Outside of a Monopoly game, most Americans likely have never encountered a denomination of paper money higher than $100.

Though it might be hard to believe, paper money denominated $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 once circulated in the United States. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing even printed high-denomination notes with a face value as high as $100,000.

While high-denomination notes are something collectors of world paper money are very familiar with, particularly notes from nations experiencing hyperinflation, high-denomination U.S. paper money isn’t commonly known, mostly because the notes haven’t circulated for a long time.

The notes often show beautiful allegory and forgotten statesmen.

On July 14, 1969, the U.S. Treasury and the Federal Reserve announced that high-denomination notes would be discontinued immediately due to lack of use. Though these notes — in denominations of $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 — were issued until 1969, the last of them had been printed more than 20 years before.

These notes are still legal tender and some are extant, remaining technically “in circulation.” Federal Reserve Banks destroy them as they are received in the system.

Notes in denominations of more than $100 were issued both in large-size (pre-1929) and small-size series.

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I ran across a new site the other day all about coins of the Bible. A nice feature they have is a page with images of all the coins you hear mentioned in the Bible. They have the Widow’s mite, a shekel, a drachm and among others.

I should note that these coins are all replicas, so they have little to no collector value per se, but it’s still neat to be able to see what they looked and felt like back in the day when these coins were used.

(via via)

PHILADELPHIA – A family is suing the U.S. Mint, saying it illegally seized 10 gold coins that are among the rarest and most valuable in the world that the family found among a dead relative’s possessions.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia, accuses the Mint of violating the Constitution and breaking federal forfeiture laws by refusing to return the 1933 “double eagle” coins to the family after it handed the coins over to have their authenticity confirmed.

Plaintiffs Joan S. Langbord and her sons, Roy and David, are seeking the immediate return of the coins, said their attorney, Barry H. Berke.

Defendants named in the suit include the Mint, the Treasury Department, and officials in those agencies.

A Mint spokesman declined to comment, saying that the Mint had not yet been officially served.

Double eagles were first struck in 1850. They are so named because they had a face value of $20, twice the amount of gold coins known as eagles.

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Bit-tech.com discusses the history of our money system and how it got to where it is today. The article reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend the other day that I hardly ever use cash anymore. I use my debit card for normal transactions and my credit card online. I also write very few checks because of online banking. It made me wonder about the future of our coins and currency.

What would happen if people just stopped using coins? It won’t be tomorrow, but 50 years down the road, technology may move on to another form of wealth exchange not involving coins.

1. Which coin is known to have full split bands on well-struck coins? Answer The Mercury dime (or Winged Liberty dime)

2. What direction does Queen Elizabeth II face on coins in Great Britain? Answer To the right

3. Whose portrait apears on the face of the 2000 $10 US Federal Reserve note? Answer Alexander Hamilton

4. What Ohio city was the most prolific issuer of Civil War tokens in the United States? Answer Cincinnati

5. What term do numismatists use to describe a worthless or inferior specimen? Answer Cull