What if I told you new 2024 Nickels are selling for $5.00 each on eBay right now.
Or you can get a new two dollar roll of 40 nickels for $12.00
Nothing at all special about these nickels other than they are new 2024 straight from the bank.

Tom

That is because they minted SIGNIFICANTLY fewer of them. Nothing like that happened with the $2 bills. It takes some special event to make them valuable.

If you have a sealed roll of those pickles you can get about $100. But it takes an event to cause this. My neighbor owns a coin shop.

I have been surprised to see U.S. currency selling at significantly above face value at online magic shops in other countries. I'm not sure if this is driven by scarcity or ignorance.

I've never had trouble getting American currency in any country to which I've travelled, but I'll admit I've never tried hunting down specific denominations. It makes sense that bills would be much more prevalent than coins.

There was a stretch of time from 1966 to 1976 when the Federal Reserve stopped printing new $2’s in response to declining need and use. The retailers hated them, and the banks never liked them. There was no demand and even after they started back printing they never got out into circulation, most people assume they are rare. And they are very rare as for as being out in front of the public like other bills. When was the last time a cashier gave you back a two-dollar bill? Probably never. Perceptions & predictions are real in the collecting world.

Tom

I've given a $ bill folded into an elephant or a sort of basket woven $ bill to a spectator. They went over very well, but I only give it when it is part of a trick or fits the circumstance.

The extra I tend to give, which is probably fairly common, is that my partner Tom and I do a lot of our own writing, and I try to respond in real time to the live audience. It isn't much, but it makes each show different and personalized for the crowd I'm facing. I doubt the audience is even aware that this is not as normal as it should be. I'd as soon they thought all Magicians do this anyway.

- Mary

I’ve always wanted to really get into the folding money thing but never did. Well, I did learn to make a tiny shirt from a dollar, but never did it enough that I would remember how now. One thing I can do today oh, is fold one bill so it looks like two. Problem is, if you give it away, somebody will be disappointed when they unfold it. And if they're grandkids they get mad, or mine does.


Yes, anything personalized is usually received well. Those that can sign their name in some artful way is also a big plus.
And now that that I think of it, there was something in one of the old Success Magic Books that taught you how to write in
an unusual way. I need to look that up sometimes.

Tom

Off topic but...

One of the patter lines I use for The Bill Change is I'm showing them how to fold a Dollar so that it turns upside down. In the folding process, I get confused and end up with the basket woven $.

My current favorite is a story about an urban myth. If you mark a dollar, spend it, and it comes back to you, it is good luck.
(I initial a dollar) I say that folding the money helps get your attention to check a bill especially if it has an unusual fold, making it unique. I fold it into 16ths
I have the spectator initial the folded bill and tell them to spend it and then look for the unusual fold and our initials in their change, for good luck.

I unfold the bill, and it is changed into the basket fold with initials. I haven't done it a lot, but it gets a huge reaction.

Makes a great souvenir. It's a little work to make them.

- Mary

Here it is unfolded.

Click here to view attached image.

Oh I like it Mary. That's really nice. Yes, I bet that does take some folding to finish.


Another great giveaway with money is a Where's George dollar bill. It’s a normal dollar bill that you have stamped using a red rubber stamp that says, Where's George.Com. That is a free online website that allows users to track the journey of US currency by entering the serial number and zip code of a bill they have. It’s fun to see where all that bill has been and where it goes after you spend it.

Once stamped it’s still spendable but most of all it becomes a neat novelty item for others to follow if they want to keep up with it.

Tom

I don't think mine is anything too crazy.
For conferences when I'm booked as their keynote, I'll create a fun shout-out video so the organizer can share that a month prior to get attendees excited.

Thanks Nash. That sounds like a great ideal for a speaker like yourself.

Oh, I love your TEDx talk about supporting others. Well done.

Tom