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I'm European and recently visited the US, so I'll describe what bugged me about dollars. All bills are the same size and color, making them Very hard to disting

I'm European and recently visited the US, so I'll describe what bugged me about dollars. All bills are the same size and color, making them Very hard to distinguish at a glance. The coins are mostly useless, as the largest commonly used denomination is the quarter. The five cent coins is also ridiculously large (but nothing compared to the British 2p coin...) In contrast, Euro bills' size increases with value (easy access in the wallet if you keep them in sorted order) and they are easily distinguished by colour. The largest commonly used coin is 2€ ($2.25), which is actually worth something and doesn't jut clog pockets/wallets. I do wish we'd get rid of the 1c and 2c coins, though.

pravda 10y ago
>All bills are the same size and color, making them Very hard to distinguish at a glance Well, they do have different numbers on them. Different pictures too. I find them easy to distinguish at a glance.
- Symbiote 10y ago
  Compare American banknotes to other countries. Take British banknotes for example: http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/great-britain/great-britain-389.JPG http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/great-bri... These have clearly been designed to be distinguished. They're different sizes and different colours. One side has a bold number and a bold shape (circle/diamond/square). The other has a monochrome (but not black!) portrait, plus a picture with reasonable contrast. The Danish notes have the same features, but with brighter colours and a less ornate design: http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/denmark/denmark-65.JPG http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/denmark/d... By comparison, the American notes all look very similar. A black-and-white portrait of a man, centred, with a black circle to the left and a green circle to the right, with dark borders to the top and bottom. Numbers are in a traditional, unclear font. Slight colouring exists on some values, but only in the background, and the colours aren't far from a green-brown. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/USDnotes.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/USDnotes... Pick random countries from here: http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/catalog.html http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/catalog.html
- lorenzhs 10y ago
  Sure it isn't hard to figure out the denomination of a given bank note, but that's not what I'm talking about. If I shuffle the notes in your wallet and tell you to get a 20 out, you'll have to go through them one by one. If you do the same with mine, I go for the medium sized blue note. Related: how do blind people distinguish dollar notes? I know a blind guy who recognises euro denominations by their size very reliably.
phil21 10y ago
I actually hate the different size bills of the EU (and other nations). It makes carrying a decent amount of cash a huge pain, since I usually don't put it in a wallet. US cash I can fold up and it stays very well organized, EU cash turns into a crumpled mess in my pocket. It's a minor complaint, but I do prefer a uniform size. The colors though are spot-on, and the US is slowly starting to change that. The new $100 bill is easily visually distinguishable from any other bill just due to the color.

pravda 10y ago

>All bills are the same size and color, making them Very hard to distinguish at a glance Well, they do have different numbers on them. Different pictures too. I find them easy to distinguish at a glance.

Symbiote 10y ago
Compare American banknotes to other countries. Take British banknotes for example: http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/great-britain/great-britain-389.JPG http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/great-bri... These have clearly been designed to be distinguished. They're different sizes and different colours. One side has a bold number and a bold shape (circle/diamond/square). The other has a monochrome (but not black!) portrait, plus a picture with reasonable contrast. The Danish notes have the same features, but with brighter colours and a less ornate design: http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/denmark/denmark-65.JPG http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes-pictures/denmark/d... By comparison, the American notes all look very similar. A black-and-white portrait of a man, centred, with a black circle to the left and a green circle to the right, with dark borders to the top and bottom. Numbers are in a traditional, unclear font. Slight colouring exists on some values, but only in the background, and the colours aren't far from a green-brown. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/USDnotes.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/USDnotes... Pick random countries from here: http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/catalog.html http://www.atsnotes.com/catalog/catalog.html
lorenzhs 10y ago
Sure it isn't hard to figure out the denomination of a given bank note, but that's not what I'm talking about. If I shuffle the notes in your wallet and tell you to get a 20 out, you'll have to go through them one by one. If you do the same with mine, I go for the medium sized blue note. Related: how do blind people distinguish dollar notes? I know a blind guy who recognises euro denominations by their size very reliably.

phil21 10y ago

I actually hate the different size bills of the EU (and other nations). It makes carrying a decent amount of cash a huge pain, since I usually don't put it in a wallet. US cash I can fold up and it stays very well organized, EU cash turns into a crumpled mess in my pocket. It's a minor complaint, but I do prefer a uniform size. The colors though are spot-on, and the US is slowly starting to change that. The new $100 bill is easily visually distinguishable from any other bill just due to the color.