Use the $2, Track the $2, $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100

October 18, 2009 12:28 PM

Use the ($2) Two / Track the ($2) Two (and the $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100)

One site is dedicated to spreading the $2 bill, the other is dedicated to tracking it (and other denominations too).

Two Dollar Bills Considered Unlucky?

Every Tuesday is TWOsday!

posted by MrBCID (40 comments total)

Woz two dollar bill story.
posted by fixedgear at 12:36 PM on October 18, 2009 [10 favorites]

I once had a $2 bill. I named it George, and I hugged it and pet it and squeezed it.
posted by pyrex at 12:38 PM on October 18, 2009

Monticello is not to far outside of DC and they have a big supply of them.
posted by empath at 12:43 PM on October 18, 2009

Why do they still make the $2 bill anyway?
posted by empath at 12:44 PM on October 18, 2009

from link: "How can I spread the $2 bill?" Spreading the two dollar bill is quite easy. After you get a few (or a lot), spend them!

1. Get money.
???
3. PROFIT!
posted by koeselitz at 12:45 PM on October 18, 2009

Also, for the benefit of people who might be interested in the statistics and dynamics of the movement of money, the following is a complete listing of all the money I have on hand right now, including where I got each bill and where I will probably spend it:
posted by koeselitz at 12:47 PM on October 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

At Universal Citywalk in LA a few years back, parking was $8 and change was provided in $2 bills. It may still be this way if any LA-area MeFites like Citywalk and want to get in on the action.
posted by infinitewindow at 12:51 PM on October 18, 2009

I said it before and I'll say it again: the reverse of the $2 is the finest currency the United States has ever produced. The image is huge and old-fashioned, culturally significant and exquisitely rendered, plus… a two? Might as well make a twenty-six cent coin. It's so impractically awesome.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 12:57 PM on October 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Why do they still make the $2 bill anyway?

AFAIK they don't.
posted by LSK at 1:06 PM on October 18, 2009

Here in Washington, riding the ferry used to be (and possibly still is) a good way to gather all sorts of oddball US currency. $2 bills, 50-cent pieces, dollar coins. The local post office used to hand out similar loot.
posted by maxwelton at 1:14 PM on October 18, 2009

Why do they still make the $2 bill anyway?

AFAIK they don't.

They're still being made, but "The Federal Reserve System does not, however, request the printing of that denomination as often as the others." [Source]
posted by SemiSophos at 1:22 PM on October 18, 2009

For some reason, the way Woz writes reminds me very much of Richard Feynman. That is a fantastic story, and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it was partially or totally fabricated, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
posted by synaesthetichaze at 1:24 PM on October 18, 2009

If I'm reading this right, they do.
posted by box at 1:27 PM on October 18, 2009

I've always liked the two dollar bill. When I managed the Second Avenue (NYC) location of the store chain that I worked for, I wanted to use twos as change whenver possible but the upper management wouldn't go for it...
posted by blaneyphoto at 1:54 PM on October 18, 2009

Uncut $2 sheets.
posted by exogenous at 2:04 PM on October 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

The Federal Reserve System does not, however, request the printing of that denomination as often as the others.

That makes it even cooler. Like there's some Ancient Order of the Two run by Currency Monks whose entire existence is dedicated to producing and disseminating the $2 bill. In my mind, they aren't even asked to produce them. The bills simply show up at the Federal Reserve's front door, delivered by two ninjas. And they can't just not take them, or say, "Thanks, but we won't be needing any more of these." I mean, Christ, they'll tear your fucking face off if you were to insult them by not accepting them.

I love how some people don't believe it's real money.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:05 PM on October 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

If they succeed they will have failed. The whole point is to keep the traffic down. Leave one as a tip on the counter, and it's, "cool. I'll give this to my nephew." Come in regularly and pay your bill from a wad of twos, and it's, "crap, here comes that guy again."
posted by StickyCarpet at 2:10 PM on October 18, 2009

"Woz" strikes me as a pathological attention seeker.

He gets attention when he tips using unusual currency. He gets more attention by having the currency specially prepared by being bound together. He has the bills specially perforated yet he sometimes uses a scissors to cut them.

He bullshits the casino security officer. He shows fake identification to the Secret Service.

