Anyone know why we still print the 2 Dollar Bill?

[gilligan fanatic]

What a pointless idea, I wonder why we still have them. I am a cashier and today someone payed all in two dollar bills. It was like 18 dollars too. I thought it was very strange. We have a marker that checks if the bills are counterfit and they weren't, but it was weird.

[Ireneparalegal]

Why? So I can continue collecting them.

[Lamont]

a lot of people collect them as a novelty
my grandad used to always give me one every time i visited and i saved them all up in a collection

[swedeace]

I've been collecting them since I was a teenager. I don't have that many, but I do have a couple of $2 bills. I haven't seen one floating around in years, actually.

[Ireneparalegal]

Every Monday I count $$$ at my local parish (from weekend services) and there are at least 10 $2 bills in the batch. I exchange them for my $1 bills.

[TJL]

I guess lots of folks still collect them. I used to have a bunch of them. It's amazing that many people still don't know they exist.
When I worked retail in High School someone would buy something with a two dollar bill every once in a while. The other people I worked with thought they were some kind of joke, but I would always exchange a couple of singles for one.

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by gilligan fanatic

What a pointless idea, I wonder why we still have them. I am a cashier and today someone payed all in two dollar bills. It was like 18 dollars too. I thought it was very strange. We have a marker that checks if the bills are counterfit and they weren't, but it was weird.

You should be thankful that you still see them and the one also for that matter, in Canada it was decided that the annual printing costs vs the longevity of the bill were no longer worth it. Now we have $1 and $2 coins, think of how often you have a wad of 1's and maybe 2's and now convert that to coin in your pocket. It is very common for me to come home and empty my pockets and find $10 or more $ of loose change. A real P.I.T.A.

[savageamusement]

You peaked my curiousity!!

The United States two dollar bill ($2) is a current denomination of U.S. currency. Former U.S. President Thomas Jefferson is featured on the obverse of the note. The painting The Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull is featured on the reverse. The design on the obverse (excluding the elements of a Federal Reserve Note) is the oldest of all current U.S. currency having been adopted in 1929; the reverse is the second oldest design having been adopted in 1976.

In spite of its relatively low value, the two dollar bill is one of the most rarely-seen denominations of U.S. currency. This is mainly due to the low production of the note; approximately 1% of all notes currently produced are $2 bills. This low production has lead to an overall lack of public knowledge of the $2 bill and has also inspired urban legends about it.

Today, two dollar bills aren't frequently reissued in a new series like other denominations. They are printed according to demand. When the Federal Reserve Banking System runs low on its current supply of $2 bills, it will submit an order to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which will then print more. Demand for $2 bills is low enough that one printing can last for many years.

But this link is fascinating.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._two-dollar_bill

[Ireneparalegal]

BTW, it costs more than one cent to make pennies.

[MsOrange]

G-strings

[KissMyGrits]

My son gets a $2 bill every birthday from his Great-Grandmother. He loves it and we save it in a special place in his room.

We also have a few bills that my husband found at work. One is an error bill. It has part of another bill on it. That in itself makes it worth $$$. Then the serial # on the bill in inverted!! That adds more value to the bill. One error on a bill in rare. Two is even more rare. Most of these bills are destroyed before they leave the mint. That is why I always check all of the money that I get. You never know when you can get something rare.

Oh and if you see a $5 dollar bill with red writing on it. That is a silver certificate. Not as rare but definitely worth more than $5. They aren't in circulation anymore so if you find one then it is definitely worth holding onto.

[Chocoholic]

Speaking of rare moeny, do people actually use silver dollars, half dollars, and those Sacajewa (sp) dollar coins anymore? Like someone else said, carrying all those coins around can be very cumbersome. I'd rather carry dollar bills instead of dollar coins.

I love using my debit card instead of cash It's so much more convenient.

[TJL]

Originally Posted by Homeriffic

Speaking of rare moeny, do people actually use silver dollars, half dollars, and those Sacajewa (sp) dollar coins anymore? Like someone else said, carrying all those coins around can be very cumbersome. I'd rather carry dollar bills instead of dollar coins.

I love using my debit card instead of cash It's so much more convenient.

I get lots of golden dollar coins from stamp machines and ticket machines. Some vendors don;t like to get them, but they are legal cash money.

Besides, the golden dollars make me feel like a pirate!

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by AlabamaBound

My son gets a $2 bill every birthday from his Great-Grandmother. He loves it and we save it in a special place in his room.

We also have a few bills that my husband found at work. One is an error bill. It has part of another bill on it. That in itself makes it worth $$$. Then the serial # on the bill in inverted!! That adds more value to the bill. One error on a bill in rare. Two is even more rare. Most of these bills are destroyed before they leave the mint. That is why I always check all of the money that I get. You never know when you can get something rare.

Oh and if you see a $5 dollar bill with red writing on it. That is a silver certificate. Not as rare but definitely worth more than $5. They aren't in circulation anymore so if you find one then it is definitely worth holding onto.

CHECK OUT THIS LINK:http://www.usmintquarters.com/currencyerrors.htm

I have seen on the Discovery Channel or History Channel, two special documentaries regarding the US Mint. They talked abt error printing and error coins. Very interesting stuff. Like you, I always check those bills!

On Monday when I go count the money at my local parish, there are at least ten of those Saskatchewan (sp?) dollar coins and many Kennedy dollars and of course the 50 cent pieces. I will exchange some of those for paper money and bring home those coins and keep them with my $2 bills.

[gilligan fanatic]

Montichello (Thomas Jeffersons house) isn't that far from me, maybe an hour and a half and when pay for your ticket you get a 2 dollar bill with you so maybe that is why I see one at least once a month.