At 06:29 PM 6/25/2002 -0500, The Fool wrote: > > From: Russell Chapman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > The Fool wrote: > > > > >Doesn't matter. The counterfitters will still use the same methods >that > > >work now and get away with it, and the end end result will be a big > > >waste. There is less than $50 million in counterfit money made each > > >year. The last time they changed the bills, it cost the industry $350 > > >Million, to replace billchangers / vending machines 6 years ago. Do >the > > >math. And they plan to repeat this process, ever six years or so. > > > > > >The color thing is really irritating. It won't stop counterfitting in > > >any concieveable way. The main reason they are doing it is because of > > >Stupid illiterate foreigners who can't read the 15 places the value of > > >bill is printed in large type on the bill. > > > > > >Do you really want people to be able to tell from a distance how much > > >money you have, or withdrew from an ATM? At least the muggers can now >be > > >happy. > > > > > As one of the aforementioned stupid illiterate foreigners, I have to > > say that your currency is really hard to use compared to coloured >notes. > > It's fine at a Wal-Mart or retail store or whatever, even non-Americans > > > can count zeroes when there's enough light, but the problem is in the > > back of a dark taxi, or tipping a valet in the middle of the street at > > night. Colour isn't about counterfeiting but ease of use, especially >for > > the old or sight impaired - it is so tedious to have to look at at each > > > note, even for the briefest glance. If I pick up a wad of $20s at home, > > > I can immediately see that all 30 notes are 20s, or see if there are >10s > > or 50s or whatever in amongst them. In the US, I have to flick through > > them individually. > > > > I may be stupid, and I may be illiterate (and I'm definitely a >furriner) > > but I know my red from my yellow :-) > >Each note has a different dead president on it (cept 20's). Now 50 % >bigger. Color does not help the blind or the color-blind and most sight >impaired people in any way. Most colors are hard to distingiush in the >dark.
Actually, there are two bills without dead presidents on them; the 20 with Alexander Hamilton and the 100 with Benjamin Franklin. As for using the portraits to determine the value of a bill, I doubt most people know who is on which bill. When I was a bank teller (not a bad part time job for a college kid), we were shown "real" counterfeit bills. One of them was a one dollar bill with George Washington's portrait on it and the 10 corners from a ten dollar bill. This was a bill one of our own tellers had accepted, and we were supposed to be able to spot these things. (I always suspected that the counterfeiter used 2 or more separate 10 dollar bills, since you could remove a corner and still use that bill.) john
