Money & Its HistoryCurrency

The $100,000 Bill

It exists, but you could never spend it

The biggest bill the US ever printed is worth $100,000. If one landed in your hands, who would take it?

You'll find out

  • Where you could spend it
  • What the gold behind it is worth now
  • The biggest bill you could hold

Why it matters

It shows who money is really for: some of it was printed for banks, never for people like you.

About 3 min6 interactive slides · 5 questionsLesson 146 · Zone 17

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More in this zone

  1. 145Monetary HistoryThe Gold StandardWhen every dollar could be swapped for gold
  2. 147Monetary HistoryGreenbacks: Money for a WarThe Civil War gave America paper money backed by law, not gold
  3. 148Fiat MoneyThe Dollar Is Backed by GoldIt hasn't been since 1971
  4. 149Modern MoneyWho Makes the DollarThe Mint, the printing bureau and the Fed
  5. 150TrustThe Stone That SankOn Yap, a giant stone coin lost at sea still counted as wealth, because everyone agreed it existed
  6. 151CurrencyDollar Bills Are Mostly CottonThat's why they survive the washing machine
  7. 152PaymentsChecks, Cards and TapsHow Americans moved from paper to plastic to phones
  8. 153Behavioral EconomicsThe Endowment EffectOwning something makes it feel worth more