Monday, February 22, 2010

The most used dollar bills in the United States

I just thought I would leave an interesting note here about the currency of the United States. I'm sure everyone here has used it at some point to make trades and purchases, (unless you are one of those credit card or debit card users). Dollar bills are probably the most popular way to carry large sums of money, that doesn't have to do with computer memory, (via a plastic card or computer chip) We carry these "notes" in our wallets and purses. The dollar bills are rarely collectors' items because they are constantly traded all the time, for private and public transactions. Dollar bills can be used up to a point where they can start to wear and tear down and then they have to be replaced.

I will now discuss the four most common dollar bills used in the United States. They are the one dollar, five dollar, ten dollar, and twenty dollar bills.
Let's begin talking about the one dollar bill.
The one dollar bill has George Washington's photo on the middle. This bill is the most commonly used bill in the United States and lasts about 12-18 months before it needs to be replaced. These dollars are generally the only ones accepted at vending machines, (for snacks, and drinks) It is currently the only dollar to display the federal bank in which this bill is based from.
Here is the back side of the bill.
This dollar bill unlike most others is not color coded. They make up 45% of today's existing bills.

Now for the five dollar bill:
This dollar bill has Abraham Lincoln's photo on it. This bill has been the most recent bill to be color coded, to combat counterfeiting. The five dollar bills have an image that must be seen through light. The main purpose is to verify it's authenticity. The great seal is to the right of the image of Lincoln.

Here is the back side of the five dollar bill:
What really stands out is the large purple "5" in the lower right hand corner, probably another anti-counterfeit tactic. There are small yellow numbers near it too. The Lincoln Memorial is on this side. Despite having a higher value, the five dollar bill lasts about 10-18 months, sometimes not lasting as much as the one dollar bill. They make up 9% of today's rolling currency.

The ten dollar bill has Alexander Hamilton on it. He was the first US secretary of the treasury.
The torch from the Statue of Liberty is to the left of the image of Alexander Hamilton and to the right are the words "We the People" from the words of the constitution. The 10 on the lower right hand corner is golden and for counterfeiters, that would be very difficult or nearly impossible to duplicate. Like the five dollar bill, this one is color coded as well.

Here is the back of the bill:
This side has the US Treasury on it, with a large 10 on the right hand corner. The bill has small yellow 10s on the right side. I believe there is also an image that you must see through light as well. The 10 dollar bill lasts about 15-24 months before it needs to be replaced. This bill makes up 11% of today's currency.

Here is a bill that is used frequently in large numbers: the twenty dollar bill.
Andrew Jackson is in the front of the bill, and the Eagle is to the left and USA print on the right. There's also a golden 20 on the lower right hand corner. These bills are generally the largest accepted denomination in many stores, generally because 50 and 100 dollar bills are not that common anymore. The 20 dollar bill is also color coded. Today the 20 dollar bill makes up 22% of today's total currency.

Here is the back:
The back of the White house is pictured here. The big 20 is to the lower right hand corner. Small yellow 20s surround the White House. The 20 dollar bill usually lasts about two years before in need of replacement.

To add to this, here are three different bills that are rarely used by consumers and traders:
The 50 dollar bill:
The 50 dollar bill has Ulysses S. Grant on the front and the US Capitol Building in the back. The red stripes are to the right of Grant on the front side, and a golden 50 as well. This bill generally will last about 2 to 3 years before it needs replacing. They only make about 5% of today's currency.

The 100 dollar bill with Benjamin Franklin on it. So far he's the only non-US President on the bill along with Alexander Hamilton who is on the 10 dollar bill.
I'm assuming this dollar bill is color coded as well, this is from the 1996 circulation. About 7% of today's bills are worth 100 dollars.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia is featured in the back.

Here's a dollar bill that Thomas Jefferson is on, he is on a two dollar bill:
This bill is rare, and not many stores accept it as currency.
The declaration of Independence is in the back of this bill.

That is it for this post!

13 comments:

  1. I say make a $30 Dollar Bill and put FDR on it. It doesn't matter
    because the government stole all our gold anyway ; )

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  2. I hope some of the players read this, Matt, because they probably
    havn't seen a one, five, or ten dollar bill in a long time. One place
    I used to work at gave us a Christmas bonus all in $2 bills, so they're
    still out there.
    Mike

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  3. Are those all your own bills? I was hoping to see a thousand dollar
    bill. :)

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  4. Wow, that's so cool! Great entry!

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  5. This was a really interesting entry! I always enjoy visiting your blog
    because you have so many great entries!!

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  6. Anyone ever heard of a 1 dollar bill with two images on the front? My dad found 2 of thdm on an old dictionsry.

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  7. hehhhehehhe great

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  8. why us does not have 500 and 1000 bills? is there possibility of having them? or they simply dont exixst?

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    Replies
    1. i wished they existed

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    2. $500 bills do exist. I've seen one before. Google it. They were made Bout 50 years ago or so

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  9. Why Should Someone Start Making more Two Dollar Bills ?

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  10. none of those are even US bills, they're all Federal Reserve notes

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  11. Whenever there's a thread about money, you can always count on the Ron Paultards coming out and making noise.

    ReplyDelete