Where's George?

Waldo is no longer because Waldo was dumped in the trash, just as some people would like to do with George.

 

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Well, there's always the blasted dollar coin that we could bring out of 'moth balls'.........but that's another story in the naked city.....

 

I got a "Where's George" dollar bill the other day-- in Japan!

 

I know that people like those older notes...but series 1963 $100 notes aren't anything overly rare or special. Series 1966, I would probably be annoyed. But 1963 aren't rare at all. A little old, but not rare. I wouldn't call stamping them especially ignorant. Just because people don't value them as a collectible like you do don't make them ignorant. They just have different interests.

 

I like how everytime I have ever brought up the Federal Currency defacing law on the WG matter, no one has ever dared to make a comment on it.

Typical Gerogers, alright.

Series 1963 $100 is the one thread that I saw, but I have heard stories of straps of Webs being stamped and a brand new GEM 1988 (1988, not 1988A) $5 with 6 6's in the S/N stamped WG. Do you know how much I would have wanted to own a GEM 1988 $5 with 6 6's in the S/N? Very, very, very much.

Argue with me all you want, but there's no getting around the Federal law or my ways of thinking on collectible bills and that's just the way it is.

It's a 2 way road and one heck of a catch 22 and I highly doubt that either of us will ever reach an agreement on the matter, because our interests lie in different worlds, aka; hobbies.

-Travis

 

Ahh yes, let's bring in the dollar coin/paper dollar ongoing argument to this thread as well! We can even throw in the higher denominations too! Let's just make this one HUGE argument, hahaha.:dead-horse:

 

I enjoy putting bills on Wheresgeorge. I have never stamped one and I only put in bills that are already stamped...I just wish my bills would get some hits after I enter them

 

Everything that tbudwiser is saying is true. Wheresgeorge is a scourge on collectible currency. The users who stamp old and collectible bills don't care that others may have wanted them. The admin of the site who could put a stop to it by applying some simple reforms keeps his conscience clear and sleeps at night by using the analogy, "It's their bills and they can do what they want with them." Well what about after they've spent the now damaged bill and someone finds it who may have wanted the note to collect? Wheresgeorge users frequently flaunt that they've stamped 30 or 40+ year old star notes. How common can such old star notes be when they had such small productions to begin with? Talking to these violators of history is like talking to a brick wall. They just don't care, they are colder than ice.

There have been users on wheresgeorge who stamp or write on notes from series 1934/1950 that are too old to even enter on the site. When they ask about entering them they are told to just black out the url and spend the now ruined notes. Like I say, they just don't care.

Btw: I believe that 1988 $5 note may have had 7 sixes in the serial number. Regardless though, the person who found the note was not too happy that an otherwise Mint CU $5 1988 note with a nearly solid serial number had been stamped and ruined. The person who stamped and spent the note just scoffed about them in the forum. It can't get more cold or vindictive than that.

 

I have found many Where's George notes, but luckily none of them are in good shape

 

I think every group would have their share of idiots. While I believe that a lot of the Where's George (and Where's Willy) members are doing this because they are dedicated to it, I'm sure there are a few jerks that would think it's funny or a thrill to deface a collectible note just to upset somebody.

 

I'm not a WG supporter in anyway, I just refuse to believe that they are seeking out rare bills to stamp just for the fun of it. I think they stamp bills in mass and sometimes that means collectible bills get stamped. I doubt most of them even know what a WEB note is or how to identify one.

As for the federal law, it's not illegal. It's only defacing currency if it makes the currency unusable or if they are advertising to make a profit. WG is doing neither and thus it is not illegal.

I could believe this.

 

That's where you're wrong. Paying Friends of George (FOG) users are now statistically rewarded by stamping old and collectible bills. It is called HAR (Hit Analysis Report) and they get credit for entering bills from every series and denomination. This has led to an explosion of listings on the wheresgeorge forum where users are buying old/historic notes en masse (even rare 1969 star notes, for example) with the sole purpose of entering and stamping them. They get off on doing this just so they can complete another slot in their stats. It is sickening.

Here is a link to a post vouching to what I am talking about: http://forums.wheresgeorge.com/showpost.php?p=4960116&postcount=8

Read the post and also notice in the users signature there is the following message: "Especially interested in EMSing bills for HAR purposes (this often means older bills)"

Some of you questioned and wanted proof from tbudwiser, well now you have it.

 

I had a rather productive day of strap searching yesterday myself.
lots of HAR goodies
a couple of 80's bills, nothing other
many AU 2009 $1s

in addition to the circulated $1 straps:
some CU 2009 $5s, some 2006A $100s, a 1977 $100, a 1993 $50, and a few more $2s{ENDQUOTE}

Seriously, how many of these notes had any value over face? Have you seen the notes?

Many folks who are uninformed concerning US notes and join WG get a quick lesson on web notes, ink smears, shifts, stars, low runs etc.

Georgers hold, trade or sell these notes to collectors. WG has an active Bill Collecting and Numismatics Forum.