And to top it all off, he blogs about his adventure on the Internet, and spins it all like he's just a Wild and Crazy Guy.

No, Woz strikes me as someone with the maturity level of a 12 year old but with the power of an extremely wealthy man able to get away with such nonsense.
posted by Tube at 2:59 PM on October 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

When I was growing up the Tooth Fairy (a.k.a. my grandfather) always sent two dollar bills. Always wrapped in thin paper, with stick figure tooth fairy illustrations and the announcement "FOR ONE TOOTH: MOOLAH (TWO BUCKAROOS!)" I thought they were magical and saved them all. It took me a very long time before I got used to the idea that they were real money, and I could actually spend them. Which I did, feeding my pre-teenaged need for ceramic animals and dollhouse furniture and Atari cartridges.

I would love to say that I saved one, especially now that my grandparents are gone, but the last time I went through my memory box I couldn't find a single one.

Now that I have a child of my own, I plan on personally helping put a few more $2 bills back in circulation... if my parents don't take over the role first.
posted by Mchelly at 3:01 PM on October 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

Civil_Disobedient: I said it before and I'll say it again: the reverse of the $2 is the finest currency the United States has ever produced. The image is huge and old-fashioned, culturally significant and exquisitely rendered, plus… a two? Might as well make a twenty-six cent coin. It's so impractically awesome.

I agree. They are the best bill we've ever made.

exogenous: Uncut $2 sheets.

Well, that's it, folks. I'm closing my bank accounts and shredding all my checks. From now on, I will only do business, buy food, and pay bills using uncut sheets of $2 bills.

And I really, truly would, if there wasn't a huge markup on buying them in sheet form.
posted by koeselitz at 3:06 PM on October 18, 2009

Woz strikes me as someone with the maturity level of a 12 year old but with the power of an extremely wealthy man able to get away with such nonsense.

  
  _____________________________________   
 /  _____/\__    ___/\_   _____/\____  \  
/   \  ___  |    |    |    __)   / / \  \ 
\    \_\  \ |    |    |     \   /  \ /   \
 \________/ |____|    \_____/   \________/

posted by secret about box at 3:26 PM on October 18, 2009 [4 favorites]

I used to receive them from family for various things as little gifts. I'd usually try to hang on to them for a while, but I would eventually run into a situation where I needed $2 and was completely out of 1s or change.
If not for having to make a special request at a bank, I would consider carrying a few around. As it is I seem to come by one every few years with pleasant surprise.
posted by nickthetourist at 3:33 PM on October 18, 2009

I used to use $2 bills all the time before they replaced them with coins. Red, the Queen, all the usual stuff.
posted by GuyZero at 3:35 PM on October 18, 2009

No, Woz strikes me as someone with the maturity level of a 12 year old but with the power of an extremely wealthy man able to get away with such nonsense.

That's almost a compliment.
posted by dhartung at 3:44 PM on October 18, 2009

Uncut $2 sheets.

I thought only European currencies were uncut.
posted by dhartung at 3:45 PM on October 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Woz strikes me as slightly obnoxious, but as he invented the home computer (by many metrics), I feel like I need to respect him. Otherwise, he might uninvent it, like what happened with FOGBANK. As I use a Mac, I'm probably just more paranoid as Woz is closer to Apple than PCs in general.
posted by mccarty.tim at 3:58 PM on October 18, 2009

I've got five (5) of them in my wallet right now.
Everytime I have to actually stand in line at the bank, I ask if they have any.
When they do, I pick up a bunch, and leave them in an envelope in my desk, replenishing whatever I may have spent while out.
(I've also got a billfold of older money with a couple of fives, tens and twenties I put aside for a friend who was writing a 'period' piece short film, and was going to use them for props.)

I've hated BIG HEAD money since they started minting the $20 bills that way in the 90s.
Partly because my first real memories of getting paid was a handful of those small headed $20s. I felt like fucking Croesus!

I'm in NYC, and have found no better way to get a bartender to remember my face than to tip with these. The Guinness pours faster, and I they can even start coming on the house. I've never been questioned about their authenticity, usually just a smile before the confusion over where to put it in the till.

(I've noticed that almost all the stock video and pictures of money being counted or raining down is old currency, not the bruised-looking encephalitic cabbage we've got in circulation now.)

