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110 U.S. Currency Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about U.S. Currency? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to U.S. Currency (World). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 Colonial Notes were first issued in 1690 by which of the original thirteen colonies?
Answer: Massachusetts Bay

Massachusetts Bay issued colonial notes to fund military expeditions, other colonies soon followed suit. In 1739, in an effort to prevent counterfeiting, Ben Franklin began embossing leaves on colonial notes.
    Your options: [ Virginia ] [ New York ] [ Massachusetts Bay ] [ Pennsylvania ]
  From Quiz: Let's Talk Money
2 Directly before it was President Lincoln, who or what was on the head of a US penny?
Answer: an Indian head

Indian head pennies were minted from 1859 to 1909. In 1909, Lincoln's face replaced the Indian head.
  From Quiz: Penny for Your Thoughts?
3 In which month in 2003 was the new American $20 bill introduced?
Answer: October

The US Treasury normally revamps its paper money every 7 to 10 years to ward off possible counterfeiters.
    Your options: [ October ] [ September ] [ July ] [ February ]
  From Quiz: The US $20 Bill - 2003 Issue
4 Who suggested the design for the first penny?
Answer: Benjamin Franklin

The penny was the first currency in the United States. The original penny was five times heavier and 50 percent larger than the penny today.
  From Quiz: Penny For Your Thoughts
5 In what year did the 2001 issue of the U.S. one dollar bill begin its design?
Answer: 1957

Although the one dollar bill has been with us for a long time, the design of the 2001 version began in 1957.
  From Quiz: U.S. One Dollar Bill: 2001 Issue
6 What is the average life span of an American $1 bill?
Answer: Five years

The Federal Reserve says the average life of a $1 bill in circulation is just over five years before it needs to be replaced because of natural wear and tear.
  From Quiz: United States Currency
7 Who was on the front of the once circulated US $10,000 bill?
Answer: Salmon P Chase

This bill has not been printed since 1946 and is currently not in circulation. Salmon P Chase was the 25th US Secretary of the Treasury. He served under Abe Lincoln.
  From Quiz: American Currency
8 In 1775 the Continental Congress issued currency to finance the revolution. What phrase arose with its issuance?
Answer: Not worth a continental

The currency quickly lost its value because it had no solid backing and rampant counterfeiting. General Washington was forced to beg for support and supplies for his ragtag army.
  From Quiz: Let's Talk Money
9 In 1943, what were US pennies made of?
Answer: Steel

In 1943, US pennies were made out of zinc-coated steel, instead of copper, because of a copper shortage during World War II. Uncirculated pennies from this time are typically worth more than circulated ones.
  From Quiz: Penny for Your Thoughts?
10 What colors are in the background of the US 2003 $20 bill?
Answer: Green, peach, and blue

This was the first time in the history of modern US bills that the colors were different from the traditional green and black.
  From Quiz: The US $20 Bill - 2003 Issue
11 What year was the first penny minted?
Answer: 1787

The coin was then known as the Fugio cent. It was made of 100 percent copper.
  From Quiz: Penny For Your Thoughts
12 What is the U.S. 2001 one dollar bill made of?
Answer: cotton and linen

It is made from cotton & linen because of its durability, however even with this innovation the average lifespan of a one-dollar bill is only 1.5 years.
  From Quiz: U.S. One Dollar Bill: 2001 Issue
13 What is the average life span of the $50 and $100 bills?
Answer: 9 Years

Now they're really pushing it.
  From Quiz: United States Currency
14 In a newly printed US $20 bill, to what side is which president offset?
Answer: Jackson; left

The president was also enlarged. The purpose for these alterations was to complicate counterfeiting.
    Your options: [ Adams; left ] [ Grant; right ] [ Hamilton; bottom ] [ Jackson; left ]
  From Quiz: American Currency
15 In 1785 the United States officially adopted the dollar sign. From what currency in use in the colonies in the 18th century was the dollar sign derived?
Answer: Spanish Peso

