10 Fun Facts About Money
For most of us, we are either spending money, earning money, stressed about money, or don’t ever seem to have enough. (Although people are mostly using credit card processing services these days, cash is still being used.) It becomes rather difficult to think of money as “fun.” Although it can create so many fun memories through the things you buy and trips you take, it can also cause a great deal of stress and you certainly have to work hard to do much of anything these days! So let’s lighten the mood, and learn some fun facts about good ol’ MONEY:
1. Pennies used to look “silver.” In 1943 they were made of zinc and covered with steel. This was to conserve copper during the war. On the flip side, from 1942 until 1945 nickels were made of a mix of copper, manganese and silver. Nickels didn’t have any nickel in them!
2. 1909 was the year that a person was first featured on a U.S. Coin. That person? Abraham Lincoln.
3. 45.47% of bills printed by the Bureau of Engraving & Printing are One Dollar Bills. That’s almost half!
4. 95% of the paper money that is printed on a yearly basis is actually printed simply to replace deteriorating bills that are already in circulation.
5. The first time “In God We Trust” was printed on coins was during the civil war. However, it was not until 1955 that all coins had the phrase.
6. The concoction of fibers from which bills are made is called “rag paper.” This combo is 75% cotton and 25% linen.
7. In 2004, a woman named Alice Regina Pike legitimately tried to pass a $1,000,000 bill at a Wal-Mart in Georgia. Just for the record, the largest real bill is the $100 bill.
8. Counterfeiting any coin that is more than 5 cents can result in a $5,000 fine and up to 5 years in jail.
9. The oldest bills that are still in existence were issued between 1368-1399 and came from the Ming Dynasty.
10. If you have damaged bills, they CAN be replaced. If you still have more than half the bill in tact, a commercial bank is legally obligated to replace it. If there is less than half of it left, you will need to contact the Treasury Department.
Have any other fun facts about money that you would like to share? Comment below and let us know about them!
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