Hi everybody. I received this small portrait, Series 1985, $5 in change, the other day: It's been many years since I've come across one of these in circulation. Do people still find these pretty frequently? I know it's really nothing special, other than being an obsolete design, but I plan on hanging onto it. I just love this style, and miss seeing them as much as i used to.
I agree with you, I love the small portrait notes. They remind me of my childhood. I haven't gotten one in change in awhile though. Maybe 2 or 3 years ago, they would pop up more frequently. Maybe they're not making their way back into circulation once the banks get a hold of them?
I haven't seen too many in circulation, mostly from my bank since I ask them to hold onto older star notes they may find.
I too, am a huge fan of the small portrait FRNs, but I still feel its time to move on and redesign the $1 and $2 FRNs to the "big head" design. (Or scrap them in favor of coins.) :devil:
You mean, go back to :dead-horse: Blankets minus the "dead" part? (Sorry, just had to put that joke in there. :devil: )
What will wallet makers do if you return to large size paper notes? What then will fashion designers do? It will require more materials for bigger wallets and bulkier clothes with larger pockets! This will be a disaster just like changing the size/compostion of coins and hearing the vending machine industry revolt! If large size paper notes return the environmentalists will probably protest over more paper and resources going towards these... what will critics of government spending say about the extra costs of supplies and materials and retrofitting printing facilities for the BEP. Only the Federal Reserve is likely to lobby in favor of such attention. LOL! I think they tried to bring back large size portraits on small size notes with the more recent redesigns, and what we got were these funky mash ups of the last 15 years worth of notes designs. Now we have crowded real estate, and any change to anything will have collectors in an uproar... better let sleeping dogs lie... :smile In reply to the OP, yes I have found/received a few $5s and $20s small portrait FRNs in circulation in these first few months of 2011. AND... I get small sized portrait $1 notes about every day.
Thanks everybody, for your responses. It seems like folks have varying degrees of small portrait note sightings. When I received the $5 pictured above, it really took me by surprise, as I really hadn't seen one since....Oh, I don't know, probably 1999, or 2000. It's been a good 10 years, at least. I'm glad it came my way, as I much prefer the small portrait designs, and I miss seeing them as much as I have in the past. Like jmf2737, they remind me of when I was a kid, and my grandmother would always give me a few bucks for my birthday. The new, colorized notes aren't bad, but the generation in between those, and the small portraits was abysmal, in my opinion. They just look boring, and depressing. In response to Drago's comment on replacing the $1 and $2 notes with coins: I'd have to say, a $1 coin wouldn't bother me to much, but I love the $2. I'd hate to see it go. In my opinion, it is the most aesthetically pleasing, of the current notes, especially the reverse. .....and as far as Krispy finding small portarit $1's almost everyday, I have only one thing to say....wiseguy..lol.
Small-portrait notes ($5 and up) are under an "actively withdraw" rule. That means whenever they turn up at a bank, the bank is supposed to remove them from circulation and return them to the Fed for destruction. This is true for all other types of "obsolete" currency as well, and is regardless of condition. Banks are allowed to re-issue them on an as-needed basis, however, and it's ultimately up to the individual bank as to how strictly it follows the rule. Nonetheless, most small-portrait notes that end up at a bank get withdrawn and destroyed, so the ones you get in circulation usually lurked in a book or hoard before being spent.
My bank's tellers have told me that they are not actively withdrawing the notes and sending them to the Fed - it is more that they don't care for giving them out because don't care for getting stuff that is now becoming pretty unfamiliar. Not that I mind, since I purchase all the pre-1969 dated stuff.
I still say its stupid that the Treasury kept the old style $1 and $2 designs and even my mother agrees "If they're going to chage some of the money, change ALL of it" Just like the dime and the half need to be redesigned already, as far as coins go.
^^Well, again, I wouldn't be to broken up if they changed the $1, or stopped issuing it, and went to a coin. The $2, however, I happen to like the way it is. I see your point, though. If for no other reason, other than consistency, why not just change the designs for all notes? I get that. However, I think that the Treasury Dept didn't bother with $1 or $2 redesigns, mainly due to counterfeiting. I mean, really, who's going to risk getting locked up by the feds, for faking 1 and 2 dollar bills? Seems like it wouldn't be worth the effort. If you're going to get involved in something like that, I would think you'd go for the larger denominations. That's part of the reason that $5 notes, and larger, were redone anyway, I believe, to prevent counterfeiting.
I received one of these 5's quite recently and that was an unusual event. I, too, miss the 5's of my youth, but a series of 1985 is quite blah to me. I miss the blue and red seals and "pay to the bearer". I would occasionbally get old notes back then with interesting wording - "receivable for all public dues and when so received may be reissued", "legal tender for all debts public and private except duties on inports and interest on the public debt" and "redeemable in lawful money of the United States at United States Treasury or at the bank of issue." That last one scared me when I had a $10 with that wording. I figured that it implied that what I had was not "lawful money" and I had a long hike to reddeem it.
Heck I had to purchase mine, but they're pretty nice specimens! I also had the dealer hold 4195-4197 so I would have a half decent run... Nothing fancy yet, but give it 25 years...
