September 17, 2022

Greetings, $2 bill lovers. A little update to share some great $2 bill exposure that came out today. 

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a “Where are they now?” type of journalistic piece investigating $2 bills. These pieces seem to ebb and flow across the years, and it’s always an honor (and a surprise) when a journalist or podcaster reaches out to me for an interview. I hope the sine wave of media interest continues to oscillate for many years to come. 

Today’s piece is by Nathaniel Meyersohn for CNN Business: “Why it’s time to start paying with $2 bills,” a headline I applaud because it’s not the same old “Whatever happened to it?” idea that has been used over and over. 

While my more colorful quotes about the $2 bill’s reputation as a currency dinosaur and the Mesozoic Era may have not made the cut, I’ve gotta hand it to the reporter, who took his time in our interview and had thoughtful questions. Interviews about $2 bills always get my blood pumping, and I wind up pacing up and down the room emphatically while talking. 

“Many Americans have pretty dubious assumptions about the $2 bill. Nothing ‘happened’ to the $2 bill. It’s still being made. It’s being circulated,” McCabe said. “Americans misunderstand their own currency to the extent [that] they don’t use it.”

The piece makes several good arguments for using the bill, and John Bennardo (The Two Dollar Bill Documentary) has some solid things to say as well: 

“You will get remembered if you use a $2 bill,” Bennardo said. “It has this ability to connect people in way that other bills don’t. It opens up a dialogue between you and the cashier.”

So true. Thanks for the coverage, CNN! 

February 5, 2019

Today you might have a harder time procuring $2 bills from the bank, and here’s why: It’s Lunar New Year. (Happy Year of the Pig to you.) It’s one of several holidays when $2 bills are given for good luck (along with other denominations). 

For example, a Lancaster, Pennsylvania, publication reports that new $2 bills are being given to the elderly in local Chinese and Vietnamese communities for good luck. (I had my own experience with $2 bills being coveted as a good-luck symbol a few years ago in NYC’s Chinatown.) Retailers are even selling specially packaged Lunar New Year $2 bills with serial numbers including “88,” bestowing extra good fortune.

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Or: The Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl Is Actually the Tooth Fairy

January 14, 2019

In honor of Dave Grohl’s birthday today, I’m whipping out some special material I’ve been sitting on for a long time. 

Back on September 16, 2016, I was having drinks with the man himself (he was visiting NYC for some sort of music-business purpose). Downtown at the great Nancy Whiskey Pub with a beloved mutual companion who was the reason we were together at a time-worn, seemingly knife-stabbed old wooden bar table, we got to talking about $2 bills. (I mean, of course!) Before long, he told his own story about why he likes $2 bills. 

From the mouth of Grohl: 

Okay, about six years ago, I was at this art convention, where all these artists got together and they were selling stuff. I was going around looking at all the different stalls of people’s work, and there was this one stall that was this Japanese photographer who had these beautiful prints, black and white stuff, and then made these little cards. It was really cool shit. I was standing there, waiting to pay for the stuff I wanted to buy, and standing next to me was the singer of Devo [Mark Mothersbaugh]. And he was paying for his thing with $2 bills. And I looked at him and said, “Oh, man, you don’t wanna give those away, do you?” And, he said, “Oh, I always use $2 bills.”

Well, the next day, we were making the Sound City movie. It was the day that Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick was coming in to record a song with us. I was telling this story to somebody in the studio about the guy from Devo’s $2 bill obsession, as Rick Nielsen walks in and says, “$2 bills?” I said, “Yeah, the guy from Devo likes to pay for stuff with $2 bills.” Rick Nielsen reaches into his bag and pulls out a ziplock bag full of $2 bills and hands it to me. And I said, “What the fuck—what are you doing with $2 bills?” He goes, “I love $2 bills.” He goes down to the bank to get the $2 bills. So I buy his $2 bills off him, and that’s what I give my kids as Tooth Fairy money. They’d never seen a $2 bill, so they think the Tooth Fairy only uses $2 bills.

