I saw a post on tumblr, about why some larger bills have little stamps on them. The reason they gave is that drug dealers will stamp the bills to keep track of them. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
So question one is, does this sound accurate? Does anyone have any way of saying if this is or isn't true?
Question two, why the heck are these stamps on bills?
Here's a
picture of a purported drug dealer stamped bill.
posted by trogdole
on May 11, 2013 -
8 answers
Asking on behalf of two friends in China: one (not a Chinese national) wants to loan a large amount of money to the other (who is Chinese). The problem is the foreigner's account (even though it's a Chinese bank account) is in Euros. They tried to go to the local (Chinese) bank and do a transfer, but were told that it was illegal to transfer a foreign currency to a Chinese person like that, and that they would have to first convert all the money to RMB and then could give it to him, but that gets pretty expensive with exchange rates and fees, since this is apparently a pretty large sum. So the question is: What's the best way for a foreigner to transfer his money, in euros, at his Chinese bank account to the Chinese bank account of a Chinese national? Is there any bank card or service which the Chinese national can apply for to make it easier?
posted by jef
on Mar 2, 2013 -
7 answers
Money: who are the current deep thinkers about money, monetary systems, currency, global flow of cash... and alternative systems and options.
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posted by HopStopDon'tShop
on May 8, 2012 -
4 answers
Is there a way for me to estimate the total value of a certain weight of random mixed us coins?
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posted by JohnnyGunn
on Dec 15, 2011 -
26 answers
My mom recently returned from the Ivory Coast with about 50,000 XOF (=~$100). However, she hasn't found anywhere that will accept the XOF and pay her USD. She has tried Wells Fargo, American Express travel exchange, and Travelex, with no success anywhere. Does anyone know who will accept XOF for exchange?
posted by rjacobs
on Aug 19, 2011 -
8 answers
International banking filter: I'm moving to Stockholm from Seattle in about a month. What's the best way to set up an account in Swedish krona when the person supporting me will be giving me money in US dollars? Also, what is the cheapest and fastest way to transfer money from US accounts in USD to the Swedish (or international?) SEK account?
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posted by halogen
on Jul 11, 2011 -
2 answers
A friend, who's as bad at numbers as I am, has money in an American bank account. He needs to pay for something in Switzerland. Is there any advantage to changing the dollars to euros and then to Swiss francs, or is a direct dollar-franc transfer the best way to go?
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posted by Paris Elk
on Apr 3, 2011 -
6 answers
Portland Filter: I've been reading a lot of
Douglas Rushkoff and I'm really into the idea of alternative local currencies (something like
Ithaca Hours). Is anyone in Portland, OR working on establishing something here?
posted by ohisee
on Jan 30, 2011 -
5 answers
How to get the best conversion rate (GB Pound to US Dollar)?
I've been working in London for the past year, trying to save up money for grad school when I return to the states. I was told that December was the best month of the year to do a GBP to USD conversion (not too sure how accurate that is).
I bank with Barclays (England) and Chase (US) and am in the states at the moment. I've brought the money (in GBP) over because I thought it would give me more conversion options.
I know that it can get complicated with conversion rates changing, various banks with their own exchange rates, etc. I'm willing to open an online bank account if that's the best option to transfer pounds to dollars.
Are there any conversion geniuses out there who can help give me any tips?
Many thanks!
D
posted by Danah_78
on Dec 23, 2010 -
8 answers
I've read a few articles that mention the collapse of the Euro. Any idea what that would look like? Could a country like France or Germany simply walk away? Could the currency survive that? What would they do until they had fresh DM or francs or whatever?
posted by codswallop
on May 16, 2010 -
13 answers
What's the best way to get my hands on foreign currency from the around the world and especially from pre-Euro times/countries.
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posted by FlamingBore
on May 6, 2010 -
8 answers
The Canadian dollar is at par with the US dollar. As a Canadian who will not be traveling to the US or elsewhere in the near future, how else can I benefit from the high dollar?
posted by kitcat
on Apr 6, 2010 -
15 answers
I'm an American who's just bought a lovely home in the EU. Yay! Now I have to make regular mortgage payments while still living and working in the US. How do I transfer money over to our EU bank account on a regular basis as cheaply as possible?...
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posted by finitejest
on Oct 30, 2009 -
9 answers
Need to transfer modest amounts of money from UK to a US bank account every 2-3 months. What would be the most cost-effective way to do so?
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posted by moiraine
on Oct 22, 2009 -
10 answers
Our deficit and our debt are at record levels, even compared to WWII. Then, the debt was financed internally, not by other countries, so the interest we could pay was lower and the money was recycled in the U.S. Now, the debt and deficit are mostly financed by other countries through bond offerings and the like. And as they grow, those debtor countries will want higher interest rates on repayments, which drains money out of the U.S.
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posted by CollectiveMind
on Oct 5, 2009 -
4 answers
What could one piece of eight have purchased in Boston in 1777?
posted by aiko
on Sep 23, 2009 -
9 answers
Anyone here have experience ordering foreign currency online? I know I'm over-preparing for my four day trip to Montreal, but I'd really like to have some CAD in hand when I get there. I'm sorta too lazy to find a bank around here that will do it for me...
posted by krisptoria
on Mar 11, 2009 -
10 answers
Is most money just numbers on a computer screen? Or do banks actually have cash in their vaults to back up the "digital" money.
