SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An atheist pleaded with a federal appeals court to remove the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance and “In God We Trust” from U.S. currency, saying the references disrespect his religious beliefs.

“I want to be treated equally,” said Michael Newdow, who argued the cases consecutively to a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday. He added that supporters of the phrases “want to have their religious views espoused by the government.”

Newdow, a Sacramento doctor and lawyer, sued his daughter’s school district in 2000 for forcing public school children to recite the pledge, saying it was unconstitutional.

The 9th Circuit ruled in Newdow’s favor in 2002, but two years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that he lacked standing to sue because he didn’t have custody of the daughter on whose behalf he brought the case. He immediately filed a second lawsuit on behalf of three unidentified parents and their children in another district. Read Full Story

(Santa Ana, California) – In a move that is expected to significantly boost activity in the already brisk paper money market, the Certified Coin Exchange (CCE) in conjunction with PCGS Currency has established the Currency Marketplace, a new CCE service where collectors can view, select from and buy thousands of bank notes offered by many of the top currency dealers. It is located online at www.CollectorsCorner.com.

“Notes certified by PCGS Currency or PMG as well as un-certified, ‘raw’ paper money will be available online at Currency Marketplace. It will be THE place for collectors to make purchases with confidence because only CCE members and PCGS Currency Authorized Dealers will be permitted to post items for sale,” said Laura Kessler, PCGS Currency Vice President of Business Development.

Paper money now has been added to the CCE Collector’s Corner “Wish List” service where collectors are quickly and conveniently notified by e-mail when items they are seeking become available from CCE member-dealers.

“Dealers offering PCGS Currency-graded notes simply enter online the certificate number located on the back of the specially-designed holder, and all the information automatically uploads. Advertising space is available for member dealers on both the Collectors Corner and the PCGS Currency website, offering an easy and inexpensive way to attract new clients,” explained Kessler. (more…)

WASHINGTON - Federal appeals court judges indicated they were troubled that blind people are unable to distinguish between a $50 bill and a $1 bill, but said yesterday they were reluctant to force a redesign of U.S. currency.

“Where does this stop?” asked Judge A. Raymond Randolph. Are postage stamps illegal? Government Web sites? When mail carriers leave handwritten notes on front doors, are they discriminating against blind people?

“The National Gallery is having a Hopper exhibit,” Randolph said. “Those paintings, do they violate the Rehabilitation Act?” The case erupted last year when a judge said the government discriminated against the blind by keeping bills the same color, shape and texture. He gave the Treasury Department just days to begin solving the problem, but changes have been put on hold while appeals play out.

Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit did not rule immediately, citing concern about the consequences. (more…)

ATHENS - It’s time to answer questions about North Korea’s long-reported production and laundering of high-quality counterfeit US $100 notes. There’s a good opportunity at hand: an unusual meeting this week in New York between senior US and North Korean officials. One of its purposes is to reopen talks about Pyongyang’s alleged illicit financial operations.

Back in 1976, Pyongyang purchased from a specialized Swiss firm a sophisticated intaglio (high-pressure) press for printing currency. At the time, it was identical to the presses used by the US Treasury’s Bureau of Engraving and Printing to turn out hundreds of millions of dollars in genuine greenbacks annually (and is thought to be still highly similar).

After nearly a decade’s delay, high-quality counterfeit intaglio-printed $100 bank notes with only microscopic flaws – dubbed “Supernotes” by bankers and currency buffs – were spotted and seized, first in the Philippines, then in Hong Kong, Thailand, and finally, in the early-1990s, in Europe and the Americas. Read Full Story