# Ongoing thread: The story of a five-dollar bill **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 16, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089 "2002-11-16T23:55:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2002, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/1 "2002-11-16T23:55:26Z")
The story begins, of course, at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The $5 bill, whose serial number ends in 26F, was printed for the FR Bank in San Francisco. There, it was picked up by a merchant customer, a publishing company; and 26F was put, along with about 11 others, in the petty-cash drawer. It was removed in a transaction by… ---
**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/2 "2002-11-17T00:05:03Z")
A trans-sexual hooker who received it in change after purchasing a three-pack of Trojan Condoms. He didn’t have it long, though… ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/3 "2002-11-17T00:14:33Z")
… he spent it buying souvenirs at [South of the Border](http://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/SCDILsob.html) a favorite I-95 stop of his. From there… ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/4 "2002-11-17T00:35:02Z")
…it was used by the souvenir vendor to pay a cab fare, to Dana Point, in Orange County, on the coast. The cabbie, in turn… ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/5 "2002-11-17T02:52:24Z")
…gave it in change to another fare, an Episcopalian architect from North Dakota, as she dropped him at the airport. The architect, en route to Helsinki, boarded a plane that would take her to New York. She suddenly realised that she had forgotten to buy a… ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/6 "2002-11-17T06:12:10Z")
…pack of floppy discs for a major presentation she was doing the next day and had to work on the plane. The news stand vendor gave 26F out as part of change for a $50 that was … ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/7 "2002-11-17T10:34:59Z")
…handed him by Angels manager Mike Scioscia, shortly after the Series ended. He bought _Time, Newsweek, Games, Sports Illustrated,_ and a copy of _Triumph of the Straight Dope_ that the vendor picked up for him in a local bookstore Scioscia had no time to get to. The vendor, in turn, spent 26F, at dinnertime that evening, at… ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/8 "2002-11-17T11:40:06Z")
…a very posh restaurant as a tip for the restroom attendant, Mr. Giles, who accidentally dropped the bill down a flushing toilet. A sewer worker spotted it two days later and after wringing it dry, took it to a… ---
**Author:** ![Slainte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Slainte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slainte)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/9 "2002-11-17T13:25:04Z")
strip club, where he used it for a lapdance. The woman who got 26F then spent it… ---
**Author:** ![Kritter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@Kritter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kritter)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/10 "2002-11-17T20:27:32Z")
at wal-mart on a package of vag-o-clean. The not to trustworthy cashier pocketed it, and when he left work he went straight to the… ---
**Author:** ![Treviathan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/838e76/32.png) [@Treviathan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treviathan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/11 "2002-11-17T21:16:12Z")
…florist down the block, and bought an orchid to give to his mother who was in the hospital after having triple-bypass surgery. The owner of the florist shop, a middle-aged divorcée, spent the bill later that evening on her date with… ---
**Author:** ![LittleBabyNothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@LittleBabyNothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LittleBabyNothing)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/12 "2002-11-17T21:29:07Z")
…a person she had never met before, who ran off and made her pay the bill. The money was given as change to another customer who was mugged by her date after finishing their meal. The evil date bought… ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/13 "2002-11-17T21:31:46Z")
…5 chances on the California Super Lotto. (she didn’t win anything on it.) The cashier gave the bill in change to a firefighter in San Bernardino, who was going to give allowances to his two pre-teen boys that evening… ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/14 "2002-11-17T21:51:59Z")
…the youngest of which received the bill, and ran off to the store to load up on bubblegum, but was robbed by the schoolyard bully on the way… ---
**Author:** ![LittleBabyNothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b38774/32.png) [@LittleBabyNothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LittleBabyNothing)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/15 "2002-11-17T21:54:31Z")
…who took a shortcut through the park on the way to the candy store, only to be attacked by a _huge_ dog. The dog wrestled it out of the bullys hand and… ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/16 "2002-11-17T22:04:40Z")
…returned it to the fireman’s son–after the kid had been lectured by his parents on spoending wisely and keeping money in the pockets. He did buy some gum, and a bottle of grape juice. The cashier, a rather goofy 19-year-old college girl, put five ones into the till in place of 26F, which she… ---
**Author:** ![TVGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/82dd89/32.png) [@TVGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/17 "2002-11-17T23:29:48Z")
… pocketed because she thought Lincoln looked particularly silly on this particular note. When she got home, she forgot that it was in her pocket and she put that jacket away for the winter. The next spring, she sent the jacket to the cleaners and the guy who does the pressing found 26F and… ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/18 "2002-11-17T23:35:09Z")
…turned out to be a honest soul who returned it to the girl even though she didn’t thank him and spent it on some designer lip gloss but… ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/19 "2002-11-17T23:37:08Z")
…just as he was about to pocket it, the phone rang, and his girlfriend instructed him to call her back at 212-015-0154; so, having nothing else to write on at the time, he jotted down the number on the fiver and promptly called her back. Later that day, when a senior researcher for the FBI came in to pick up his laundry… ---
**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089/20 "2002-11-17T23:42:00Z")
My post was first but AHunter’s looks like it can go farther so I say use his. BTW, is there any significance to the phone number you mentioned, Hunter? 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ongoing-thread-the-story-of-a-five-dollar-bill/137089.md?page=2)