SLATE ARTICLE ON PURRINGTON'S U.S. PAPER MONEY

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V17 2014 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 17, Number 49, November 30, 2014, Article 39

SLATE ARTICLE ON PURRINGTON'S U.S. PAPER MONEY

On November 2, 2014 we excerpted a Fast Company article about an American designer who proposed new designs for U.S. banknotes as part of his thesis. Eric Schena forwarded a new Slate article on the topic. -Editor

Eric writes:

Interesting concepts though I suspect that unless we start outsourcing to De La Rue this would not fly at the BEP. Plus the whole "look and feel" as a counterfeiting deterrent would also rule them out. That said I do like seeing design concepts like this as exercises in currency development.

The online article has nice, large images of the proposed notes. Check it out. -Editor

Purrington first researched the historical evolution of the U.S. dollar, concluding that the tradition of experimentation and exploration within U.S. currency history had stagnated in the last 80-plus years. “I simply wanted to introduce the idea that there is still room to grow and innovate in U.S. culture with currency,” he said.

But is there really a chance that the U.S. would redesign the dollar bill?

“I’m not declaring that this proposal is a suitable replacement for the USD as much as I’m suggesting that one could exist,” he said. “But we simply don’t know because those gates are closed pretty tightly.” Purrington said that his proposal is not ultramodern—it’s still traditional paper-based currency. The idea, he said, is “transitional,” and he never considered it realistic. “I’ve taken great liberties with terminology and design elements that wouldn't survive the bureaucracy or banking structure. It is more relevant to say that this is a conceptual system.”

To read the complete article, see:
What Would a Redesigned U.S. Dollar Look Like? (www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2014/11/20/travis_purrington_volunteers
_to_redesign_the_u_s_dollar_bill.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
DESIGNER PURRINGTON REIMAGINES U.S. PAPER MONEY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v17n45a31.html)

Wayne Homren, Editor

The Numismatic Bibliomania Society is a non-profit organization promoting numismatic literature. See our web site at coinbooks.org.

To submit items for publication in The E-Sylum, write to the Editor at this address: whomren@gmail.com

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