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posted by All.star
on Feb 4, 2009 -
23 answers
I'm moving overseas from the US in less than a year, and my stellar powers of observation tell me that there's a good chance the dollar is going to eat shit before then. My savings are <$10,000, what can I do with them to ensure that I'm not cursing the economy when I leave? Is putting it in foreign currency enough, or is there a better option? How do I do that?
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posted by borkingchikapa
on Dec 15, 2008 -
12 answers
Where should I keep my money (to protect it from the US economy)? I'm American and it's in US$, but I don't live there and don't have any good reason to keep it there.
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posted by xanthippe
on Oct 7, 2008 -
10 answers
I keep seeing store clerks drawing marks on $20 and $50 bills before closing the cash register. Why are they doing it?
posted by tizzie
on Jun 9, 2008 -
15 answers
Need to transfer a large amount of money from US to UK and have a few questions about currency brokers and taxes.
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posted by gfrobe
on Mar 17, 2008 -
6 answers
How can I protect myself against the falling US dollar when sending work overseas?
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posted by lsemel
on Nov 3, 2007 -
5 answers
I keep all my savings in a Citibank e-savings account, which is like a regular savings account, only with a higher interest rate. Recently, the dollar has totally been tanking, and this trend doesn't show any signs of reversing. What's the easiest, safest, most profitable way for me to save my money in euros instead of dollars?
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posted by Afroblanco
on Nov 2, 2007 -
29 answers
Can your average person who spends their entire workday in front of a computer short the dollar online, through some sort of investing site? I'm macroeconomically literate, but know next to nothing about what sort of options are available for playing with my money. I read about
day-trading Japanese moms making money on the currency trade, and I'd like to keep my relatively meager savings from vanishing into some Weimarish wheelbarrow-of-bills traffic jam, so...do I need to learn Japanese to do it?
posted by paul_smatatoes
on Sep 20, 2007 -
17 answers
What's the best way to exchange Japanese Yen (in cash form) to USD?
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posted by Muu
on Mar 5, 2007 -
4 answers
I am leaving for Japan in two days: should I change money before or after I get there? Does it matter? How do I do it?
posted by davidriley
on Feb 26, 2007 -
22 answers
Currency Exchange: I have a handful of Japanese Yen and a desire the British pound wasn't so strong. What are my
best options for getting my Yen converted into Sterling?
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posted by 0bvious
on Sep 21, 2006 -
6 answers
When economists talk about broad- and narrow-money, what exactly are they talking about?
posted by dobie
on Jul 26, 2006 -
2 answers
I'm going to the States on the weekend and I'm wondering what the best way is to convert Canadian dollars to American dollars? What option provides the best conversion rate for $300-500?
posted by jonshadow
on Jul 20, 2006 -
14 answers
I have a not-insignificant amount of Polish zlotych. Help me figure out if and how I can exchange it...
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posted by deafmute
on Jan 24, 2006 -
7 answers
Is there a website that catalogs the daily exchange rates between countries? For example, if I wanted to know the exchange rate from Canadian to American dollars on July 27, 2005?
posted by billysumday
on Oct 13, 2005 -
6 answers
What are some examples of obsolete currency — currency that was formerly used by a now-defunct political state or regime and is now worthless, except perhaps as a curiosity or historical artifact? This defunct currency would have to be paper rather than in bullion, as the latter never really becomes worthless. The only example I can think of is the currency issued by the Confederate States of America during the U.S. Civil war. Can you suggest any more recent examples?
posted by orange swan
on Jun 17, 2005 -
32 answers
In the U.S., personal checks and paper currency are the same size.
So I've been wondering- is there an international standard size for personal checks? Or, do checks issued in one particular country match up with that country's currency? (And what about places like China, where the bills are all different sizes?)
Thanks in advance for helping me sleep at night.
posted by elisabeth r
on May 22, 2005 -
11 answers
Summer is coming. I'm a student. I'd like to earn me some dosh in as pleasant a way as possible. Additionally, since I'm already sitting behind a darn desk for the whole friggin' year, I think it's time for a change. No coding. No system administration. No data entry. No QA. I think you catch my drift.
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posted by koenie
on May 22, 2005 -
19 answers
Dollar bill spam? I just got a US dollar bill with a URL on it. Going to said URL brings up the web site of a hotel in the dominican republic. Is this an actual thing? Or is this just someone having some fun?
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posted by o2b
on Dec 28, 2004 -
8 answers
A friend at work gave me a 1964 quarter - I noticed it is slightly lighter, thicker and makes a different noise when struck than a 2004 quarter. What are quarters made ouf of today, and what were they made out of in 1964?
posted by luriete
on Oct 22, 2004 -
8 answers
How would one go about purchasing new Iraqi Dinars, if one were so inclined? My local banks (in Canada) laughed at me, as it is not apparantly exchanged outside Iraq, and the Internet seems to be full of ripoffs selling the currency as "collectibles" at double the official exchange rate. Does anyone know a way I could buy the dinar anywhere close to 1460/US dollar?
posted by loquax
on Jul 28, 2004 -
5 answers
Need help identifying the nationality of
this Asian
bank note, circa 1947. I
think I see kanji but I don't recognize the other characters.
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posted by Shane
on Mar 21, 2004 -
9 answers
