# Person on the most money
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [June 16, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739 "2011-06-16T20:26:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/1 "2011-06-16T20:26:57Z")
I’ve been wondering which person’s picture is on the most pieces of money. I came up with three candidates, but there may be others.
1. Abraham Lincoln – on every US one cent piece for over a century (since 1909). Also on five dollar bills since 1914. He was also on some one dollar bills in the 19th century.
2. George Washington – on every US one dollar bill since 1929, and also on some in the 19th century. On all quarter dollar coins since 1931.
3. Elizabeth II – on all British money since 1952 and on various Commonwealth coins and bills. Not on all Commonwealth coins and bills, though. For example, she’s not on any Indian or Pakistani money, nor on Canadian bills.
If I had to guess, I’d say Liz, then George, then Abe, but maybe there’s someone else I’m not thinking of.
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### Author:  [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/2 "2011-06-16T20:35:05Z")
Her Majesty is on [the Canadian $20](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_twenty-dollar_bill). But yes, the $1 and $2 bill she was also on have been withdrawn.
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### Author:  [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/3 "2011-06-16T20:36:45Z")
Since China is still mostly a cash society, I’m guessing Mao Tse Tung; Betty would be a close second. Mao’s on most of their bills, IIRC.
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### Author:  [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/4 "2011-06-16T20:39:28Z")
> [@D18](#):
>
> Her Majesty is on [the Canadian $20](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_twenty-dollar_bill). But yes, the $1 and $2 bill she was also on have been withdrawn.
But she’s on every darned coin, including the pennies. Pretty much the same all across the commonwealth? (once in a while I run across a penny or a nickel with some George on it…)
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### Author:  [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/5 "2011-06-16T20:39:45Z")
I’m going to go with Mao-Tse Tung who appears on 20, 50 and 100 yuan notes in China. There are smaller denominations each with a different man and a woman side by side but not sure if they are actually people or an artist’s invention.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yuan\_collection.jpg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yuan_collection.jpg)
Someone will no doubt be along shortly to clarify…
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/6 "2011-06-16T20:42:15Z")
In terms of number of individual notes and coins – not different ones – Mao Zedong and Mahatma Gandhi will be at least in the top five or six. That’s because they are on all the current bank notes of their respective countries, and those countries each have a large population.
But, in terms of different notes and coins, I think it has to be Elizabeth II.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/7 "2011-06-16T22:35:16Z")
Just in case anyone is in doubt, the OP is about all coins and bills with the person’s picture on them, no matter when issued. Not just those in current circulation, nor the number of different denominations or whatever.
As far as I can tell, Mao is on all Chinese bills, but he’s only been on them for roughly 10 years. He was on the 100 yuan bill of the previous series (along with 3 other Chinese leaders), but I don’t think he was on any before that. So he’s no doubt on a lot of bills, but has he passed Elizabeth? Do the Chinese release data on how many of each denomination have been issued?
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### Author:  [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/8 "2011-06-16T23:18:41Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> …
> 3. Elizabeth II – on all British money since 1952 and on various Commonwealth coins and bills. Not on all Commonwealth coins and bills, though. For example, she’s not on any Indian or Pakistani money, nor on Canadian bills…
She is (or was) on the Canadian $20 bill. I even have one.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/9 "2011-06-16T23:23:28Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#):
>
> She is (or was) on the Canadian $20 bill. I even have one.
:: checks wallet ::
Yup. Still there. 🙂
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### Author:  [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)
#### Post date: [June 16, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/10 "2011-06-16T23:57:19Z")
> [@md2000](#):
>
> But she’s on every darned coin, including the pennies. Pretty much the same all across the commonwealth?
In Australia:
- The £1 note from 1953 - 1966
- The $1 note from 1966 - 1982
- The $5 note from 1992 onwards
- Pretty much all coins since 1953
Since they’re all low denominations I assume the volume in circulation is quite high.
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### Author:  [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/11 "2011-06-17T00:09:33Z")
All-time, I’d guess King George VI. When he was king, the Empire included a lot more countries, and he was on just about all the coins and currency in each one.
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### Author:  [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/12 "2011-06-17T00:13:45Z")
> [@kunilou](#):
>
> All-time, I’d guess King George VI. When he was king, the Empire included a lot more countries, and he was on just about all the coins and currency in each one.
His reign was a little over 15 years. Elizabeth II is approaching 60.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/13 "2011-06-17T00:20:34Z")
I go with Abe Lincoln. While the US didn’t have all those colonies that the Brits did, we certainily churned out quite a few cents between 1909 and today.
