# What's your favorite monetary denomination?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 16, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023 "2018-07-16T17:30:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/1 "2018-07-16T17:30:55Z")
Any currency. Coins or bills. Use your own criteria: overall design, a specific design feature, security features, utility, rarity, whatever.
What do you like and why?
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/2 "2018-07-16T17:34:03Z")
Personally, I like the US $10 bill. It’s just useful. A lot of stuff, especially ready-to-eat food, which is what I mostly use cash for, tends to come out to right around $10. And I like the term “sawbuck.”
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### Author:  [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/3 "2018-07-16T17:37:47Z")
I’m partial to the Japanese [1 yen coin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_yen_coin). It has precise dimensions in metric units - diameter is 20mm, and weight is exactly 1 gram. And it is made of aluminum. The design is also very simple and free of any historical/cultural baggage. It’s just a number 1 on one side, and a stylized drawing of sapling on the other side.
The only problem with it is, like the US penny, it’s worth so little that it has no good reason to exist anymore.
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/4 "2018-07-16T17:46:40Z")
> [@DCnDC](#):
>
> Personally, I like the US $10 bill. It’s just useful. A lot of stuff, especially ready-to-eat food, which is what I mostly use cash for, tends to come out to right around $10. And I like the term “sawbuck.”
:eek:
I _ **HATE** _ the ten (or “sawbuck”). It’s just one of those things with me. I get rid of any tens I have as soon as possible. If I were in charge, I’d do away with pennies and tens.
I like the twenty. You can _do_ things with a twenty. Five of them and you have a hundred dollars (interesting historical note: when I was a kid, a hundred dollars was considered a lot of money).
And there’s Andy Jackson’s totally cool hairdo on the twenty.
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### Author:  [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/5 "2018-07-16T18:21:03Z")
The 5 Pound note would be my current favorite. [https://www.thenewfiver.co.uk/](https://www.thenewfiver.co.uk/)
I also enjoy 2 pound coin although I don’t come across them too often when traveling in the UK.
I hate all American currency, it’s time to drop the penny, dollar bill and 2 dollar bill and issue dollar and 2 dollar coins. Also, we need to move to polymer currency as well.
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### Author:  [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/6 "2018-07-16T18:25:14Z")
My Dad gave me a $2 bill as a young boy and said it was for luck. I don’t know how lucky it was but I have carried it in every wallet I ever owned including the one in my pocket right now.
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### Author:  [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/7 "2018-07-16T18:27:38Z")
Personally I like the $20 and the $1 bills. I rarely carry cash because there’s basically nowhere that I would go that I need cash for. However, when I’m traveling $20 bills are nice because they’re small enough that they can be used to buy something small like a bottle of water or you can fill up your car without pulling out a dozen bills.
I do like to keep a few $1’s in my wallet for vending machines or cash tips in restaurants.
$5’s and $10’s are too small to be really useful for most purchases and too big for small things like a vending machine purchase. $50’s are kinda in the same category. $100 are useful for big cash purchases (like a used car off Craigslist) but otherwise are too much of a hassle–hell, a lot of small places like convenience stores and drive-up fast food won’t accept them.
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### Author:  [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/8 "2018-07-16T18:42:36Z")
Of stuff you see and sometimes still use the $2.
Older US ----- the Educational Series notes.
[ ](http://media.liveauctiongroup.net/i/17785/17197049_1.jpg?v=8D079F1E02350D0)
as an example
Worldwide The Blessings of Heaven Thaler
[ ](https://en.numista.com/catalogue/photo30731.jpeg)
and the Family Ruble
[ ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Russia_1836_1%C2%BD_Ruble.jpg)
I actually own example of the last two.
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### Author:  [@CelticKnot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CelticKnot)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/9 "2018-07-16T18:44:53Z")
Every cashier I’ve asked hates $20s.
Too big for small purchases, too small for big purchases. Since people get 20s from the bank, after being open for 2 hours cash registers have no change to break a 20 anymore.
Other people hate them, too. The customers who won’t go to the bank come in first thing in the morning and want $200 cash back with their pack of gum, and then get angry that the store will not allow anything over $100 back and the drawers only have 20s.
