Regardless of whether you are a coin collector, you probably would be interested in any currency with a big number on it. It might be something comparatively worthless, such as Zimbabwe’s $100 […]
How the U.S. Nearly Created a $1 Trillion Coin
How the Goverment Made a Huge Mistake By Selling $1 Coins for $1
There is no one smarter, better experienced, or more capable of wise financial management than the United States government. Whoa! Mom wasn’t kidding when she told us what would happen if we […]
Niue: the South Pacific Paradise for Coin Collectors
With a land area of just over 100 square miles (261 square km) and a population of 1,600 people, the tiny nation of Niue could easily be overlooked. The island nation sits […]
Paying the Price for a Typo on Coins
Have you heard of the Republic of Chiie? No, it’s not a new tea and coffee shop, nor is it a greenhouse specializing in the sale of Chia Pets. It isn’t even […]
It Pays to Proofread
When it comes to proofreading, who’s whose responsibilty responsibility is it to check for mispellings misspellings? Whoever has that task at the Reserve Bank of Australia, it would probably be a good […]
The Creation and Theft of the $1 Million Coin
The island of Yap has coins that are so big that it takes 20 men to carry one. In 2004, Austria released a €100,000 coin, consisting of 31.103 kg (68.6 lbs) of […]
Cube-Shaped Wombat Poop and Other Scientific Breakthroughs
We at Commonplace Fun Facts are big fans of the Ig Nobel Prize and its mission to “first make people laugh, then make them think.” The list of 2019 laureates touched on […]
A Penny Saved Is 2.06 Cents Spent
We are all taught the financial value of valuing and saving every last penny. This rule apparently does not apply to the U.S. government — at least, not to the U.S. Mint. […]
Meet the Eagle Who Adorned US Currency
Many faces — famous and not-so-famous — have appeared on U.S. currency. You may have studied the solemn faces on the front of coins and paper money and wondered about the men […]
Hawaii’s Special Wartime Currency
With the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States found itself preparing for the unthinkable: what would happen if Hawaii fell under Japanese occupation? One of the […]
The Coin of the Realm — and Something Extra
Everyone likes money because of the value it has in itself. Coin collectors like certain kinds of money because of rarity or historical value. Every once in a while, currency comes around […]
The Ultimate Rental House Fixer-Upper
As President Harry Truman’s daughter, Margaret, played the piano one day, she was startled as one leg of the piano suddenly dropped through the floor of the White House residential level. Engineers […]
The Not-So-Famous Faces of Fortune
Much has been written and proclaimed about the recent decision to replace Andrew Jackson’s face with Harriet Tubman’s on the $20 bill. It has been so long since a change has taken […]
With a Face Like Mine, It Ought To Be On Money
You have to think highly of a person if you are going to suggest that person’s face to adorn a denomination of currency. That gives you a pretty good idea of what […]
When Quintillionaires Are Paupers
Who hasn’t heard an older person complain that a dollar just doesn’t buy what it used to? Imagine what it was like in Hungary in the immediate aftermath of World War II, […]
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