LIVING THE TWO DOLLAR BILL LIFESTYLE

It usually goes like this: Nathan Broshear orders beers and when it comes time to tip, he slides a $2 bill onto the bar.

The bartender does a double-take and says something about how he didn’t know they still printed these things. Then he folds the note carefully into his own wallet. Mr. Broshear never has to wait long for a second round.

“If you order two beers, you’re probably going to drop $2 in a tip anyway,” Mr. Broshear says. “But if you drop a $2 bill in, the person feels like they got a $5 or $10 tip. But it still only cost me two dollars.”

The country is divided into two camps when it comes to twos: Those who are barely aware $2 bills still circulate, and those who live the $2 bill lifestyle.

Mr. Broshear, firmly in the second camp, marvels at the deuce’s efficiency. “I only have to get a single bill out,” he says.

Pause.

“Why is that funny?”

U.S. Air Force pilots who fly the venerable U-2 spy plane always keep a $2 bill in their flight suit.

Each pilot is issued a number identifying their chronological position among the 1,000 or so pilots who have flown the U-2 solo. Some pilots search until they find a $2 bill with a serial number whose final digits match their pilot number.

New pilots must provide $222 in $2 bills to fund the U-2 clubhouse at Beale Air Force Base, near Yuba City, Calif. Veteran pilots conduct periodic “conformity checks” to make sure new fliers are carrying at least one bill. The fine for a violation? $2.

“It’s sort of a calling card,” says one pilot, who goes by the call sign Nova.

To read the complete article, see:
What’s The Most Useful Form of Cash? (Hint: It’s not a $100 Bill) (https://www.wsj.com/articles/whats-the-most-useful-form-of-cash-hint-its-not-a-100-bill-1519402501)

To read earlier E-Sylum articles, see:
STEVE WOZNIAK'S PERFORATED PADS OF $2 BILLS (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n36a40.html)
THE TWO DOLLAR BILL DOCUMENTARY (http://www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v19n36a19.html)
GOVERNMENT'S PLAN B: TWO DOLLAR BILLS (http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n26a34.html)
THE TWO DOLLAR BILL BOOK (http://www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n50a27.html)

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