Here is a funny story for all those "old" people out there. I should probably put this thread under paper money, but I don't collect paper money and figure that there are more people in this forum who will appreciate this story. My wife and I went out tonight for dinner and decided to treat ourselves to ice cream afterwards. As I went to pay for the ice cream, the young girl tells me that she can't accept my $20 bill. Looking like I had just been slapped in the face, I asked her why she couldn't accept the $20. She said it was fake and she didn't appreciate me trying to pass it off. Thank God that there was someone who was older working with her that explained to her that it was indeed real! It was a Series 1995 $20! Apparently, she had never seen one and was quite embarressed and applogetic! I didn't think I was that old, but I was proven wrong.
LOL. I thought that this was going to be another $2 bill story, but it's way, way better. Thanks for my laugh of the day.
LOL, ignorance is bliss. Thanks for sharing. Although, can't say too much, I was once like that too. Phoenix
A 1995 note? So how old was she? Probably 5 or 6 when she last saw one and it didn't register. The U.S. keeps changing currency designs and cashiers are told to watch out for "fakes". Problem is they don't keep them informed about the changes. Kind of scary if you think about it. clembo
Well that's plausible if she was about 18 now and thus only about 6 when they were still out and might not have seen them then or remember seeing them. But it's when I meet people like this that I start to feel old lol... it still feels like the "old" 20's were just changed... Actually the BEP puts out all kind of press releases and even small posters that they send to major banks... many of those banks will then distribute them to their commercial customers as well as posting them in the bank. I remember working as a cashier about 1996 where we had one of these posters by the register to help recognize the new $20 and its anti-counterfeiting features. Of course not everyone pays attention to the news, reads posters in the bank, or even in their own workplace all the time lol... never underestimate the power of complaceny and/or ignorance.
That's pretty much where I was going with that Troodon. When I last worked a register they had a reliable source of informaion. They called him clembo.
The 1996 twenties came out in 1998. There were a lot of wild rumors flying about at the time about how they were going to be recalled and would become rare because they had the wrong date on them (1996). That was from people who didn't understand the series dating sytem used on paper money where the series date reflects the date the design change was authorized and not the date of issuance.
Good point Conder and I remember SO many people telling me about it. I actually did keep some but not for that reason. I assembled the whole series of $20 star notes out of circulation.
Thats funny, and yet sad. Like the 1934 $5 a waiter got for a tip at the table next to mine, and was worried it was fake.
Well that I think is more understandable lol as the bill was probably older than he was... not talking about a merely 12 year old bill there. If anybody has any such "fakes" they're worried about I'll gladly buy them off of you for face value...
i've spent a few old style bills and the cashiers give them the counterfiet pen test. like thats really going to tell you if its counterfiet.
It usually does, as it reacts with the ink in a predictable way... it's really hard to fake the exact ink the government uses. However on really old bills (say, pre 1950) it probably won't work. I remember someone telling me they had their $100 rejected on belief it was counterfeit because it didn't have a security stripe in it... the bill was a series 1953 (iirc they didn't have the security strip until about the 1980's... I'm sure paper money experts here can be more precise as to when they started doing that.) I still see the old $100's on ocassion... more often than old $20's in fact, which makes sense since $100's don't circulate as much and thus last quite a bit longer.
Actually, the counterfeit pens test the paper, not the ink. They contain an iodine solution that turns black if the paper is wood-based and does not react if the paper is fiber-based (as in genuine notes).
Theres a number of ways that those Iodine pens will not work. I remember that sending a note thru the wash will cause the note, abeit genuine, come swiped as a counterfeit because of the chemicals in detergents. Drove one of my former employers nuts when this lady came in with a bunch of $100 bills that she has "freshly" laundered by accident. Good thing they had those security strips, or there could've been a full blow riot right there. You never get between a woman and her scrapbooking supplies.
The security strips started with the 1990 series notes. Spray a little spray starch on your paper money and they will all come up as counterfeit according to the pen because the iodine reacts with the starch.
Ah thanks, was thinking it was about then. DOn't think too many people starch their money lol... so not a common risk I wouldn't think. Where I work we haven't come across a single suspect bill yet. Though we did have a time someone paid with a travelers' check made out for 200 South African rand... the person who took it (not me) thought it was for 200 American dollars and gave change for it accordingly... when we took it to the bank, the bank said at current exchange rates it was worth about $22! Since then we've instructed all employees to take a close look at any travelers' checks we take and make sure they're for US dollars only.
