Currency in TV: DC's Legends Of Tomorrow episode 211, "Turncoat"

LochNESS

[SPOILER ALERT] ...

In this episode, our time-traveling heroes go to 1776 to save George Washington from an assassin. Early into the adventure, when debating the risks of a rescue attempt, someone makes a snide comment about how old Georgie boy wasn't really that important: (paraphrasing) "That's why he's only on the $1 bill. Benjamin Franklin is on the $100, that guy was cool."

This reminded me of something my father told me when I was a young boy discovering numismatics for the first time. He asked if I knew why Washington, our first president of high esteem, was on our lowest-denomination bill. When I shook my head, he explained that being on the $1 bill was actually the highest honor because they were the most heavily circulated in the land. Every citizen, no matter their social stature, would see his portrait. Conversely, it was rare to see a $100 in circulation (at the time the portraits were selected, anyway). Therefore being placed on the $100 bill was akin to being at the back of the line. Benjamin Franklin was of extremely high importance and very "cool," but since he was never president, he came last in pecking order (behind Jefferson, Lincoln, Jackson, and Grant).

I never learned if this was fact or simply my father's opinion. But it makes good sense. Anyone else ever hear this? Truth?

Anyone else watch superhero shows?

boimre1972

There was an episode of Bewitched in which George Washington was brought forward in time and, seeing he was on the $1 and Lincoln was on the $5, griped about it. Samantha used the exact same reasoning you cite to calm him down.

So it must be true, it was on TV.