More collectible notes are ruined by stamps (I grew hemp) on 2$, website advertising, bankers counting marks, doodling ,counterfeit pens and drawing sunglasses on George Washington than by Georgers.

 

As is typical from the drinkers of the wheresgeorge Kool-Aid, they see everything in terms of monetary value and not for the historic value of the notes themselves. There is some modest interest in teaching users about Webs and the like but by and large the purpose of teaching this knowledge revolves around turning a profit. Yes, it is quite ironic how these notes are traded/sold through the section of the forum called "Bill Collecting and Numismatics" when countless numbers of these notes are traded/sold just so they may be stamped to fill in some slot on a website.

 

Thanks for not reading anything I posted.

Kool Aid drinkers? Can you explain where and when the term came from without using Google?

I'll give you a clue, Grape Kool Aid. No cheating now.

OK, if you choose to be furious over a harmless hobby go right ahead.

WG is not a cult bent on the destruction of collectible notes.

The WG system indicates 204,469,895 bills have been entered as of today.

With that amount of bills entered where is the widespread outrage on every bill collecting forum? Shouldn't collectors be up in arms condemning the site?

So good luck with your conspiracy theory and keep hunting down those high value notes that have been desecrated with the infamous Where's George stamp.

Especially those "old" notes from the eighties and nineties.

 

You're not listening to anything we're posting. It almost seems as if you are ignoring points like the 1988 $5. It'd be on thing if a couple of collectible bills here and there accidentally got stamped due to a lack of knowledge by the stamper, but when there are people as Russell as mentioned that purposely set out to stamp bills on purpose and laugh about it, is just plain cruel and unjustly.

Collectors are banned from that site often for "being up in arms". I've spoken to several people myself just in the last few days that were banned from that site after expressing their outrage on threads about things like the 1988 $5.

I can tell you that I probably wouldn't last 24 hours on that site.

-tbud

 

I say - agree to disagree - neither side of this argument is going to change their opinion. I personally think that a note in circulation is not likely to have much value beyond face to begin with. IMO - Fancy numbers are not that valuable unless they are CHCU and then they need to be something really special or old to add real value beyond a couple of dollars. I have a couple boxes of fancy numbers so I know what I am talking about. I say to each their own. It's more likely that uneducated collectors ruin more valuable notes than WG members do. Regardless - if they own it they can do what they want with it. NO ONE wants to be told what they can or cannot do with something they own.

 

Exactly......... It all boils down to peoples opinions, but it makes me and many others upset to see a collectible bill stamped. It hurts the value but what get's hurt when collectible bills aren't stamped? The feelings of the people who get a laugh out of ruining someones day? Purely heartless... Paper money is not a flat rate deal. The value of a bill depends on it's features. How can you say that in your opinion, circulated collectible notes aren't worth anything over face when it all depends on the features? You make little sense. Let's keep in mind that that 1988 $5 was GEM. I find bills all the time that are plenty circulated that are worth over face because of it's special, one-of-a-kind features.

Also, just as Russell and I have been trying but obviously failing by a long shot to point out is it's not all about $ value! There is historic value involved as well! Why is it so hard to get that into your heads? I know, because you guys could give a rats behind about the historic value of certain notes or the offense I take when I see history being ruined.

 

Do you disagree with these two statements?

Do you disagree with these two statements?

That was my point - no one is wrong here so why argue over an opinion.

I understand - it's disappointing - but please keep in mind there were 100's of thousands of 1988 $5 printed and I am sure there are probably more still in GEM condition than there are collectors. Still disappointing - I get it.

I just don't let it ruin my day, life is too short and there are much bigger things to worry about - IMO.

Not what I said and it only didn't make sense because you didn't take the time to think about what I was trying to say.

If you found it in circulation, I have a hard time believing it was GEM. Would not disagree it might have been GEM when it got stamped. It's not something I would ever do but I am not going to tell someone they can't either. Just like I am not going to tell a dealer that he cannot take proof and MS coins and old US gold coins to a smelter. It's disappointing but it happens every day. That's US history too and happens way more often than notes getting stamped.

I didn't miss your point, I just realize I cannot save every piece of American history out there. If only a very small population existed, I might be more passionate about it. But what you seem to be so worked up about you cannot change. The person that stamped the 88 did it to get attention and a reaction. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of either but yet here I am doing it anyways. Most of the people on the WG site I have interacted with have been extremely nice to me. Many of them know what I collect and go out of their way to find them for me and sell them to me for a very small amount over face value. There is a section just for collectors and they are a great group of people for the most part. There is a bad apple in every bunch, we all deal with them. If I let it get to me, I wouldn't make it as a moderator.

 

I don't understand what makes a 1988 $5 one-of-a-kind OR historical. The BEP printed over 3 BILLION 1988 $5's, and over 3 billion 1985 $5's, and over 4 billion 1988A $5's. If I was to cover the series date and signature combinations of these 3 five dollar series, you wouldn't be able to tell one from another. They are identical designs front & rear. The BEP shreds TONS of worn out "History" every year, and sells it in bags as souvenirs.