Here's something cool I learnt today!
Meet the biggest denomination bill ever printed by the United States of America:
(public domain)
10 thousand fucking dollars!
Featuring President Lincolnβs Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, it never got much traction. Which is quite understandable considering how the net worth of the average American was much much less back in the 1918 when it was first printed!
Officially, it was discontinued on July 14, 1969, by the Federal Reserve System due to "lack of use" although it had effectively disappeared well before that time...
However it is still considered legal tender so if you happen to own (lol) one of the few hundred surviving pieces you can probably still use it...Imagine the funny reactions you would get if you tried to use one to buy a pack of cigarettes or something...And making a fuss when you would be told it's fake money. Great idea for a YouTube prank ππ
And who knows? Maybe it will make a reappearance now thanks to the inflation we are experiencing? πΆπ π
Anyways...
Wanna see something even cooler?
Here's a 100k bill:
(public domain)
Now this is not a bill but a gold certificate featuring a portrait of Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921.
However, it was never circulated or issued for public use. They were created by The Bureau of Engraving and Printing in 1934 during the great depression with the intention to be used for transactions between Federal Reserve banks.
Ok plebs, hope you enjoyed reading about these two unique monetary oddities from the US. Feel free to hit the references down below to read more about them and to check some more oddities, like the 5000 $ bill!
References