The Spanish peso or "piece of eight" was in such frequent use it became abbreviated to SP. Eventually the S was written on top of the P. This is the widely accepted theory. However, another theory, espoused by author Ayn Rand in her novel "Atlas Shrugged", is that the symbol originated from the initials US, with the U written over the S (minus the bottom loop of the U).
  From Quiz: Let's Talk Money
16 When it's not in the context of prices, what does it mean to "spend a penny"?
Answer: to urinate

"Spending a penny" came to mean urinating because of the former cost of using a public bathroom. The phrase likely originated in the UK.
  From Quiz: Penny for Your Thoughts?
17 One last question on these high denomination bills. Match up the portrait with the correct denomination.
Answer: James Madison - $5000

William McKinley - $500, Grover Cleveland - $1000, James Madison - $5000, Salmon Chase - $10,000.
    Your options: [ Salmon Chase - $500 ] [ William McKinley - $1000 ] [ James Madison - $5000 ] [ Grover Cleveland - $10,000 ]
  From Quiz: US Currency
18 Which former US president is on the BACK of the $20 bill?
Answer: None of these

Trick question! Andrew Jackson is on the front, and the White House is on the back. The only US bill to have a president on the back is the $2, which shows the painting "The Declaration of Independence" by John Trumbull. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams - both future presidents - feature in the painting.
    Your options: [ None of these ] [ Benjamin Franklin ] [ Andrew Jackson ] [ George Washington ]
  From Quiz: The US $20 Bill - 2003 Issue
19 Who supplied most of the copper for the first U.S. pennies to be minted?
Answer: Paul Revere

He supplied some of the copper for one-cent coins minted during the early 1790s.
  From Quiz: Penny For Your Thoughts
20 On the reverse side of the 2001 one dollar bill, above the pyramid, is the Latin phrase "annuit coeptis". What does this mean?
Answer: God has favored our undertaking

It is unknown why the founding fathers used Latin phrases on the Great Seal, I have researched it and could not find an explanation. It is possible that Latin was used because it took up less space than English.
  From Quiz: U.S. One Dollar Bill: 2001 Issue
21 What was the largest denomination of banknote ever issued in the USA?
Answer: $100,000

The $100,000 gold certificate was printed in 1934. It was never placed into circulation. It was issued only to Federal Reserve Banks.
  From Quiz: United States Currency
22 Which president is displayed on the front of a US $10 bill?
Answer: None

The bill shows Alexander Hamilton, he was never president.
    Your options: [ Washington ] [ Wilson ] [ Jackson ] [ None ]
  From Quiz: American Currency
23 In 1791 which Founding Father established the Bank of the United States?
Answer: Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was the first Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton believed that the federal government needed to establish a system of credit to facilitate borrowing and spending.
    Your options: [ John Jay ] [ Nathaniel Greene ] [ Alexander Hamilton ] [ James Madison ]
  From Quiz: Let's Talk Money
24 Actually, there is one higher denomination bill that is not printed but is still sometimes used - the $100,000 bill. Who is on this bill?
Answer: Woodrow Wilson

Woodrow Wilson is the only US president to have a doctorate. After his debilitating stroke, his wife Edith fulfilled many of the presidential duties, so for a time the US has had a de facto woman president.
  From Quiz: US Currency
25 How many times does the word "Twenty" appear on the US $20 bill?
Answer: 5

Four times on the front and once on the back.
  From Quiz: The US $20 Bill - 2003 Issue
26 During which war did Indian pennies go to pay soldiers?
Answer: Civil War

The Indian penny was introduced in 1859 and had an Indian princess on it.
    Your options: [ Civil War ] [ Spanish-American War ] [ War of 1812 ] [ World War I ]
  From Quiz: Penny For Your Thoughts
27 On the reverse side of the 2001 one dollar bill, below the pyramid, is the Latin phrase "novus ordo seclorum". What does this mean?
Answer: A new order for the ages

Also at the base of the pyramid are the Roman numerals "MDCCLXXVI" which stand for "1776".
  From Quiz: U.S. One Dollar Bill: 2001 Issue
28 When did Congress create the U.S. Mint?
Answer: April 2, 1792