In conclusion, as a side note, not long ago I was waiting for a plane, and this woman walks up to me, and she was the wife of the singer of Devo. And I asked her about the $2 bills, and it’s true—they get $2 bills and they really love paying for things in $2 bills. And so now, I love $2 bills too.

And now for an appropriately blurry end-of-night shot of us: 

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May 10, 2017 

If you’re enjoying a ballgame at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, you might notice an interesting advertisement. A company called C&D Scrap Metal is luring people to hand over their non-ferrous and ferrous scrap metal with the promise of $2 bills: 

Wondering whether any customer could theoretically receive an unlimited amount of $2 bills, I called them up to ask about it, claiming to have been at the park last night (untrue). The woman with whom I spoke talked about the program in terms that proved that I have no actual idea what a scrap metal transaction entails: 

“When you bring your metal…depends how much metal you bring. One in every transaction will come out.” Okay, I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I did confirm that $2 bills (which they get from the bank) and $1 coins are given as payment. However, cash transaction cards are required, meaning scrap sellers must take the extra step of exchanging original payment for these less rare denominations: “I know there’s people who want more, so they exchange for the $2 bills,” she said. But you can only get up to a certain amount in $2 bills.

The company’s homepage loudly proclaims it: 

But wait — that’s not Jefferson. And that’s not a serial number. And this image on another page isn’t even trying to fake it: 

Could it be that the company’s owner so glorifies the $2 bill that he put his own face on it, along with the company’s phone number and other info? It would appear so. (And really, who wouldn’t want to do that?) Here is the owner, pictured (at right) on C&D’s Facebook page, brandishing $2 bills with a Houston lawyer: 

He even took the time to have the site’s favicon designed with an adapted image of a “2″ from the $2 bill:  

Now, that’s dedication to the $2. 

There’s not a whole lot more about $2 bills on C&D’s site (you can see a handful of happy customers with $2 bills on the gallery page), but I suspect there’s a story here that could be uncovered with a little more digging. In any case, good job, Mysterious Scrap Metal Man. You are my default scrap metal hero.

Thanks to reader Henry Taves (who last night actually was at the ballpark in Houston) for the tip. A $2 bill enthusiast in his own right, he added, “I spent about $14 in twos at the park tonight. I’ve now spent over $3500 in twos….”

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April 26, 2017

It’s been a year since The 2 Dollar Bill Documentary came out. Has it made a difference in the lives of Americans who didn’t know the $2 bill is still regularly circulated? I hope so. I, for one, have continued to receive the always-welcome stray pieces of correspondence from $2-bill-loving strangers. The filmmaker has received some well-deserved attention; screenings continue to take place here and there around the country; and today a contributor on The Huffington Post published a raving piece about the documentary and talks about a few of us in it. (And thank you for that, “Bill” — if that’s really your name!)

In the next few weeks I’ll be writing about many more incidents of $2 bills in the news, plus about everyday experiences spending the $2 bill. I’ll also be featuring an exclusive interview with Dave Grohl on how he feels about the $2 bill. 

As Bill wrote in his piece today: “How often can we connect to a feature documentary, or any movie really, in such a way? Not very. Perhaps that’s what makes the film so much fun.” 

Well put. We all equally can have fascinating good times taking part in the sociological experiment that is spending $2 bills. 

Exclusive Two Buckaroo Offer: Save $2 on a DVD copy of The 2 Dollar Bill Documentary when you use discount code “TwoRoo” on the film’s website. 

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April 25, 2016

Congratulations to the brains and brawn behind The Two Dollar Bill Documentary, John Bennardo, for his Manhattan Film Festival debut in NYC on April 17. Several of us who appear in the film were there to see it for the first time and celebrate. Here’s a bit about the big day.

Before the film started, I heard a rumor that people were buying their movie tickets with $2 bills, so I ran to investigate. You can see above that there are more $2 bills stuffed under the cash box; this woman seem thrilled to handle $2 bills. So perfect; I think I jumped up and down. Photo by H.M.

