Goodbye to the greenback? (US to get Monopoly money)

CNN/Money ^ | March 21, 2002 | Annelena Lobb

[Dialup Llama]

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Imagine opening your wallet and seeing a rainbow of dollar bills: a pale yellow $20, a baby blue $50, or maybe even a lavender Benjamin.

The idea isn't that farfetched. The U.S. Treasury Department recently testified before Congress about the need to change U.S. currency to keep ahead of growing counterfeit operations. And one security feature that may be added to the bills is what the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) terms "a subtle background color".

[Dialup Llama]

If you are using a computer, why is blue or tan any more difficult to reproduce than green?

[Chairman Fred]

Anyone for a return to gold coins?

[Governor StrangeReno]

The ultimate aim to destroy the cash society the Euro's next development will be to have an inbuilt processor,so they can track the movement of every note

[Dialup Llama]

That particular shade of green is recognized worldwide as the color of value much in the same way that the glint of gold is recognized. Perhaps this is the first step in the assault upon the dollar.

[Sangamon Kid]

It's already Monopoly money.

[ColdSteelTalon]

Anyone for a return to gold coins?

I am for a return to the Gold standard..

[Argus]

Anyone for a return to gold coins?

You beat me to it. It's pretty hard to counterfeit coins, especially ones made out of real gold, silver, nickel and copper. I'm not holding my breath, though.

[punster]

When they adopted the sandwich coins, the U.S. Mint became Uncle Lyndon's Counterfeiting Shop

[eno_]

Bring back the old designs and embed the anti-fraud technology in the paper. Colorful money is not needed.

[Timesink]

This will not happen. Regardless of what pretty little designs the BEP is getting all perky over, The Fed is well aware that the US currency's pure dullness is a major reason for its worldwise stability: In all those other countries where the money looks like someone puked a Crayola box all over them, it's precisely the monotonous green and black ink of the US dollar that makes the yokels interpret it psychologically as "real money."

At worst, they might add some extra little hologram to the bills or something. But we're got going to end up with candy-colored cash.

[Willie Green]

Anyone for a return to gold coins?

The Sacajawea (sp ?) dollar is gold in color.
Despite the PC overtones, it IS an attractive coin.
(And a heckuva lot better than the Susan B.)
I actually enjoy using them. They're convenient.
It's nice to have some "real" money as change without have to reach for my wallet, or having my pants pocket overloaded.

Old GW on the $1 certainly is nostalgic, but I'm afraid it's near time to put him into retirement.
Goobermint's inflationary policies have made the poor guy an expensive inconvenience to retain.

[Governor StrangeReno]

true but as a small businessman the odd 'cash sale' is one of the few reasons left to keep paying the bills

[RayChuang88]

A bit late, isn't it?

What people inside the USA don't understand that is that most of the world's paper currency are multi-colored to make it much harder to counterfeit in general. Anyone who's seen the European currency notes (and now Euro notes) note that they contain multiple color shades.

This is why I think if US paper currency is still around by 2010 we may see multi-colored $1, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes by then.

[detsaoT]

When I read this yesterday, I thought it was a joke.... Ugh.

:) ttt

[itsahoot]

The ultimate aim to destroy the cash society the Euro's next
development will be to have an inbuilt processor,so they can
track the movement of every note

I thought our money already had that. There is a coded line
accross the bills that you can see. Many stores scan this with
some kind of apparatus.

As for Gold coins, they are easier to do that bills. I remember
in the late 50's, near Chicago, getting lead dimes and quarters
in change. I certainly couldn't see any difference, they just
didn't bounce very well. Modern Hobby milling machines
coupled with computers, should make duplicating coins
a fairly easy task. Plating is easy too.

[Dog Gone]

The Sacajawea (sp ?) dollar is gold in color.

You must spend them pretty fast, and never get any in change. Circulated ones resemble the color of an old penny pretty quickly.

[Dialup Llama]

>>Anyone for a return to gold coins?

>I am for a return to the Gold standard..

Ultimately all currencies are measured by the Gold standard even if their central banks don't act like it.

[FRMAG]

Circa 1963 or so when I was stationed in Korea we were paid in MPC (Military Payment Certificates) there were no coins except the penny all others were paper. THe bills were of differing sizes and colors.

To prevent black marketing the powers that were would periodically change the colors and require that all of the old bills be turned in. After a stated date the old color series were worthless.

[Governor StrangeReno]

Ive taken a bill apart,looks just like an aluminium strip,maybe just a light to show if its there,the ownership link isn't there yet,thats what they want covered.