Where did your money come from?

[BSClay]

You don’t have to be a millionaire to know the value of a dollar. Here are some facts about paper money from the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing Web site:

• The first $1 bill was issued by the government in 1862 with a picture of Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase. George Washington’s portrait first appeared on the $1 note in 1869.

• Dollar bills account for approximately 45 percent of all U.S. currency production.

• The lifespan of a $1 Reserve note is about 21 months. Other bills have different life expectancies.

• The first $2 bill was issued in 1862 and featured a picture of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury.

• Thomas Jefferson’s portrait was placed on the $2 bill for the 1869 Federal Reserve note, with a drawing of Jefferson’s Monticello home on the flip side. For the U.S. bicentennial, Jefferson’s face remained, but Monticello was replaced with a depiction of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

• The first $100 bills were issued in 1862, with a picture of the American bald eagle. Benjamin Franklin’s portrait first appeared on the Series 1914 Federal Reserve Note.

• The lifespan of the average $100 note is 89 months.

[moneysense]

Thanks for the information, it is all very interesting.

I have recently read an article where they were talking about doing away with the dollar bill because it is the one that wears out the fastest. They plan on replacing it with a coin of equal value. I just hope this time that they make it bigger than the last dollar coin as it was too easy to get them mixed up with quarters.

The theory behind this change to the dollar bill is that it would save billions on printing fees by replacing it with the coin.