I like 5s and 10s. More flexible than 20s, and I can make a cashier’s day by paying with them.
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### Author:  [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/10 "2018-07-16T19:12:32Z")
I like the look and feel (size/weight) of the Morgan Dollar. I’d love for something like that to still be in use.
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### Author:  [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/11 "2018-07-16T19:20:48Z")
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> :eek:
>
> I _ **HATE** _ the ten (or “sawbuck”). It’s just one of those things with me. I get rid of any tens I have as soon as possible. If I were in charge, I’d do away with pennies and tens.
>
> I like the twenty. You can _do_ things with a twenty. Five of them and you have a hundred dollars (interesting historical note: when I was a kid, a hundred dollars was considered a lot of money).
>
> And there’s Andy Jackson’s totally cool hairdo on the twenty.
Yeah, but Alexander Hamilton’s the one who has the hit Broadway show.
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### Author:  [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/12 "2018-07-16T19:34:59Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#):
>
> I like the look and feel (size/weight) of the Morgan Dollar. I’d love for something like that to still be in use.
That’s a nice looking coin. I was thinking that a nice, heavy (non bullion) coin with a substantial value (say twenty bucks or a hundred bucks) would be a good thing.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/13 "2018-07-16T19:38:25Z")
> [@CelticKnot](#):
>
> Every cashier I’ve asked hates $20s.
>
> Too big for small purchases, too small for big purchases. Since people get 20s from the bank, after being open for 2 hours cash registers have no change to break a 20 anymore.
^ Word.
Worse yet when I work in the cash office - I had to deal with over 1300 of the bastards today (that’s number of bills, not total worth).
Despite working in the cash office, I do not share my fellow cash office and cashier coworker disgust of dollar coins. I _like_ dollar coins, from the pre-1970’s Kennedy ones to the Bicentennial ones, the Susan B’s, the Sacajaweas… Sure, they require special processing but I still like 'em. No logical reason, just do, and always have.
Now, if we DID abolish the paper dollar and started using coins in their place we would, of necessity, have to replace a lot of our money-counting equipment. Given how old and rickety it is, though, I view that more as a feature than a bug.
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### Author:  [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/14 "2018-07-16T21:31:22Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#):
>
> I like the look and feel (size/weight) of the Morgan Dollar. I’d love for something like that to still be in use.
A good second choice in my opinion. I’d rather have the Walking Liberty.
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### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/15 "2018-07-16T22:28:31Z")
[Eisenhower dollar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisenhower_dollar) for me. Reminds me of my youth. (more as a casual collector than in circulation). The back of the coin was magnificent
> [@](#):
>
> ```
> Eagle clutching olive branch landing on the Moon, based on the Apollo 11 mission insignia
>
> ```
I also like the $10 bill.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/16 "2018-07-16T23:01:20Z")
The hundred.
No, not the hundred as it is now; the hundred as it is now is so awful that, when I see _old_ hundreds, I blurt out _“wow, that looks like actual money.”_
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### Author:  [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)
#### Post date: [July 16, 2018, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/17 "2018-07-16T23:21:35Z")
(Who gets $20s from the bank any more? This isn’t 1995. Ask for a multiple of 50.)
Anyway, the epitome of currency design are Micronesian Rai stones.
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2018, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/18 "2018-07-17T01:11:05Z")
My favorite is any plastic bill that can be used in place of a needle to play vinyl. My least favorite are the penny, dime, and 5p British coin which are all some combination of useless, so tiny you can lose, and confused with the dime.
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### Author:  [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/19 "2018-07-17T03:26:46Z")
> [@DPRK](#):
>
> (Who gets $20s from the bank any more? This isn’t 1995. Ask for a multiple of 50.)
Who goes into a bank anymore to get money? This isn’t 1985.
🙂
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### Author:  [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)
#### Post date: [July 17, 2018, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-favorite-monetary-denomination/818023/20 "2018-07-17T03:34:19Z")
It’d have to be the Canadian [Toonie.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonie) I love how it looks, love how it feels, love that it’s actually a useful coin in contrast to the numerous useless American coins.
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