Congress approved the Coinage Act, authorizing the first US Mint. Constructed in Philadelphia, the Mint's original coins were made of gold, silver, and copper.
  From Quiz: United States Currency
29 Which structure is displayed on the back of a US nickel?
Answer: Monticello

Monticello was Jefferson's estate. Its most famous attribute is its dome. Jefferson, who designed the home himself, had a profound love of domes. His liking rubbed off on the architecture of the US Capitol Building as well.
    Your options: [ Mt Vernon ] [ The US Treasury ] [ The Jefferson Memorial ] [ Monticello ]
  From Quiz: American Currency
30 In 1862 the Treasury Seal made its first appearance on U.S. currency. These were the first $1 "legal tender" notes. Whose portrait appeared on these notes?
Answer: Salmon P. Chase

Chase was Lincoln's Secretary of Treasury. Also during the Civil War the government issued $5, $10, and $20 notes that became known as "greenbacks" because of the green ink used on the back. In 1863 Congress established the national banking system.
  From Quiz: Let's Talk Money
31 What is especially unusual about the Lincoln penny?
Answer: all of these

The Lincoln Memorial is on the back of the penny, with a very small figure of Lincoln inside it. The Lincoln Memorial was designed by architect Henry Bacon.
    Your options: [ it's the only U.S. coin to have a right-facing profile of the depicted president ] [ it was the first U.S. coin to feature a historical figure ] [ it's the only U.S. coin to have the same person on the front AND back of the coin ] [ all of these ]
  From Quiz: Penny for Your Thoughts?
32 The $100,000 bill was never used by the public and is not legal tender. Who does use it?
Answer: The Federal Reserve Banks

This is a holdover from when large currency bills were needed in transactions between banks. The advent of electronic banking has made these bills obsolete, but due to the way the Federal Reserve and the US Treasury interact, the $100,000 bill is still used.
  From Quiz: US Currency
33 What color is the eagle on the front of the 2003 US $20 bill?
Answer: blue

It's a symbol of freedom as drawn during Jackson's time period.
  From Quiz: The US $20 Bill - 2003 Issue
34 What year was the penny made legal tender by the Coinage Act?
Answer: 1864

The Coinage Act also states that "In God We Trust" must be put on all currency issued by the U.S. Mint.
  From Quiz: Penny For Your Thoughts
35 On the reverse side of the U.S. 2001 one dollar bill you find an Eagle. It has many things around it. All of them are grouped into 13. (13 stars, 13 arrows, etc.) What does this signify ?
Answer: The 13 colonies

The original 13 colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina & Rhode Island.
  From Quiz: U.S. One Dollar Bill: 2001 Issue
36 Who is pictured on the 1934 series $500 bill?
Answer: William McKinley

President William McKinley was assassinated on September 6, 1901. He was attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.
  From Quiz: United States Currency
37 What was the largest note ever printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing?
Answer: $100,000 bill

It featured Woodrow Wilson (28th U.S. president) on the front. It was printed from December 18, 1934 through to January 9, 1935. It was used for transactions between Federal Reserve Banks and not circulated among the general public.
  From Quiz: American Currency
38 In 1913 the Federal Reserve became the nation's central bank. The newly established Federal Reserve Board begins to issue Federal Reserve Notes. Whose portrait appeared on the first $10 Federal Reserve Note in 1914?
Answer: Andrew Jackson

These notes were called "horse blanket" notes because they were so big that people joked they could be used to over the back of a horse.
  From Quiz: Let's Talk Money
39 What was significant about the year that the Lincoln penny was designed?
Answer: it was the 100th anniversary of his birth

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. His face was first printed on the penny in 1909.
  From Quiz: Penny for Your Thoughts?
40 What phrase is written in the border underneath the treasurer's signature?
Answer: The United States of America 20 USA

It's an example of micro-printing, yet another security feature. You either need really good vision or a hand lens to see it.
  From Quiz: The US $20 Bill - 2003 Issue
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