Did anyone own a bill of $500, $1000 or more?

[jack3]

I do some very light coin collecting, and a little currency. There used to be bills all the way up to $100,000. This includes $500 and $1000. I'm guessing that some well-to-do people probably gave these as birthday and Christmas gifts. That would be outstanding.

It would be cool to have those around today. Imagine giving the cashier at Publix a $500 bill with a grocery tab of $200.

 

[JGalt]

Big banknotes.

The hyperinflation gallery: examples of hyperinflationary banknotes from around the world

 

[Crepitus]

I do some very light coin collecting, and a little currency. There used to be bills all the way up to $100,000. This includes $500 and $1000. I'm guessing that some well-to-do people probably gave these as birthday and Christmas gifts. That would be outstanding.

It would be cool to have those around today. Imagine giving the cashier at Publix a $500 bill with a grocery tab of $200.

They've been out of circulation since the 60s.

 

[jack3]

They've been out of circulation since the 60s.

Correct. And the government claimed they were not generally used, but they were really cracking down on "illegal" use. But, of course, electronic transactions also became a factor.

 

[toobfreak]

It would be cool to have those around today. Imagine giving the cashier at Publix a $500 bill with a grocery tab of $200.

No. Any $100,000 bill would be from 1945 or older and $100,000 in 1945 was worth a great deal more than today if you actually tried to spend it now. So, its value would be purely as a collector's item.

 

[jack3]

I've seen haggard and taped $500 for a couple hundred over face value, but, of course, not interesting. The bills that go for double/triple face value have some folding, wrinkles, and/or tears.

 

[1srelluc]

Back in my druglord days in Miami.....

 

[jack3]

No. Any $100,000 bill would be from 1945 or older and $100,000 in 1945 was worth a great deal more than today if you actually tried to spend it now. So, its value would be purely as a collector's item.

I see what you mean, but I meant as regular currency back then. Or, if the $500 were still around today as regular use.

 

[whitehall]

Maybe if inflation gets high enough $500 bills will come back in circulation.

 

[toobfreak]

I see what you mean, but I meant as regular currency back then. Or, if the $500 were still around today as regular use.

Such large bills were only meant for transacting very large sums of money, made completely useless with the invention of EFT payments.

 

[odanny]

Silver coinage has always been my choice for real currency. It's more easily broken down into lower values for trading than gold coinage (if you had to do so). Since I've retired I've found the utility in carrying $50 bills, which I always have one or two of so I don't have to use the debit card.

 

[Lisa558]

Do casino chips count?

 

[Concerned American]

I do some very light coin collecting, and a little currency. There used to be bills all the way up to $100,000. This includes $500 and $1000. I'm guessing that some well-to-do people probably gave these as birthday and Christmas gifts. That would be outstanding.

It would be cool to have those around today. Imagine giving the cashier at Publix a $500 bill with a grocery tab of $200.

6 Discontinued and Uncommon U.S. Currency Denominations

Several currency denominations have been discontinued by the U.S. Treasury and others are still in circulation but rarely used.

www.investopedia.com

 

[Concerned American]

Such large bills were only meant for transacting very large sums of money, made completely useless with the invention of EFT payments.

The 100K bill was a gold certificate. They discontinued anything over $100 in 1969. I always thought 10K was the largest--live and learn.

6 Discontinued and Uncommon U.S. Currency Denominations

Several currency denominations have been discontinued by the U.S. Treasury and others are still in circulation but rarely used.

www.investopedia.com

 

[Grau]

I do some very light coin collecting, and a little currency. There used to be bills all the way up to $100,000. This includes $500 and $1000. I'm guessing that some well-to-do people probably gave these as birthday and Christmas gifts. That would be outstanding.

It would be cool to have those around today. Imagine giving the cashier at Publix a $500 bill with a grocery tab of $200.

A friend of mine showed up at my place one Friday night with his wife and a $1,000 bill that he was taking to the bank on Monday.
He said that they were going out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary and asked if they could spend the night with me after dinner.
I couldn't go with them because of work (blacksmithing) but said "Sure." to their request.

Before they left for a festive night on the town, I offered to lock up his $1,000 bill in my safe rather than carrying it around town at night but he wanted to show it to anyone interested.

Right around 4:00 AM, I got a call from the city jail and my friend and his girlfriend asked to bail them out for fighting, drunk and disorderly conduct, drunk in public, resisting arrest, damaging public property, urinating in public and D.U.I.

I was as surprised as anyone that two normally mild manned, intelligent and responsible people could get into such a mess until I discovered a small bottle of Quaaludes ( 714s ) in their vomit covered clothes I was washing the next day.

Not only did my friend and his wife loose the $1,000 bill, wreck his new car and have to spend a fortune in legal fees, they had to pay for the damage done to the restaurant during what was supposed a quiet and romantic evening.

So, that's the first and the last time I ever saw a $1,000- bill and I hope the current owner has better luck with it than my old friend.

Thanks,

 

[jack3]

Such large bills were only meant for transacting very large sums of money, made completely useless with the invention of EFT payments.

Exactly, which is why I was asking about handling one, something all the more interesting considering their mostly intended use.

 

[jack3]

A friend of mine showed up at my place one Friday night with his wife and a $1,000 bill that he was taking to the bank on Monday.
He said that they were going out to dinner to celebrate their anniversary and asked if they could spend the night with me after dinner.
I couldn't go with them because of work (blacksmithing) but said "Sure." to their request.

Before they left for a festive night on the town, I offered to lock up his $1,000 bill in my safe rather than carrying it around town at night but he wanted to show it to anyone interested.

Right around 4:00 AM, I got a call from the city jail and my friend and his girlfriend asked to bail them out for fighting, drunk and disorderly conduct, drunk in public, resisting arrest, damaging public property, urinating in public and D.U.I.

I was as surprised as anyone that two normally mild manned, intelligent and responsible people could get into such a mess until I discovered a small bottle of Quaaludes ( 714s ) in their vomit covered clothes I was washing the next day.

Not only did my friend and his wife loose the $1,000 bill, wreck his new car and have to spend a fortune in legal fees, they had to pay for the damage done to the restaurant during what was supposed a quiet and romantic evening.

So, that's the first and the last time I ever saw a $1,000- bill and I hope the current owner has better luck with it than my old friend.

Thanks,

Now thass wut I'm talkin' about!

 

[jack3]

Of course, having McKinley or Chase on your currency hardly helps the coolness factor. I would think Madison the most interesting of that lot.

 

[JOSweetHeart]

The biggest dollar bill that I have personally held is a $100 dollar bill. Near the end of the Lethal Weapon 2 film, $1,000 bills are what's inside that ship container that also had a car in it.

God bless you always!!!

Holly

 

[d0gbreath]

I can remember $1,000 bills being shown on Let's Make a Deal, but I've never seen one in person.