Whatever Happened to the Thousand Dollar Bill?

Posted on May 16, 2013 by
APMEX Reviews

Rarely Seen $1,000 Bill

Rarely seen by ordinary people, both the $500 and $1,000 bills are genuine U.S. legal tender. These bills, however, were last printed by the US mint in 1945. In 1969 the government completely halted the distribution of these large denomination bills. When APMEX reviews the reasons these bills were used in the past, they see that they were mostly used in transactions between large institutions, such as banks. In addition, private people could have used these large bills for larger than usual purchases, such as for down payments on homes, according to APMEX reviews.

Today large transactions are almost exclusively done electronically, with no need to ever exchange cash in large amounts. Collectors might be interested to know that it is possible to purchase $500 notes, which bare the likeness of President William McKinley. Notes printed in 1928 can sell for about $2,300, while notes from 1934 cost about $1,000.

Featuring the face of President Grover Cleveland in profile, $1,000 notes printed in 1928 can be acquired for about $3,500 to $4,000. Notes printed in 1934 are valued today at about $2,250 to $3,000.

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Rising Home Prices Helping Work Force Get to the Jobs

Posted on May 15, 2013 by
Homes are Selling in Improved Real Estate Market

Homes are Selling in Improved Real Estate Market

Historically speaking, one of the great assets of the United State workforce has been its ability to get up and go to where the jobs were. A thriving real estate market gave people the freedom to sell their homes and move to a better job, helping people to climb the affluence ladder.

For the past five years a different reality has existed in the US job and real estate markets. The sluggish, if not comatose, real estate market hindered people from moving to either a better job, or in many cases, to any job. Not that there were many jobs to be had, but even in the few instances when there was, someone whose home mortgage was “underwater”(they owed more on their homes to the bank than what their home could actually be sold for,) could simply not afford to move, and was therefore stuck.

Today this vicious cycle seems to be ending, as home prices rise, and buyers are entering the marketplace, and more jobs are coming available.

“Until the real-estate market picked up, people wouldn’t even consider a move without the certainty that they could sell their homes,” said Jerry Funaro, vice president of global marketing for TRC Global Solutions, a domestic and international relocation service based in Milwaukee.

“Companies are now more inclined to make offers since we’re seeing real estate markets across the country coming back,” he said. “Last year, the pace of business started to improve and that momentum has continued in 2013.”

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Spring Show NYC As Seen By Ken Johnson

Posted on May 13, 2013 by

In a recent article for the New York Times, Ken Johnson discusses his impressions from the Spring Show NYC. Johnson explained that he especially enjoyed the fair thanks to its unique exhibits.

He described the work of Carlton Hobbs as “a group of satirical portraits in the form of early 19th century miniature reliefs exquisitely carved in ivory… The reliefs represent members of the king’s court with delightful, comic savagery.”

Other unusual works included the Yew Tree House, which featured 200 thin, flat shapes made of birch wood, as well as Clinton Howell’s flat, fan-like paper-mache face screens.

“Naturally, there are many fine examples of more familiar genres offered by the more than 60 exhibitors,” Johnson added, “including a beautiful portrait of a child in a pink dress by the American itinerant portraitist Ammi Phillips at Jeffrey Tillou and, at Phoenix Ancient Art, a strikingly lifelike, third-century marbel head of a Roman man who gazes upward with an expression of sleepy-eyed resignation.”

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IRS Apologizes for Singling Out Right-Wing Groups

Posted on May 12, 2013 by
Caught Picking on Right-Wing Groups

Caught Picking on Right-Wing Groups

Proving once again that even paranoids can have enemies, the Internal Revenue Service of the United States was caught, and has already apologized for, singling out right-wing groups for extra scrutiny of their tax-exempt status during the 2012 election.

Lois Lerner, the head of the IRS section that overseas tax-exempt organizations, admitted that groups using the words “tea party” or “patriot” on their applications for tax-exempt status were flagged for extra careful checking. In a few instances the groups were asked for their list of financial supporters which is an actual violation of IRS policy most of the time.

“That was wrong. That was absolutely incorrect, it was insensitive and it was inappropriate. That’s not how we go about selecting cases for further review,” Lerner said at a conference sponsored by the American Bar Association. “The IRS would like to apologize for that,” she added.

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GM Remaining in Korea: Labor Force Still Uncertain

Posted on May 8, 2013 by
GM CEO Dan Akerson

GM CEO Dan Akerson

Due to on-going tensions between North and South Korea, CEO of GM Dan Akerson said last month that the US-based car manufacturer is considering moving output away from this important production center.

Last week Akerson addressed a meeting with GM Korea’s union leader in Detroit, saying GM is not planning on leaving Korea, but will need to discuss his labor problems with South Korea’s president Park Geun-hye when she visits the US this week.

“We are upset by his remarks. We did not go all the way to the U.S. to hear that,” Choi Jong-hak, Korea’s union leader said.

Choi added that Akerson’s original statements on the possibility of a change in venue for GM’s facilities was an empty threat meant to calm down the union before talks commence on a possible restructuring of production systems.

“GM cannot withdraw from South Korea. We have technology to make good cars and our wages are only about one third of those in the United States and Europe,” Choi remarked.

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