The $2 bill

[David1961]

I saw something I haven't seen in months, maybe years. A genuine 2 dollar bill! A cashier gave it to me for change. When is the last time you saw a 2 dollar bill in circulation? Is it as rare in other parts of the country as it is here in Maryland?

[MasterBlaster]

This guy was arrested for trying to use $2 bills at Best Buy !

Ignorance abounds.

Two Dollar Man jailed in Baltimore County

[BOBOT]

They're not in common circulation, but they're readily available here where it seems 85% of the place names include "Jefferson". When you go to Monticello you get your change in 2's.

They're actually sort of convenient; I sometimes get some before going across country, just to see what reaction I'll get when I use them. I think it's interesting that someone who has never seen or heard of them would even accept them - but they do.

[IBWino]

We get one every couple of years or so and have ended up saving them. Not sure why, but we have several in our safe. Must be the novelty. Maybe that's why they are rare; people are collecting them.

[Uncle Drew]

I haven't tried recently, but several years ago you could go to your local bank and get them to your heart's content.

[CuppaJoe]

I keep mine in my drawers along with my other valuables.

[lazygood4nothinbum]

makes ya wonder how many how many grover clevelands best buy will be paying out in settlement.

WikiAnswers - What is the largest bank note ever printed

Quote:

The largest bank note the US ever printed was $100,000. It was intended for circulation between branches of the Federal Reserve and featured a picture of Woodrow Wilson. Other large bills are: The $500 bill - William McKinley The $1,000 bill - Grover Cleveland The $5,000 bill - James Madison The $10,000 bill - Salmon P. Chase

[VaCollector]

Being a collector of US currency, I get them frequently from my bank and use them to tip when we go out....although (until reading here) had never thought that the recipient might have thought them to be counterfeit

[cantlogin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lazygood4nothinbum makes ya wonder how many how many grover clevelands best buy will be paying out in settlement. WikiAnswers - What is the largest bank note ever printed

I think that the greatest fault lies with the police who arrested him.

[aaronc879]

I've never seen them in circulation. My dad gave me two of them when I was a kid(20 years ago) that i've kept ever since in my "sentamental items" drawer but those are the only two i've ever seen.

[retire@40]

I use them all the time.

When I go to the bank, I ask to have all the $2 bills they have in their drawer. The tellers are relieved to get them out of their drawer since they need to list them every single day on their end of day balance sheet as long as they have them in their drawer.

It's fun to watch the cashiers look at them like they are not real, sometimes call the supervisor over, and after figuring out they are real, not knowing which slot to place them in their cash drawer. They eventually just throw it under the cash placement bin.

What's even more fun is giving them the dollar coins and having them mistake them for quarters.

[MikeD]

My mother came into possesion of a $500.00 bill back in the '60s in her travels as a girl scout cookie drive chairwoman. We were all agog over it. It went directly to the bank. We all got to hold it. At the time my weekly allowance was 10 cents.

Mike D.

[VaCollector]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeD My mother came into possesion of a $500.00 bill back in the '60s in her travels as a girl scout cookie drive chairwoman. We were all agog over it. It went directly to the bank. We all got to hold it. At the time my weekly allowance was 10 cents. Mike D.

They can still be found among collectors but bring a premium over face value ~ the better the condition, the more they bring!

I'm happy to share a pic of mine:

[Uncle Drew]

That's pretty sweet, VaCollector!

[rs0460a]

Don't try to spend this one at Micky D's

[rs0460a]

[travelover]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterBlaster This guy was arrested for trying to use $2 bills at Best Buy ! Ignorance abounds. Two Dollar Man jailed in Baltimore County

As if one was to go to all the work and risk of counterfeiting, one would choose a bill that was not commonly in circulation.

[harley]

Quote:

Originally Posted by retire@40 What's even more fun is giving them the dollar coins and having them mistake them for quarters.

I used to do this myself, until I realized that I had chucked a bunch of them into the toll plaza coin boxes.

[hogtied]

and spend them. I like the look I get when I give them to someone, especially young people. That reminds me of another related story: I like to get rolls of 50 cent pieces also from the bank. I once gave them to a young cashier at the grocery store. She looked at it and said "what is this?". I told her it was a 50 cent coin. She said she could not accept it as payment. I told her that she had to, that it was legal tender. She looked at me like I was trying to con her. She said she could not take it again. I asked her why and she said "because I don't have a spot in my cash drawer for it." I asked her to call the manager and he came over. He explained to her the same thing that I told her. She was baffled! Amazing and true story. Try it, it's fun.

[Htown Harry]

My theory is the $2 bill remains in circulation only because the guys at the federal reserve really enjoy the field research necessary to track its circulation.

The Two-Dollar Dance