# Why are there no bills large than a $100 bill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 28, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641 "2010-12-28T20:00:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Diamonds02](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Diamonds02](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diamonds02)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/1 "2010-12-28T20:00:41Z")
Why do bills run so small? There’s a infinate amount of money out there, and those who are lucky receive large money amounts at one time. Why aren’t there $500 bills or $1000 bills or anything larger? ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/2 "2010-12-28T20:03:04Z")
Because a suitcase full of $100s looks cooler than a handful of $100K bills. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/3 "2010-12-28T20:04:08Z")
concerns about drug trafficking and money laundering, I assume. Canada used to have a $1,000 bill, but discontinued it about a decade ago for that reason - that increasingly the only people using large denomination bills were doing so for illegal purposes. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/4 "2010-12-28T20:05:08Z")
Because there don’t need to be larger denominations available in order for us to get things done that require cash. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/5 "2010-12-28T20:05:48Z")
Larger bills are gifts to counterfeiters. They aren’t necessary in an electronic economy. The best course would be to eliminate even the $100 and $50 and make counterfeiting that much more difficult. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/6 "2010-12-28T20:10:25Z")
There have been, in the [past](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denominations_of_United_States_currency): -$500, William McKinley -$1,000, Grover Cleveland -$5,000, James Madison -$10,000, Salmon P. Chase -$50,000, Woodrow Wilson (And even then, they were pretty rare and used mainly be the government) ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/7 "2010-12-28T20:11:09Z")
There [used](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denominations_of_United_States_currency) to be denominations from $500-$100,000 (though I think the former was only used in bank transfers). The reasons are pretty much as listed. Add to that the fact that electronic money makes a lot of those bills moot (banks don’t need to transfer large pallets of money anymore…they can just transfer large amounts electronically), and the fact that the public doesn’t really clamor for large bills (on a smaller scale, electronic money renders it moot as well). -XT ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/8 "2010-12-28T20:53:19Z")
As a person who spent four weeks this past Christmas, in a computer store, checking people out, and having to routinely count thousands of dollars in twenty dollar bills, I long for a five hundred or thousand dollar bill 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SmartAlecCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/67e7ee/32.png) [@SmartAlecCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAlecCat)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/9 "2010-12-28T20:58:29Z")
There is a €500 note worth over $600… ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/10 "2010-12-28T21:01:06Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > As a person who spent four weeks this past Christmas, in a computer store, checking people out, and having to routinely count thousands of dollars in twenty dollar bills, I long for a five hundred or thousand dollar bill 🙂 Isn’t it easier to count five twenties, then to go through the rigmarole of verifying a hundred as authentic? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/11 "2010-12-28T21:03:02Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > They aren’t necessary If they could apply this reason to small coins and $1 bills, I’d be happy. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/12 "2010-12-28T21:09:26Z")
Some of the UK banks issue £100 pound notes (about $150) but they are rare as hen’s teeth. Even the £50 ones are uncommon. The Swiss have a 1000 franc note (around $1000 US) but no idea how common they are. The Bank of England has/had some very high value notes used internally, including one worth £100 million. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/13 "2010-12-28T21:18:54Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > Isn’t it easier to count five twenties, then to go through the rigmarole of verifying a hundred as authentic? I have to verify $20 bills. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/14 "2010-12-28T21:29:57Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > There have been, in the [past](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denominations_of_United_States_currency): > > -$500, William McKinley > -$1,000, Grover Cleveland > -$5,000, James Madison > -$10,000, Salmon P. Chase > -$50,000, Woodrow Wilson Wilson was on the [$100,000 bill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US100000dollarsbillobverse.jpg). There was no $50,000 denomination. ---
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/15 "2010-12-28T21:41:52Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > As a person who spent four weeks this past Christmas, in a computer store, checking people out, and having to routinely count thousands of dollars in twenty dollar bills, I long for a five hundred or thousand dollar bill 🙂 Isn’t there an app for that? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/16 "2010-12-28T21:44:36Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I have to verify $20 bills. :mad: How do you do that? ---
**Author:** ![mbetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@mbetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbetter)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/17 "2010-12-28T21:50:33Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > There [used](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denominations_of_United_States_currency) to be denominations from $500-$100,000 (though I think the **former** was only used in bank transfers).-XT I think the word that you are looking for is “latter.” ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/18 "2010-12-28T21:53:59Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > How do you do that? It’s easy. foreach (bill currentBill in Till) { if(!(Verify(currentBill))) { PoliceService.ReportCounterfeit(currentBill); AccountingService.ProcessLoss(currentBill); } } ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/19 "2010-12-28T22:03:10Z")
To confirm the general rationale given above, BEP on large denominations: > **[Home | Engraving & Printing](https://www.bep.gov/)** > [@](#): > > On July 14, 1969, the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve System announced that currency notes in denominations of $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 would be discontinued immediately due to lack of use. Although they were issued until 1969, they were last printed in 1945. And yes, the $100K Wilson gold certificate wasn’t actually circulated. It’s use was pretty restricted: > [@](#): > > These notes were printed from December 18, 1934 through January 9, 1935 and were issued by the Treasurer of the United States to Federal Reserve Banks (FRB) only against an equal amount of gold bullion held by the Treasury. These notes were used for transactions between FRBs and were not circulated among the general public. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2010, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641/20 "2010-12-28T22:05:44Z")
> [@SmartAlecCat](#): > > There is a €500 note worth over $600.. Ah, but for how long … you may take your pick as to whether I mean how long it will be worth over $600, or how long it will exist … [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-bills-large-than-a-100-bill/565641.md?page=2)