
Where Dollar Bills Come From - danso
https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=757617674
======
joering2
Pretty interesting story - basically one company in USA has "monopoly" on
providing "paper" for your banknotes and the reason is mostly because they
have been in business for centuries.

Funny story from my early days at one of financial corporations in NYC. I had
a buddy who loved to collect money. So on his birthday one time I bought him
and brought to the office an uncut 50-pieces $1 sheet that you can easily buy
from BEP even up to $100s [1]

He loved the gift and many people were impressed you can buy them by uncut
sheets. Unfortunately an HR lady was not convinced; next morning I have Secret
Service (!!) at my desk with police officers ready to arrest me! Gladly they
believed my story but only after I forwarded them an email receipt from BEP to
prove I actually bought it from them, not printed at home myself! She never
apologized to me but frankly I wasn't looking for one. Good times.

[1] [https://catalog.usmint.gov/paper-currency/uncut-
currency/](https://catalog.usmint.gov/paper-currency/uncut-currency/)

EDIT: thanks for posting Woz story, never seen it before.

Interesting fact about $2 bills (I am collector myself) - never buy them
online at premiums, simply ask in bank especially before New Year where
Chinese people ask for these (form of good luck) and you may get a freshly
printed. BEP continues to print them and they are quite popular, but careful
how you use them, you can get arrested if cops don't know they exist!

[https://geektyrant.com/news/a-man-was-arrested-for-
using-2-b...](https://geektyrant.com/news/a-man-was-arrested-for-
using-2-bills-at-best-buy-because-the-employee-and-cop-had-never-seen-one-
before)

~~~
RandomBacon
You might like Woz's story about how he bought uncut $2 bills, and had them
cut to 1x3 sheets, perferated between the bills, and glued the top edge and
handed the $2 bills like they were novelty items. He also was investigated by
the Secret Service.

Previous HN discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9319034](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9319034)

~~~
danso
That is hilarious. I thought I had read all the funny Woz stories but this is
new (or forgotten at some point)

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linsomniac
A month or so ago I discovered the Planet Money podcast and it has become one
of my favorites.

~~~
ZoomStop
Check out The Indicator also, daily 10 minute economic podcasts that is a
Plant Money spinoff.

~~~
linsomniac
Agreed, I found The Indicator via Planet Money and have really enjoyed that
too. Another of my favorites is "Smashing Security", which is computer
security focused, but it is more infotainment. It is on the longer side
though, where the NPR ones above are much shorter.

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bitwize
I've always found it fascinating that dollar bills are actually made from a
kind of cloth, the better to endure a rough life in some schlub's pockets (or
the pockets of a succession of schlubs).

I used to wish the USA would switch to an Australian style plastic currency,
but in light of recent concerns about plastics in the environment, those
wishes have been tempered somewhat.

~~~
arayh
Polymer banknotes are perhaps more environmentally friendly compared to its
counterpart due to its durability (resulting in fewer banknotes being
manufactured). They can also be recycled after its life in circulation. On the
other hand, cotton/linen banknotes are typically shredded and landfilled after
their circulation life.

~~~
unethical_ban
What is wrong with landfilling biodegradable material?

~~~
vinay427
It's extremely wasteful to produce them:
[https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/12/17337602/plastic-tote-
bag...](https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/12/17337602/plastic-tote-bags-climate-
change-litter-life-cycle-assessments-environment)

------
westurner
The 1914 $10 Dollar Bill was printed on hemp paper. Today, they're worth like
$49.99. IDK how steady that price is over time; relative to the prices of
other CPI All goods.

~~~
pinko
$10 in 1914 → $256.57 in 2019

------
Timpy
The article only touches on US currency, but it seems that Crane Currency
makes paper for currencies all over the world. I couldn't find an explicit
statement, but the homepage[0] carousel photos definitely imply they make at
least Swedish and Ukrainian paper as well.

[0] [https://www.cranecurrency.com](https://www.cranecurrency.com)

~~~
andygreenwell
Worked for Crane Currency a year ago...left after only a year there just after
the acquisition by Crane Co.

The company has facilities in Tumba, Sweden as well as their new production
facility in Malta.

There are some very talented engineers, scientists, designers and artists on
staff there.

Hopefully Crane Co will be good stewards of what they have purchased, because
Crane Currency provides an essential service for many countries around the
world, but I’ll just say that I was not inspired nor impressed by the new
acquirers and I hope the new ownership doesn’t drive too many more people
away.

------
bhorne2019
I have listened to Planet Money for over a year now, really enjoy the fast
podcasts like the Indicator and Marketplace Tech.

