currency question

[franksolich]

One wonders if something is going on here.

Since I was a little lad, I always paid considerable attention to coinage and currency, among them being watching the signatures on currency change, every time a new president took office and had a new U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, or a new United States Treasurer, in which case the "series" of the bank-notes would change too.

If I recall correctly, every time there was a change in one of these three people (president, secretary, treasurer), it wasn't but a couple of months before one noticed the new signatures.

Here we are, in the tenth month of the 0bamareich, and all the bank-notes, including crisp new ones, "series 2006," are still from the administration of George Bush.  I have yet to find currency with the signatures of the current U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and the current United States Treasurer, and denoted "series 2009" on them.

This intrigues me so much that I asked for, and got permission to, examine currency of various cash-register drawers of various businesses (since my business is accounting, such a request isn't viewed as being particuarly odd).  I dunno how much currency I've examined; surely in the high tens of thousands over a few days.

Even the crisp new bills are STILL "series 2006," from the Bush administration.

It's obvious the Treasury is still printing bills denoting the prior administration, rather than the current one, and one wonders why.

[thundley4]

The simple answer is that not all denominations of currency are printed every year.

[Rick]

Or, we can go with a conspiracy:

When hyper inflation hits, it will be the Bush dollars that are no good. We will be rescued by the Obama dollars.

[franksolich]

The simple answer is that not all denominations of currency are printed every year.

Well, that is true, especially for the really high denominations, such as the $500 bill.

But I concentrated upon examining $1 bills and $20 bills, the ones that go through the system the fastest, and wear out the quickest, sometimes in less than a year.

As already mentioned, during previous changes in administratons and officials, it took about two months before one noticed the new bills going around.

It's very odd; I wish we had another coin and currency hobbyist here, who could confirm or deny what I've seen.

[thundley4]

Well, that is true, especially for the really high denominations, such as the $500 bill.

But I concentrated upon examining $1 bills and $20 bills, the ones that go through the system the fastest, and wear out the quickest, sometimes in less than a year.

As already mentioned, during previous changes in administratons and officials, it took about two months before one noticed the new bills going around.

It's very odd; I wish we had another coin and currency hobbyist here, who could confirm or deny what I've seen.

The best place that I could find that has listings of years that each denomination is printed is the dollar bill tracking site where's George.  None of the denominations are printed yearly, which does seem counterintuitive, but bills do last for several years.

[franksolich]

The best place that I could find that has listings of years that each denomination is printed is the dollar bill tracking site where's George.  None of the denominations are printed yearly, which does seem counterintuitive, but bills do last for several years.

The "series" date is based upon the year the Secretary of the Treasury assumed his position; in this case "2006."  It has nothing to do with the actual date of issuance.

That date is used until a new Secretary of the Treasury takes office, meaning in this case we should be seeing at least some bills "series 2009."

Some "series" dates have an "A" or a "B" (rarely a "B" though) after the date, such as, say, 2006A.

The letter is added in those instances where a new U.S. Treasurer takes office, but the Secretary of the Treasury remains the same person.

I checked at the bar in town last night, where the owner had her spare cash, including a bank-bundled $50 worth of brand new crisp $1 bills.  Never used, even in serial-number order.  Gotten at the bank last Thursday, she thinks.

All of those, brand-new bills remember, were "series 2006."

This is all very odd; one wonders why Bo is having currency printed without changing the printing plates.  If one were a conspiracy theorist (which I'm not), one might suspect Bo is "prepping" us for ruinous inflation by lying about under whose administration the currency was printed.

Has anyone anywhere seen a bill later than "series 2006," and with the signatures of the current U. S. Treasurer and the current Secretary of the Treasury?  Check your wallets, disregarding the older bills and just glance at the crisp new ones, if any.  Any denomination, but most likely a $1 bill or a $20 bill.

It's just very odd.  There could be a harmless explanation for this, but this is the first time I've seen this happen, 10 months into a new presidential administration, and no bills showing the current monetary officials; only those from George Bush.