A wallet full of two-dollar bills is like carrying around a wallet of joy. People get excited with unexpected encounters of two-dollar bills, and for some people it’s just the regular course. The two-dollar adventure unfolds many personality traits. First I walk into my bank and deposit a check like normal. After taking care of official adult business, the cashier asks the typical “is there anything else I can do for you today, Mr. Maldre?” For all those times I’ve been asked that question, I finally have a “yes” reply, and this time the request is a fun one! “Actually, I would like to take all the money in my wallet,” as I pause while I notice that the cashier is starting to smile now, “and convert it it all into two-dollar bills.

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For the second time in Ethiopia’s history, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) is to print memorial coins made of gold and silver at a cost of close to one million Birr to honour the new Ethiopian Millennium. The Bank will invite international companies for the coin minting. The idea of printing memorial coins came about after the Millennium Committee of the Bank discussed with NBE’s governor, Teklewold Atnafu, and has finally reached consensus, sources disclosed.

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The 2004 magazine ad for Silver American Eagles that caught Maureen O’Neill’s eye included a thumbnail history and some mumbo jumbo about the coins being “certified gem brilliant uncirculated” and “sonically sealed in a tamper-evident holder.” But the 74-year-old widow and retired nurse didn’t understand or care about any of that. O’Neill just figured that filling out the coupon would save a trip to the mall: “I thought they would make nice Christmas presents for my son and son-in-law.”

Editors Note:
The following is a statement by Michael R. Fuljenz, President of Universal Coin & Bullion
“The article by reporter Todd Spivak in a free weekly paper contains errors of fact and it omits relevant information to show that the outrageous allegations in the lawsuits against us are utterly ridiculous. We will continue to vigorously fight these predatory, nonsensical lawsuits that were filed by an attorney who was terminated last year under unusual circumstances from his previous law firm, and we intend to aggressively prove our case in court.”

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The European Central Bank’s latest report on euro note counterfeiting shows that “The 50-Euro was the most counterfeited banknote in the first half of 2007, accounting for around a half of the total counterfeits found in circulation.” Total number of fake euros found in the first half of 2007 was listed as 265,000, meaning fake 50-Euros seized numbered about 132,500 notes with a face value of 6,625,000 Euros. That’s $9,138,127.50 in today’s U.S. dollars. Actually, 265,000 out of about 11 billion notes in circulation isn’t bad.

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