As a child I remember thinking it was really neat when my dad would give us a 2 dollar bill. That joy has now sparked my currency curiosity. At the Currency Gallery you can learn all about the interesting history of US Currency.
Did you know that there was a time when the metal that made our coins was worth more than the face value of the coin itself? People melted their coins down and sold the metal itself for more money than the coin was ever worth. In fact, so many people did this that there soon was almost no coinage in circulation. Vendors had to barter to make change for their customers. This coinage problem was solved with the use of postage stamps, and eventually with the use of fractional money. Can you imagine getting a postage stamp as change?
Do you have a rare piece of paper currency just sitting in your wallet? You might. Paper money doesn’t have to be old to be worth more than it’s face value. There are lots of printing errors and rare combinations. To find out more about the money in your wallet check out the “I Found a Piece of US Currency, What Do I Have?” section.
A very fascinating site on the history of our currency, currency collecting, and much much more. Check it out!