Never thought to make a website about it, though.
HUZZAH!
posted by Busithoth at 4:02 PM on October 18, 2009

Woz strikes me as someone with the maturity level of a 12 year old but with the power of an extremely wealthy man able to get away with such nonsense.

Careful, bub. You're talking about a man that…

• …gave away about half his shares in Apple before it went public in 1980, including $40 million in stock to his first wife, $4 million to his parents, brother and sister, and $2 million to friends
• …taught fifth-graders (for eight years)
• …has provided all the money, as well as a good amount of on-site technical support, for the technology program in his local school district
• …organized the first U.S./U.S.S.R. stadium rock concert in Moscow
• …has donated over $7 million to various charities

(various sources)

His leisure activities include attending Golden State Warrior games, playing Tetris on his Game-Boy, and going through manuals on new computer programs. He also collects uncut sheets of $2 bills.

Denigration of the Woz will not be tolerated around here.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 4:27 PM on October 18, 2009 [1 favorite]

It's a pity we don't have $2 coins as well. Those 2 Euro coins are handy, it's a good denomination.
posted by marble at 4:29 PM on October 18, 2009

I think a $2 coin would actually be more successful than both $2 bills and $1 coins, and might even become fairly common. I fully support the cause to institute $2 coins.
posted by dogwalker at 4:43 PM on October 18, 2009

I have a few modern ones, some older ones with blue and red seals, and now thanks to this thread an uncut sheet that I just ordered.
posted by fixedgear at 5:14 PM on October 18, 2009

It's a pity we don't have $2 coins as well. Those 2 Euro coins are handy, it's a good denomination.

Canada has toonies - $2 coins - as well used, well loved as our loonies ($1 coins).

I received a $2 bill last weekend when buying groceries in Winthrop WA. The bill was presented to me matter of fact, and I held it in my hands, unsure whether this was a joke, or real. So I asked for two $1 bills instead, remembering that I had to pay for a campsite later that evening with exact change. Now I wish I had kept that bill.
posted by seawallrunner at 5:20 PM on October 18, 2009

If you really want to have some fun get some of the older $2 bills with the red seals or $1 silver certificates (you can buy them cheap) with the blue seals and try to spend them. The cashier will either think the are very valuable or they will think they are fake. Either way it is very entertaining if you are bored. Buffalo nickels or indian head pennies get similar reactions.
posted by Hoosier Prospector at 7:43 PM on October 18, 2009

Busithoth: ... my first real memories of getting paid was a handful of those small headed $20s. I felt like fucking Croesus!

Normally I try to encourage young enthusiasm, but in this case I hope you went to the trouble of finding out how Croesus felt about that proposition before doing the deed.
posted by koeselitz at 11:59 PM on October 18, 2009

With rampant inflation, I don't understand why the $2 isn't the new $1.
posted by spamguy at 6:53 AM on October 19, 2009

Because Americans consider it somewhere between "normal" and "their God-given right" to carry around a gigantic wad of ones at all times. Every other country has come to the conclusion that it's a waste of resources to print bills for such a small denomination. Also, it might make Joe Sixpack realize that inflation exists and he already hates the government enough as it is.
posted by GuyZero at 9:37 AM on October 19, 2009

His leisure activities include attending Golden State Warrior games,

A sure sign of mental imbalance...
posted by Ogre Lawless at 1:11 PM on October 19, 2009

Americans consider it somewhere between "normal" and "their God-given right" to carry around a gigantic wad of ones at all times.

And also because carrying around the equivalent of said "wad" in coins will give you pimp-walk. Unless you distribute the coins evenly to each pocket, then you only have to worry about scratching up your iPod / cell phone / etc.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 3:39 PM on October 19, 2009

And also because carrying around the equivalent of said "wad" in coins will give you pimp-walk.

And yet no one in Canada, the Euro-zone, Australia or the UK pimp-walks. Because we carry small amounts of change and larger bills that have useful denominations.
posted by GuyZero at 4:35 PM on October 19, 2009

Mchelly, I am saving $2 bills like a fiend just so I can be THAT grandpa. I imagine by the time I have grandkids, they will be an even greater oddity than they are now.

And yes, I keep a supply of $2s in my wallet, for emergencies.
posted by Eideteker at 4:11 PM on October 22, 2009