# Living persons on currency
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 12, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231 "2008-01-12T02:27:51Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/1 "2008-01-12T02:27:51Z")
Much of the coverage on Sir Edmund Hillary’s death mentioned he was on New Zealand’s $5 bill. That suprised me since as an American no living people are allowed to be on our currency. How common is it for living people (outside of monarchs and dictators) to be on currency?
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### Author:  [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/2 "2008-01-12T03:03:01Z")
The Royal Bank of Scotland has paid tribute to two living persons in this way.
In 2005 the institution issued 2 million £5 notes graced by the visage of Jack Nicklaus and five years earlier the same bank commemorated the 100th birthday of the late Queen Mother (RIP) with the issue of 2 million £20 notes.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/3 "2008-01-12T03:28:23Z")
To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of Canada’s victory over the Soviets in the Summit Series, the [Royal Canadian Mint](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Mint_Hockey_Coins#Silver_Dollar) issued a silver dollar with [Paul Henderson](http://sudbury.kijiji.ca/c-ViewAdLargeImage?AdId=31070579&img=http://kijiji.ebayimg.com/i2/04/k/000/78/80/8422_18.JPG) , the man who scored the winning goal with 34 seconds to go.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/4 "2008-01-12T03:47:55Z")
I knew and worked with two nephews of former President Aylwin of Chile. He was one of their banknotes during his presidency. One of my co-workers had one of them, signed by his uncle, pinned up in his cube.
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/5 "2008-01-12T05:19:46Z")
It’s quite rare for the living to appear on banknotes internationally. The Reserve Bank governor at the time, Don Brash, only gave way and [allowed Hillary on the $5 note](http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10486482) because there were no other options, and because Hillary was hardly likely to blot his copybook before he died.
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### Author:  [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/6 "2008-01-12T15:45:07Z")
Isn’t Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait found on a boatload of notes around the commonwealth?
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### Author:  [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/7 "2008-01-12T15:48:03Z")
Heck, we have Bret Favre’s mug on our currency in Wisconsin.
Just kidding, but what about it?
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### Author:  [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/8 "2008-01-12T18:38:31Z")
[QUOTE=BwanaBob]
Isn’t Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait found on a boatload of notes around the commonwealth?
[/QUOTE]
I think the Queen, or any monarch, is the exception as a head of state, not someone being commemorated.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/9 "2008-01-12T21:38:59Z")
[QUOTE=Bwana Bob]
Isn’t Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait found on a boatload of notes around the commonwealth?
[/QUOTE]
yes, but the OP excluded current heads of state from the inquiry.
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/10 "2008-01-12T21:54:05Z")
If my understanding of how the [First Spouse Program](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidential_%241_Coin_Program#First_Spouse_Program) is correct then it’s possible that a living person could appear on American coinage. Only the spouses of Presidents honored by the Presidential $1 Coin program are eligable, and to be so honored the _President_ must be dead at least two years by the program’s end. There doesn’t appear to be any requirement that the widow(er) herself must be dead. However the coins in question are gold eagles ($10 coins) and not meant for actual circulation.
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### Author:  [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/11 "2008-01-12T21:55:53Z")
A few months ago, about a year after taking office, we got new banknotes with the new king on 'em.
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### Author:  [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/12 "2008-01-12T23:29:48Z")
[QUOTE=installLSC]
Much of the coverage on Sir Edmund Hillary’s death mentioned he was on New Zealand’s $5 bill. That suprised me since as an American no living people are allowed to be on our currency. How common is it for living people (outside of monarchs and dictators) to be on currency?
[/QUOTE]
I think it might be rare even for dictators. Hitler was never depicted on German banknotes or coins, was he?
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/13 "2008-01-12T23:34:51Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut]
I think it might be rare even for dictators. Hitler was never depicted on German banknotes or coins, was he?
[/QUOTE]
I don’t know about Hilter, but Fransisco Franco appeared on Spanish coins during his rule. Franco however became regent of Spain after he reestablished the monarcy and was king in all but name. He made an effort to surround himself with all the trapping of a Spanish monarch.
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### Author:  [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2008, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/14 "2008-01-12T23:54:59Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut]
I think it might be rare even for dictators. Hitler was never depicted on German banknotes or coins, was he?
[/QUOTE]
He wasn’t. He was depicted on stamps though. Royalties from that were a major source of income for him (seriously.)
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/15 "2008-01-13T01:41:58Z")
It’s no longer the case to put living US figures on currency, but i’ve read that Lincoln was so depicted during his lifetime. Probably the last case.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/16 "2008-01-13T04:52:04Z")
[QUOTE=psychonaut]
I think it might be rare even for dictators. Hitler was never depicted on German banknotes or coins, was he?
[/QUOTE]
I have a couple of bills of one-million zaires with Mobutu Sese Seko on them, which I got when I was in Zaire (now Congo-Kinshasha once again) in 1992. Mobutu was still alive at the time. One million zaires were worth a bit over a dollar, and that was the local price of a bottle of beer in the Ituri Forest region, where I was at the time.
Colibri’s First Law of Economics: You know a country’s in trouble when you have to be a millionaire to buy a beer.
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### Author:  [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/17 "2008-01-13T06:59:14Z")
Hilario Gelbolingo Davide, Jr., the current Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, held the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 1998-2005. During his period of office he swore in Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as president of the Philippines and a picture of the ceremony appears on the reverse of the 200 peso note first issued in 2002.
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### Author:  [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/18 "2008-01-13T11:38:16Z")
Isn’t the astronaut on the back of the [Ohio State Quarter](http://www.statequarters.com/images/CoinDesigns/OH_big.jpg) supposed to represent John Glenn?
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### Author:  [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/19 "2008-01-13T22:24:48Z")
[QUOTE=KGS]
Isn’t the astronaut on the back of the [Ohio State Quarter](http://www.statequarters.com/images/CoinDesigns/OH_big.jpg) supposed to represent John Glenn?
[/QUOTE]
Yes, but you can’t see his face- which is why it was allowed. As far as the Mint is concerned, it doesn’t actually _show_ John Glenn.
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### Author:  [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-persons-on-currency/433231/20 "2008-01-13T22:29:48Z")
[QUOTE=Musicat]
Heck, we have Bret Favre’s mug on our currency in Wisconsin.
Just kidding, but what about it?
[/QUOTE]
Please don’t taunt the cheddarheads. They won’t get it, or worse, will take it seriously and start a petition drive.
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