PrintApril 23, 2011
The Paradox of the Uncirculated Two-Million-Dollar Bill
Who might be on it? Hint: "He doesn't look like all those other presidents on those dollar bills."[1]On my first trip to DC, at age eight, I was indifferent to most of the imposing, colonnaded white marble. But I do vividly remember the large bills at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing: the austere five-, the spectacular ten-, and the awesome hundred-thousand-dollar flavors. Unfamiliar portraits and big numbers hinted at the doubtless great deeds of lesser-known Great Men.I was disappointed to learn that no, I could never have a $100,000 bill, the one with that Wilson guy's perturbed quizzical glower. Nobody can have one. They existed solely for the government's own internal use. These bills were never introduced into general circulation, and ordinary citizens were not allowed -- didn't have standing, you might say -- to possess them. Although some are reputed to be in the hands of collectors, technically they're illegal to...(Read Full Article)
