This caught my attention since I saw many of these bills floating around Charlottesville, Virginia in the late 19080s. I may even have one buried deep in a desk drawer too. For your weekend listening pleasure..a 6 minute audio resource from Marketplace.org:

If you looked inside your wallet right now, you probably have a couple of dollar bills.  Maybe a few fives or a 20. But when was the last time you had a two dollar bill? They are not widely used, yet they are not necessarily rare bills. There is a particular group of people who stash two dollar bills away. Accumulate them. Or have special fascination with the currency.

Filmmaker John Bennardo is one of them. He made the aptly named movie, “The $2 Bill Documentary,” which he has been showing in film festivals. Marketplace Weekend host Lizzie O’Leary sat down with Bennardo to discuss the film.

Listen to get answers to your questions:

• Why was the $2 bill created?
• Who uses $2 bills and why?
• How can you fill up a 90 minute documentary about the $2 bill?

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Teach your students about different methods to pay for things in this NGPF Project: Payment Decisions

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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