# I rarely see new $1 bills. Why not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 21, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387 "2002-03-21T19:41:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![glilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/1 "2002-03-21T19:41:47Z")
I see new $20s half the time I withdraw money from the ATM. I’ve only seen new $1 bills once, when I was sent cash from another country. Maybe the primary route for new $20s to enter the economy is through ATM machines. But where is the primary route for $1s? To retail stores? I never seem to get new $1s there, either. Does anyone see a lot of new $1s? Where? ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/2 "2002-03-21T19:57:31Z")
Hmmm… I dunno why you’re not seeing too many, but I’ve got four in my pocket right now. I ususally get them in change from larger stores. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/3 "2002-03-21T20:15:59Z")
The reason you don’t see many new ones is because they get beat up really, really fast. IIRC the average life of a dollar bill is only something like 18 months before they get worn out. Check the series date, the Treasury Secretary’s name on the bill, etc., and I’ll bet they’re a lot newer than they look. ---
**Author:** ![TheJackOfHearts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheJackOfHearts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheJackOfHearts)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/4 "2002-03-21T20:54:23Z")
I get new ones quite frequently in change from lots of different stores. Sometimes I’ll even get several with consecutive serial numbers. Perhaps it has to do with where I live (Savannah, Georgia) not being terribly far from a federal reserve location (Atlanta), but I’m really not sure. I would say that you probably are just getting a lot of newer ones that are just a lot more beat up than you might think. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/5 "2002-03-21T20:57:03Z")
According to the [Federal Reserve Bank of Boston](http://www.bos.frb.org/education/html/com.htm) [quote] The average life expectancy of a bill varies according to the denomination of the bill. [ul][li]$1 – 18 months[/li][li]$5 – 15 months[/li][li]$10 – 18 months[/li][li]$20 – 2 years[/li][li]$50 – 5 years[/li][li]$100 – 8 and a half years.[/li][li]The life expectancy of a $2 bill is 36 years. [/ul][/li][/quote] ---
**Author:** ![TheRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@TheRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheRob)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/6 "2002-03-21T21:09:04Z")
Wait! You mean there’s ones that look like the new 20’s ??? I’ve never seen one, well , I’m pretty sure I haven’t. ---
**Author:** ![brainychick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b38774/32.png) [@brainychick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainychick)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/7 "2002-03-21T21:21:46Z")
Maybe we don’t see new bills because we’re supposed to start getting one-dollar coins. But I haven’t seen any of those, either. There were all these commercials with a cartoon George Washington talking about the coins, but I have yet to see the coins themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Payne\_N.Diaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/8 "2002-03-21T21:31:33Z")
No, the ones don’t look like the new 20s–there’s no need to change them since nobody counterfeits ones. As for $1 coins, the only one I’ve ever seen is one my dad gave me, which I promptly lost or spent. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/9 "2002-03-21T21:32:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheRob \* > Wait! You mean there’s ones that look like the new 20’s ??? No there aren’t. They haven’t redesigned the one dollar bill as they did the others. The redesign is to make it harder to counterfeit the bills. For some reason, one dollar bills aren’t counterfeited as much as $20 bills. **brainychick** , if you want some of the new dollar coins, most banks have them. Just ask. ---
**Author:** ![twit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twit)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/10 "2002-03-21T22:02:57Z")
Payne N. Diaz said: No, the ones don’t look like the new 20s–there’s no need to change them since nobody counterfeits ones. Actually, Payne, people DO counterfeit ones. I work at the Federal Reserve in New Orleans and we see them on a fairly regular basis. Very easy to spot since the print appears fuzzy and distorted. As a matter of fact, I found one last night. So, yes, people do counterfeit one dollar bills, probably as “practice” for the larger denominations. ---
**Author:** ![glilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/48db29/32.png) [@glilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glilly)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/11 "2002-03-21T22:05:24Z")
I should have been more clear. When I said “new” bills, I just meant ones that are just entering circulation and still have that new bill smell. Mmmmm…money. I didn’t mean to imply bills with the new designs. Although one of the other posters brings up an interesting point. Have $1 bills been counterfeited in the past (when $1 was worth more than now)? ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/12 "2002-03-21T22:25:08Z")
Another easy way to get $1 coins is to go buy stamps at a post office vending machine. Put in $20, buy the smallest amount of stamps you can, and the change will be given to you in dollar coins. ---
**Author:** ![brainychick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b38774/32.png) [@brainychick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainychick)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/13 "2002-03-21T22:31:36Z")
Thanks for the tips, folks. But possessing the dollar coins is of no particular consequence to me – unless someone would like to give me several million of them, tax free. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/14 "2002-03-21T23:58:58Z")
Ah heck, give me a few million of the coins and I’d even pay the tax. (BG) ---
**Author:** ![Payne\_N.Diaz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Payne\_N.Diaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payne_N.Diaz)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/15 "2002-03-22T02:49:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by twit \* > > Actually, Payne, people DO counterfeit ones. Hmmm. Corrected by a **twit**. Oh well, it’s not the first time!! 😃 Welcome to the SDMB, twit! ---
**Author:** ![TheRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@TheRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheRob)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/16 "2002-03-22T03:10:01Z")
The first time I saw the new one-dollar coins was when I took the train to the city(NYC) a week ago. I got them as change from the ticket machine and as change from the teller at penn station in the city. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/17 "2002-03-22T07:24:49Z")
i have 2 $1 coins in my wallet now, along with a 1/2 dollar coin. They will probably stay there for years, so i can whip them out whenever someone says “i never see $1 coins!” ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/18 "2002-03-22T12:12:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by brainychick \* > \*\*Maybe we don’t see new bills because we’re supposed to start getting one-dollar coins. But I haven’t seen any of those, either. There were all these commercials with a cartoon George Washington talking about the coins, but I have yet to see the coins themselves. \*\* The first day they came out I got them in change twice, and never saw them ever again. I should’ve kept the coins for novelty value. ---
**Author:** ![dono](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@dono](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dono)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/19 "2002-03-22T15:32:39Z")
In a neat little coincidence, right after reading this thread yesterday, I got three crispy new ones in change at the liquor store. (Yeah, yeah, liquor store - what are the odds of that, huh? :p) The clerk even told me to be careful spending them, because they tend to stick together. I spent them at the bar (yeah, yeah, bar) before I thought to look to see if they had consecutive serial numbers. ---
**Author:** ![coolchick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed8c4c/32.png) [@coolchick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coolchick)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387/20 "2002-03-22T16:32:37Z")
How do Blind people know if they have a $1 bill in their hands? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-rarely-see-new-1-bills-why-not/99387.md?page=2)