Appeals Court Rules Against Treasury

This ruling came well over a month ago but I rediscovered it while I was cleaning out my backlog of Coin World magazines.

We should know by the end of the summer (or year, I'm guessing) as to whether or not the Supreme Court will hear the appeal. The Treasury has lost twice and it could be that the Supreme Court would rather not take their time with it.

But I guess I should go over the ruling. The appeals court upheld a lower court's 2006 ruling that the Treasury Department's paper currency designs violated Section 504 of the federal Vocational Rehabilitation Act after a suit had been filed by the American Council of the Blind, Patrick Sheehan and Otis Stephens (Coin World, Vol. 49, Issue 2513, June 9, 2008 page 1). In other words, the design of US paper currency does not lend itself to easy identification by those who are blind or have visual impairments. Department officials had argued that a redesign to make each design more distinctive would be cost prohibitory and an undue burden. The court also rejected the notion that a reader could be purchased since they cost $270 and have difficulty reading $20s.

Now in a mild defense of the Treasury Department, they have added colors to the "third gen" bills (those being the second revision after the revision that started with the $100's in the mid-late 90's). The $50 has a red/blue mix, the $20 is green, the $10 is yellow and the $5 is purple. These third gen notes also feature large numbers on the bottom right hand corner of the reverse.

But these added colors tend more to the subtle side and are certainly not bold. Also, as was noted in the aforementioned Coin World article, of the 171 countries that issue paper currency, America is the only country to use the same size for each denomination.

If the Treasury loses its final appeal (or the case is not heard) then it might be a good time to institute sweeping changes to all of our currency. If vending machines would need to be refitted, we could adopt polymer currency (being used in both Australia and Romania as a way to prevent counterfeiting and their superior hygienic properties)use bold colors and eliminate the dollar bill in favor of a coin. In fact, Australia's currency would make a good example to follow. Not only would the notes be easily differentiable but real artistry could make a comeback on US currency. The £5 note of the Bank of Scotland won banknote of the year for 2007. No US Note will win any artistic awards with our desire to change as little as possible in redesigns. Not to be too dreamy, this ruling could truly spark a renaissance in the artistry and functionality of our currency.

Naturally there will be naysayers. I know of one who will probably comment on my reiteration of desire to see the dollar bill disappear. I'd be interested in hearing comments from people too on the implications of this ruling and if they agree or disagree and why.