[$$$] Anybody ever had their hands on some real money?

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Much to my great shame and frustration, I keep reliving this one time when I was working in an arcade as a kid in college, and a customer brought in a ten dollar bill to get change for the machines. No big deal, right? Well, as it turns out, this ten dollar bill was unlike anything I'd ever seen before: first of all, Hamilton's portrait was much narrower than I'd ever seen on a bill before. And secondly, instead of saying "Federal Reserve Note" at the top, which is what all the paper money I'd ever seen in my life to that point had said, this bill said "Silver Certificate."



I didn't know anything about Silver Certificates at the time, other than it was worth more than just ten dollars. If I'd had ten bucks, I'd have just replaced the bill with one in my wallet, and taken it home. Unfortunately, I was light in the funds at that time, and I had no choice but to turn it in with the rest of the money that night...

Why am I still thinking of this thirteen years after the fact? I'm not sure... But I was interested to know whether anyone else had had a similar experience?

 

[hoopsfan]

Yes...years ago, when I worked the graveyard shift at Kinko's. A woman came in and paid with about 7 "silver certificates". I put them in the drawer...gave her her change...and when she left I promptly went into my purse and changed out the bills. I still have them...somewhere. I think they're from the 30's. A few of them are in excellent condition!

I knew that woman had no idea that they were any different from regular bills.

 

[mcsluggo]

so what are "silver certificates" worth now?

As a matter of coincidence...I actually got a silver dime (a pre 1965 coin) yesterday. I am sure that dime is worth AT LEAST 15 cents, but I hadn't seen a real silver coin in with my regular change in YEARS. When I was younger, a kid down the street from took his dad's coin collection to the arcade and played video games with them... and he KNEW what he was doing. Idiot.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

Wait a tick there, Doc... you used to be able to play arcade games for a dime?

 

[Bricklayer]

Never even knew what a "Silver Certificate" bill was. As wiht many things, wikipedia answers all:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Certificate

 

[VF21]

My God, you people are SOOOOOO young!

Do you remember buffalo-head nickels or wheat pennies?

I have to go look for my walker now.

 

[Rockmeister]

Do you remember buffalo-head nickels or wheat pennies?

Never heard of them.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

I have a couple of wheat pennies in my car; never actually seen a buffalo nickel.

 

[kennadog]

My God, you people are SOOOOOO young!

Do you remember buffalo-head nickels or wheat pennies?

I have to go look for my walker now.

Co-sign

 

[Jerryaki]

hold up a second, you people are saying there was a time when people would exchange paper for goods and sevices??? ko-razy!

 

[VF21]

And, strange as it may be, Jerryaki, that paper was actually backed up by something tangible - like Gold or Silver.

 

[Warhawk]

My God, you people are SOOOOOO young!

Do you remember buffalo-head nickels or wheat pennies?

I have to go look for my walker now.

Maybe go stoke your coal-fired radio while you are at it?

I have some wheat pennies somewhere. Always watch for the silver certificate bills but haven't ever found one....

 

[VF21]

I actually have a couple of $2 silver certificates. And a number of pre-Kennedy half-dollars. Now if I could just remember the "safe place" where I put them.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Now I feel old... Have wheat (actually olive branch) pennies, buffalo nickles, murcery dimes, various silver dollars half dollars and yes a couple siver certificates, along with original $2 bills. Had a lot more but years ago some creep broke into my place and stole my collection... probably took them to an arcade to play vidio games with them.