So I got this stack of bills all from 2003, and they all have the signature Rosario Marin, on them, except one, it says Anna Escobedo Cabral. So I thought maybe they changed treasurers in the middle of 2003, so I look it up, and it says wasn’t made treasure until November of 2004. And I found some more bills from 2004, and they all say Rosario Marin. So why is Anna Escobedo Cabral signature on that 2003 bill?
Just a WAG: because Rosario Marin resigned halfway through 2003, you had no Treasurer until Anna Escobedo Cabral was confirmed, so she was kind of like an acting-Treasurer until confirmed in 2004.
What do you mean, “from 2003”? Bills are not identified by when they were made, but by when the plates were. I guess they could take 2003 plates and add a 2004 signature, if they wanted.
Right. A 2003 bill is from the 2003 series of bills and not necessarily from 2003. And I seem to remember from a tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing that the signature, serial numbers and seals are put on the bills just before they are shipped out.
And that’s just what they did.
emcee2K. I’ll bet if you look at your notes, the Cabral one will actually be dated 2003A. The “A” was added to indicate a change of signatures. You don’t change the date on the notes until there is a major change in design. But you add a letter after the date of the original design every time you change sigs.
In case anybody cares, the Treasurer of the US no longer carries around a gray metal box with a handle containing the nation’s money supply. The Treasurer today is advisor on currency and coinage to SecTreas, and a public spokesperson on financial education. Appointees are by tradition both female and of Latin American heritage, just because.
Just to clarify: The series year changes when there is a major redesign of a note or when there is a new Secretary of the Treasury. If there is a new Treasurer of the United States but no other changes the series year stays the same but a letter is added to the year, such as 2004A.
While they’ve been female since the Truman administration, I don’t think they necessarily have to be Hispanic. For instance, Mary Ellen Withrow who served during the Clinton administration does not seem to be Hispanic.
It seems to be Republican presidents that appoint Latinas to this office, probably as a sop to affirmative action.
bolding mine-sc
I don’t think that’s correct. You only change the date on the bills when there’s a design change, period. You add a letter(or change the letter) when you get either a new Sec. of Treas. or a new Treas.
So what’s the highest letter ever used?
From memory, the 1935H series of $1 silver certificates.
So if the 2003 bill was made in 2004 after Anna Escobedo Cabral was confirmed, why go back to the 2003 series and revise that, why not revise the 2004 series, by adding an A? And if Rosario Marin resigned halfway through 2003, why is her signature on the 2004 series?
There is no 2004 series unless the design was changed. See this US Treasury FAQ
“After the Secretary of the Treasury changes, a new series year is adopted (e.g. 1999). When the Treasurer of the United States changes, a suffix letter is added to the current series year (e.g. 1999A).” From MoneyFactory.com. Apparently the U.S. Treasury has a different set of guidelines as their Bureau of Engraving and Printing when comparing the link from David Simmons versus the one above. Typical government mish-mash, huh?
I’d just like to say that I have a Google hit that Mary Ellen (née Dominguez) Withrow was rumba champion of Central Ohio from 1959-61 inclusive.
Unfortunately, I don’t. I’m just shittin’ ya.
Interesting that they can’t get it straight.
The US printed $1 silver certificates dated 1935 from 1935 until 1957. The date was the same, only a suffix letter was added when the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Treasury changed.
So, the link from the Bureau and Engraving is just plain wrong. Off to email them.
*Note–it may be possible that the rules were changed in more recent times. I’ll let you know if I get an answer.
**addenda- I just looked in my pocket at $1 banknotes dated 1995, 1999,2001,2003 and it would appear that they do change the date when a new Sec. of Treas. is appointed. But it didn’t use to be that way. I’ll still email.