying number of a virtual 'buck' being authorized to a spender -- who would of course be the government.) When the economy grows, government gets more spending money, when it shrinks government has to sell assets to cover the cost of the money they ... wait for it ... burn.

On economics I'm just a hare-brain. I'm sure you can raise more substantial objections to what I suggest, so hit me.

[Tsa-la-gi Nation]

of course, we could always dig a little deeper for older designs, like the pre-civil war days when it was banks that issued the currency, not the government.

Do the words 'Federal Reserve' mean anything to you?

umm....... yes. I've been a coin and banknote collector for about 40 years now, so I have done a fair bit of study. I showed those notes as an example of fine engraved design, not an advocation of returning to the bank issued system. so sorry you couldn't see that.

Hello Grays Harbor. I don't know why, but it didn't occur to me that this topic would bring out a coin collector. The Chief Running Antolope 5 dollar sivler certificate, how rare is it & what would be a fair market value? (If you don't mind me asking). I think the chief of my tribe would love one. Thanks for any info
P.S. we're birds of a feather. I've been a comic collector for over 25 years.

[Lucky Bicycle Works]

As to why famous faces on notes are stupid and childish:

1. Actually makes forgeries easier to pass off, since the engagement of the visual cortex of the viewer is distracted by the image of a face.

2. It is demeaning to national heroes to make every note a little memorial. There is nothing grand or noble about a buck.

3. Money is valuable only in that it can be exchanged for other things. It either elates money itself, or demeans the person whose image is carried on it, to mark it with a recognizable face.

[Grays Harbor]

As to why famous faces on notes are stupid and childish:

1. Actually makes forgeries easier to pass off, since the engagement of the visual cortex of the viewer is distracted by the image of a face.

2. It is demeaning to national heroes to make every note a little memorial. There is nothing grand or noble about a buck.

3. Money is valuable only in that it can be exchanged for other things. It either elates money itself, or demeans the person whose image is carried on it, to mark it with a recognizable face.

Gotta disagree on that one. Nothing demeaning about it whatsoever.

[Tsa-la-gi Nation]

Since when were Franklin and Chase Presidents? LOL

Or Hamilton.

Sorry for any confusion folks. On my 1st post I explained that the last poll choice I put Hamilton, Franklin, & Chase grouped together (as the non presidents) just to give all the possible bill choices up for debate. I guess I could have worded it better.

[Tsa-la-gi Nation]

I love Jackson. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be living in my nice home in sunny Florida Silly "injuns"

I'm meeting my tribe tomorrow. We will do a hurricane dance for "bowlsofcream", in sunny Fla.

[Grays Harbor]

The Chief Running Antolope 5 dollar sivler certificate, how rare is it & what would be a fair market value? (If you don't mind me asking). I think the chief of my tribe would love one. Thanks for any info

Here are a couple links from websites that sell banknotes. That particular note seems to run rather high, anywhere from $300 up to $5000 depending on condition. Ebay may be your best bet as sometimes you can get "right place-right time" deals.

http://www.donckelly.com/lg_type/lg_type.html#Silver
http://www.sanchezcurrency.com/us_large_size_notes.aspx?tid=SC

This may be a reasonable alternative, a 1977 BEP issued souvenir card with the face of the bill engraved on it issued for the ANA convention that year. http://www.goantiques.com/detail,department-treasury-silver,2051084.html or http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=1380212

[Tsa-la-gi Nation]

The Chief Running Antolope 5 dollar sivler certificate, how rare is it & what would be a fair market value? (If you don't mind me asking). I think the chief of my tribe would love one. Thanks for any info

Here are a couple links from websites that sell banknotes. That particular note seems to run rather high, anywhere from $300 up to $5000 depending on condition. Ebay may be your best bet as sometimes you can get "right place-right time" deals.

http://www.donckelly.com/lg_type/lg_type.html#Silver
http://www.sanchezcurrency.com/us_large_size_notes.aspx?tid=SC

This may be a reasonable alternative, a 1977 BEP issued souvenir card with the face of the bill engraved on it issued for the ANA convention that year. http://www.goantiques.com/detail,department-treasury-silver,2051084.html or http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=1380212

Isn't it amazing that a $5 note could be worth so much after time? I grew up in the antique business & sometimes the value of things as the get old still suprises me. Never collected much money. However I do have a small Indian Head Penny collection, 2 one dollar sivler certificates, & 1 two dollar siver certificate. There's a good story on how I got one of them. I was working food service at dullas airport & this guy got off the plane from europe & paid me for his burger with it. Of course, I took the siver certificate & gave the cash register a buck. Score
Thanks for the info

[Sapphista]

I know! Screw paper money!! Let's go back to the good ole barter system!

I shall trade you a cow and two llamas for one of those talking picture boxes. See? You wouldn't even have to drag a purse or wallet around, just a livestock trailer.

[Niur]

I know! Screw paper money!! Let's go back to the good ole barter system!

I shall trade you a cow and two llamas for one of those talking picture boxes. See? You wouldn't even have to drag a purse or wallet around, just a livestock trailer.

Genius... pure genius...

[Southern Americama]

Amazing noones criticised Mckinley yet. Things must be looking up.

[Eternal Life with God]

We only need one man’s face on our money. The Alpha and the Omega, Barack Obama.

We could just do various poses to tell them apart.

Alpha and Omega???????????????????? Recant! Imean... Please think before you talk!

[Grays Harbor]

Amazing noones criticised Mckinley yet. Things must be looking up.

Myself, I just kinda figured it would be pointless to criticize McKinley's portrait as that denomination note hasn't been printed since it was withdrawn from circulation 40 years ago.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

There isn't a $200 note, and if that was to be introduced I would suggest Martin Luther King. In my opinion banknotes don't always have to have presidents (EDIT: and founders).

[RoI3]

All of em, then I'd replace em with HRH

[Al Barakesh]

Replace 'em all with Nixon, mwuhahahahahahahahaahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Grays Harbor]

Just for S&G, here's what the high denomination notes looked like before they were withdrawn. The $500, $1000, $5000 and $10000 Federal Reserve Notes were last produced in 1934 and withdrawn from circulation by Nixon and the $1000 & $100000 Gold Certificate were last produced in 1928 and 1934 respectively. Both were withdrawn in the late 30's by FDR and it wasn't until the 60's that collectors could own them again.









http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_Note

[Grays Harbor]

There isn't a $200 note, and if that was to be introduced I would suggest Martin Luther King. In my opinion banknotes don't always have to have presidents.

They aren't always presidents. Several notes have been issued that have others on them, many of which have already been talked about here, with examples such as the Chief Running Antelope $5 from 1899, and the current $10 with Alexander Hamilton and the $100 with Benjamin Franklin.

Sometimes reading the entire topic before responding is a good thing.

[Pope Joan]

Jackson is overrated as a "strong" president.

He was a rqacist bigot who did much to harm the nation.

Put Jefferson on the 20 instead; he actually made a positive contribution.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

There isn't a $200 note, and if that was to be introduced I would suggest Martin Luther King. In my opinion banknotes don't always have to have presidents.

They aren't always presidents. Several notes have been issued that have others on them, many of which have already been talked about here, with examples such as the Chief Running Antelope $5 from 1899, and the current $10 with Alexander Hamilton and the $100 with Benjamin Franklin.

Sometimes reading the entire topic before responding is a good thing.

Yes, I was also thinking about the founders being on the notes but the banknote series seems to forget about modern-day everyday heroes like Luther-King.