Always find it interesting when I see odd stamps on notes. Here is a $20 I picked up in change today. So who or what is Alvarez Cambios??? Ant thoughts on these stamps?
I've read lately that some of these stamps on bills are drug dealers ways to identify bills they are using for transactions.
Most of these are similar to chopmarks on Trade Dollars. They are placed by merchants and money changers, usually in overseas locations or in some ethnic communities stateside, to "verify" the notes authenticity. Cambios is the Spanish word for "change" which suggests this note was in the hands of a money changer in a Spanish speaking country or predominantly Spanish speaking community in the US.
Yes, tourist areas in Mexico have Cambios all over the place so Americans and Canadians can change their Dollars into Pesos. I'll bet that's what that stamp is all about. Don't know about the other one, however.
Thanks ~ learned something new. After the first reply I had an idea: Maybe I should stamp the note "the FBI&DEA is watching you" and then spend it. It would be fun to think it would get back to the dealers. I am glad it was something not drug related.
This sort of article pops up every now and then so some may have heard of this before: 90% of U.S. Bills Carry Traces of Cocaine "Finster you mustn't play with the money, it's very dirty." Babby Buggy Bunny [YouTube link]
Those little stamps on notes maybe acceptable in the USA and in Asia, but I can tell you in E. Europe they pretty much invalidate the note and no one will take them. In Ukraine the Ukrainian notes can be ugly and torn, but your USA dollars which are your important money - keeping your most money in dollars always - they have to be good clean, no stamps, tears etc. Ukrainian money exists for grocery stores, kiosks and small transactions, otherwise if you buy a car, house etc the prices are always in either dollars or Euro.
