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LIFE AND DEATH OF THE BIN LADENPablo Hoffman forwarded this Slate article about "A different kind of paper money collector." -Editor
Earlier this year, the European Central Bank stopped all production of the 500 euro note. The action came after years of concern from academics, multinational police agencies, and EU finance ministers: The 500 euro, they alleged, had grown far too popular in the funding and facilitation of drug trafficking, human smuggling, and terrorism. Because of its illicit reputation—and because “many know what it looks like” but “few have ever seen one”—the European media ominously dubbed the note “the Bin Laden.” The article's subtitle is, "The short-lived 500 euro bill became the currency of choice for international criminals. But eliminating it may not solve the problem." It's an interesting article, with interviews with former money launderers. "According to his brother, Roberto, Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar’s operation would lose up to 10 percent of its cash proceeds—a couple of billion a year—in part because rats would eat it in storage." See the full article online. -Editor
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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 To subscribe go to: https://my.binhost.com/lists/listinfo/esylum All Rights Reserved. NBS Home Page Contact the NBS webmaster 
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