Let’s just use 1995 as an example. The US Mint made,in that year, 13.5 **Billion** cents. You do the math.
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### Author:  [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/14 "2011-06-17T00:27:22Z")
> [@samclem](#):
>
> Let’s just use 1995 as an example. The US Mint made,in that year, 13.5 **Billion** cents. You do the math.
That’s approximately the total volume of coins minted in Australia [since 1965](http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/currency.html).
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/15 "2011-06-17T03:05:37Z")
> [@tellyworth](#):
>
> His reign was a little over 15 years. Elizabeth II is approaching 60.
You might also note that many more coins are made these days due to increased population and (possibly) inflation.
> [@samclem](#):
>
> Let’s just use 1995 as an example. The US Mint made,in that year, 13.5 Billion cents. You do the math.
Are these numbers on the infobahn somewhere? If not, how does that number compare with the number of dollar bills and quarters issued that year?
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### Author:  [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/16 "2011-06-17T03:23:32Z")
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> You might also note that many more coins are made these days due to increased population and (possibly) inflation.
Inflation might have the opposite effect. Australia stopped producing 1 and 2 cent coins back in the 80s.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/17 "2011-06-17T05:22:43Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#):
>
> I’m going to go with Mao-Tse Tung who appears on 20, 50 and 100 yuan notes in China. There are smaller denominations each with a different man and a woman side by side but not sure if they are actually people or an artist’s invention.
>
> [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yuan\_collection.jpg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Yuan_collection.jpg)
>
> Someone will no doubt be along shortly to clarify…
That picture is a mixture of the older currency that was used in the eighties and nineties and the new currency which is used now. Mao is now on all the new [paper currency](http://chinatravelguide.com/shared/images/thumb/3/33/ChineseYuan5thEdition.jpg/500px-ChineseYuan5thEdition.jpg) below the 1000 yuan note. (However the old currency is still legal tender.)
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/18 "2011-06-17T11:41:18Z")
> [@samclem](#):
>
> I go with Abe Lincoln. While the US didn’t have all those colonies that the Brits did, we certainily churned out quite a few cents between 1909 and today.
>
> Let’s just use 1995 as an example. The US Mint made,in that year, 13.5 **Billion** cents. You do the math.
> [@dtilque](#):
>
> Are these numbers on the infobahn somewhere? If not, how does that number compare with the number of dollar bills and quarters issued that year?
1995 production of quarters–2.1 billlion. But I see what you’re saying. I’ll work on the dollar bill numbers. I might have to change my mind.
I have the books at home, so don’t know if the numbers are on the www.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/19 "2011-06-17T11:53:50Z")
> [@samclem](#):
>
> 1995 production of quarters–2.1 billlion. But I see what you’re saying. I’ll work on the dollar bill numbers. I might have to change my mind.
>
> I have the books at home, so don’t know if the numbers are on the www.
A quick check of my US paper money book says about 100+million $1 notes from 1928-1999. And, sure, there have been massive amounts produced since 1999, but even if you double my first number, I don’t think you beat the cent production.
example–between 1982 and 1995, over 150 billion cents produced.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [June 17, 2011, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/person-on-the-most-money/585739/20 "2011-06-17T12:38:12Z")
I have read that the [most reproduced portrait](http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/jul/19/art) in history is Arnold Machin’s [portrait](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machin_series) of Elizabeth II which has been used on British stamps since 1967, and was used on British coins from 1971 until 1984 (as well as the decimal coins issued in advance of decimalisation from 1968 onwards).
The article in the first link says “well over 200 billion copies” but I think that is talking about stamps only.
Looking at the mintage figures for coins over that period ([here](http://www.royalmint.com/Corporate/MintageFigures/circulating_coin_2.aspx) and [here](http://www.royalmint.com/corporate/MintageFigures/circulating_coins.aspx)) I make that:
½p: 3,528,008,250 coins
1p: 4,907,875,875 coins
2p: 3,102,637,250 coins
5p: 1,129,833,250 coins
10p: 1,768,538,250 coins
20p: 964,628,965 coins
50p: 754,247,004 coins
£1: 589,310,011 coins
Total: 16,745,078,855 coins.
So, nearly 16.75 billion coins and over 200 billion stamps (so far), all bearing not just the same person, but the same portrait of the same person.
Edit: [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Machin) quotes an even higher figure of 320 billion.
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