Fun Facts about Money

Whether it's credit cards, cash, Venmo, Zelle, or even IOUs, we interact with money in some form almost every day. With a rich history stretching back thousands of years, money has accumulated its fair share of fascinating and quirky facts. How many of these intriguing fun money facts did you already know?

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Money Does Grow on Trees…Kind of

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We’ve all heard about how “money doesn’t grow on trees” and it is usually in reference to overspending on something. U.S. currency, commonly referred to as paper money, is actually made up of 25% linen and 75% cotton (How Money is Made, n.d.). Linen comes from the flax plant and, you guessed it, cotton comes from the cotton plant. The flax plant isn’t technically a tree and the cotton plant is a little more complicated. Cotton can come from trees or shrubs, but is farmed in the US as a shrub.

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There you have it! It might be more accurate to say “Money comes from plants”, but it just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.

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The largest U.S. bill is…

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Did you say $100? Or maybe you know about the $10,000 bill with the face of Salmon P. Chase, the Secretary of Treasury under President Lincoln? The highest U.S. bill ever printed actually has 1 more zero tacked on coming in at a cool $100,000! This was first printed in 1934 and was only intended for use within the federal government. It is even illegal for any private individual to own, making this an even more expensive bill to have in one’s wallet than just the number printed on it (100,000 Dollars, Gold Certificate, United States, 1934, n.d.).

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Carrying change can be annoying, right?

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At least we’re not carrying rai stones around! This currency is used on the island of Yap in Micronesia. The stones can be up to 12 feet in diameter and weight as much as 5 tons. I don’t think anyone is stashing these in their piggy bank or taking them down to the bank to deposit it. In fact, the heavy ones don’t even move at all. Instead, ownership is transferred by word of mouth, with transactions witnessed by the community. (The giant stone coins of Yap, 2014).

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It’s like an ancient version of our modern digital transactions, where money changes hands without ever physically moving.

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The world’s smallest banknote is from Romania

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On the other end of the extreme sizes of the currency spectrum, we have the 10-bani note out of Romania. Coming in at just 1.08 inches by 1.49 inches, the 10-bani note was released by the Romanian Ministry of Finance in 1917 and holds the Guinness World Record for the smallest banknote ever issued (Smallest Paper Money, n.d.).

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To put that in perspective, this tiny note is roughly one-tenth the size of a U.S. dollar bill.

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Vending machines are now selling…

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Gold! With the goal of making buying gold more accessible, GOLD to Go has certainly done just that by having vending machines that sell gold instead of candy bars or sodas. The first one opened up in a hotel in Abu Dhabi. (Ellis, 2010)

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This might be a slightly different kind of impulse purchase than buying a Snickers bar, and you can’t even eat it!

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Most expensive Monopoly set

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There are hundreds of Monopoly sets out there ranging from the classic version to a bass fishing edition to even a Breaking Bad edition. There is only one that stands above the rest in terms of sheer cost: Sidney Mobell’s version. This version is made entirely of gold, diamonds and jewels giving it a Guiness World Record value of $2 million dollars (Fischer, 2024).

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No matter the price of the set, I still won’t be jumping at the opportunity to play the never-ending game of Monopoly anytime soon.  If you haven’t tried it yet, Monopoly Deal is the best version of Monopoly I’ve found that’s fun and takes only about 15 minutes to play a round.

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Budgeting: Surprisingly Fun When Done Right

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Last but not least, here is perhaps the most surprising “fun fact” of all: budgeting, when done correctly, can actually be enjoyable! Working with a budget coach can help you create a personalized budget that not only helps you reach your financial goals but also ensures that you’re having fun along the way. A good budget builds enjoyment right into your financial plan, allowing you to manage your money while still living life to the fullest.

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References

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100,000 Dollars, Gold Certificate, United States, 1934. (n.d.). Retrieved from source.

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Ellis. (2010, 05 27). Gold-dispensing ATMs: Coming to a city near you. Retrieved from CNN.

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Fischer, W. (2024, 05 22). The Most Valuable Monopoly Board Game Ever Made. Retrieved from Money Digest.

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How Money is Made. (n.d.). Retrieved from source.

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Smallest Paper Money. (n.d.). Retrieved from Guinness World Records.

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The giant stone coins of Yap. (2014, 12 30). Retrieved from Times of India.