The noble movie poster hanging in the lobby of Cinema Village on W. 12 St., NYC. Photo by H.M.

The filmmaker, John Bennardo, (on right) with currency-tracking project Where’s George? founder Hank Eskin (on left). Photo by H.M.

Filmmaker John Bennardo (center) with two subjects of his film, Matthew Zaklad and me. Photo by Evan Zucker

I was gifted a $2 bill from Steven Reisman (above), who’s known for making it rain Jeffersons everywhere he goes. Naturally, I was excited to meet him, especially considering I mentioned him on this site two years ago. Photo by John Bennardo

Above: My $2 bill from Steven, post-signing. He says he signs it the same way each time: “It was all a dream…”

The filmmaker and another subject of his movie, Evan Zucker, a significant figure in bringing back the $2 bill in the mid-1970s. Photo by H.M. on E.Z.’s camera

Hank Eskin and I at the after-party. It’s every U.S. currency-lover’s fantasy to meet the guy behind WheresGeorge.com, right? I lived the dream — just look at my idiotically stupid grin. Photo by Evan Zucker

This just in: The film won Best Documentary at last night’s Manhattan Film Festival wrap-up awards ceremony. Well deserved! More screenings coming around the nation (California and Brooklyn, for starters). I’ll post here as dates firm up. 

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April 13, 2016

First, let’s wish a big happy birthday to the modern-day $2 bill! Forty years ago today, the redesigned $2 bill was reissued after a decade of not being produced at all. The occasion was the U.S. Bicentennial, but additionally, April 13 is the front man’s birthday — so we can wish a happy birthday to not just the reissued $2 bill (aka the “Tom”), but also Thomas Jefferson. 

In 2014 and in 2015 I showed $2 bills from April 13, 1976, with special day-of-issue commemorative markings — take a gander. 

And now back to our $2 bill transaction reporting: 

Location: Vekslers, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn

Date of Transaction: June 2, 2014

Transaction: Paid for dinner with $2 bills

Due to a shortage of other denominations in my wallet, I whipped out a bunch of $2 bills at the end of a group dinner. The waitress, who introduced herself as Dana (there she is, pictured above with another $2-bill-loving patron who was at my table), reacted with bountiful enthusiasm. I asked her what she was going to do with the $2 bills. 

“I put them with the $100s — because they’re special. They’re good luck. Because it’s almost not real money…because they’re not in circulation so much. It’s a simple fact. And they’re so ornate! I mean, just the back…. 

“The guy who owns this place is awesome, and when I told him you were paying with $2 bills, he said, ‘That is awesome!’ 

“One thing you learn as a bartender….money is money.” 

Thank you, Dana and Vekslers, for not just accepting but warmly welcoming more $2 bills than anyone should reasonably spend in one place. 

Zealous reminder: The $2 Bill Documentary is screening in NYC this Sunday afternoon! That’s April 17 at Cinema Village — get tickets here. Q&A to follow!

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March 11, 2016

Anyone who likes $2 bills enough to like this website will like this: You now have three opportunities in April to attend screenings of The $2 Bill Documentary, which I’m honored to be in. The filmmaker, John Bennardo, worked obsessively over the past few years to put this film together, traveling around the country to interview an impressively vast array of subjects, and he even got permission to film $2 bills being produced inside the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth, Texas. This promises to be an ode to the $2 bill unlike anyone has ever seen before. I can’t wait.

One of the screenings is here in NYC, and I look forward to seeing some of you there.

Here’s the schedule:

Palm Beach International Film Festival (Florida)
Thursday, April 7, 5:50 pm  Cinemark Boca Raton
Monday, April 11, 7:30 pm  Palm Beaches Theater

Manhattan Film Festival (New York)
Sunday, April 17, 3 pm Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St. Tickets here.

Congrats to John Bennardo for getting into these film festivals. We’ll likely hear news of more such victories this year.

$2!

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