# How do blind people tell the difference on US Dollar bills? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449 "2009-06-11T15:10:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449/41 "2009-06-13T18:41:52Z")
Have you tried telling those conspiracy people that they are helping Kim Yong-Il run his semi-official North Korean counterfeit plant (that undermines US economy) so much more effectivly? Because US bills are all the same size regardless the value, people who want to counterfeit buy used 1 dollar bils at the bank, bring them home and bleach the old value off, print 100$ value on it and bingo: a used genuine-feeling (because genuine paper) 100 Dollar bill. Or would that make their (tinfoil) heads explode? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449/42 "2009-06-13T18:45:37Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > it’s all a plot to render the old currency unusable, so the Zionists and one-worlders will take your frreedom. Or something like that. I could never make heads nor tails of the screaming. But there was lots. Is this another case of not knowing/caring/doing what the rest of the world does, or did the govt. communicate it badly, that the central bank would still accept old bills for indefintely, just as Canada and the UK and Europe do? If I find thousands of old DMs under my Grandmas mattress (not going to happen, but assuming it), I can’t pay in shops for it, but I can take it to the Bavarian state bank and exchange it for new shiny Euro bills, without any fee. (As long as dear granny wasn’t a counterfeiter). ---
**Author:** ![Klif](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Klif](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klif)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449/43 "2009-06-13T20:30:00Z")
There is really only one solution to the problem: Blind people should only carry singles. ---
**Author:** ![Ragiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6de8d8/32.png) [@Ragiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ragiel)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449/44 "2009-06-14T03:02:23Z")
Some blind people use these things [http://www.lssproducts.com/product/6518/braille-writing](http://www.lssproducts.com/product/6518/braille-writing). Presumably after confirming the denomination with a trustworthy sighted person. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449/45 "2009-06-14T03:09:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Presumably after confirming the denomination with a trustwort See my pposts #2 and #8 – there are bill readers (probab;y similar to those in vending machines and supermarket self-checkouts) that they can use to ID bills. ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449/46 "2009-06-14T04:32:48Z")
For many years there was a blind man who ran a concession stand in the Scioto County, Ohio courthouse. This was in Portsmouth, Ohio in the 60s and 70s. I watched him a number of time taking in money and making change. He would rub the bills a bit between his thumb and first two fingers and determine what they were. I remember my friends and I being amazed. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449/47 "2009-06-14T14:43:41Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > Is this another case of not knowing/caring/doing what the rest of the world does, or did the govt. communicate it badly, that the central bank would still accept old bills for indefintely, just as Canada and the UK and Europe do? . No, its that some people are batshit crazy. Right now there are three circulating designs of the $5, all equally acceptable as currency, although only the newest ([series 2006](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_five-dollar_bill)) is actually being made. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-blind-people-tell-the-difference-on-us-dollar-bills/499449.md?page=2)