STORM2K

Police Take Man's $1,000 Bill From His Wallet
Mayor Tucks Bill Away In City Hall Safe

UPDATED: 1:05 p.m. EST January 16, 2004

PINE LAWN, Mo. -- Curtis Smith Sr. wants his $1,000 bill back
He carried the rare one-grand note in his pocket for 20 years. It was seized by police in the St. Louis suburb of Pine Lawn when Smith was arrested during a traffic stop.

Officials gave Smith a check last April in return, but he wants his really big bill. Now, the $1,000 bill is in the City Hall safe of the mayor -- who considers it a novelty.

Collectors say the bank note is worth much more than its face value. The $1,000 bill was last printed in 1934 and was taken out of circulation in 1969.

Officials say Smith can have the bill back, once it's no longer considered evidence. But they say he'll have to pay for it.

He just carried it in his pocket? What a moron. They should give the bill back to the guy at no charge, but he needs to be smart and keep it safe at his home or something.

Maybe its a luck charm to him?

I think Smith should've left his $1,000 bill at home in a book he usually reads.

And like you guys said, it's a collectors item, why would a dumb mayor keep it as evidence? He must've want the money from Smith to spend on himself.

I agree HD. Proper procedure to get cash back is through a check. This was just a traffic stop. What evidence? Makes no sense.

Personnaly, I would have it kept in a Safe Deposit Box, or a fireproof safe if I was to keep it at home.

As for them keeping it as evidence, we must not be getting the whole story....

And as for the proper procedure to get cash back.... This note is now considered a collectible item. Not classified as legal tender in the collector's sense. Although it could legally still be "spent". This Mayor is just trying to finagle his way into owning the note, which is theft. Plain and simple. If he were to fight this by taking the mayor and city to court to retrieve his property, I have a feeling that he has a good chance of winning.

Give the man back his $1000 bill - this is a case of someone seeing something they want and not giving it back.

I don't know if there is any crime in carrying around a $1000 bill - is there?

blizzard wrote:And as for the proper procedure to get cash back.... This note is now considered a collectible item. Not classified as legal tender in the collector's sense. Although it could legally still be "spent". This Mayor is just trying to finagle his way into owning the note, which is theft. Plain and simple. If he were to fight this by taking the mayor and city to court to retrieve his property, I have a feeling that he has a good chance of winning.

My point exactly!!!

David wrote:Maybe its a luck charm to him?

Not in this case, it wasn't ...

it is probally worth about $1500 to $2000... It has more value as a collectors item

It is a 1000 dollar bill made in 1934. I am sure it is worth more than that.

Depends on to who is willing to purchase it. The definition of an appraised value is:
(translated loosly)
"The amount to which an individual is willing to pay for a given item at a particular time and place."

All the value books in the world could give you a hypothetical value, but if no-one is willing to pay that price, it isn't worth it. Just as the item in question may be worth more in California than it is in Maine. Or anywhere else for that matter.

If he was carrying 20 Morgan silver dollars around with him, would they give him a check for $20 for them? That's rotten!

Sounds like the mayor would try it to see if he could get away with it.

FYI, the "book" value on this $1000 bill is about $2500

Such a strange story this is! That bill must have been pretty important to this guy to have kept it on his person for so long! Strange? Yes! Stupid?
Guess we don't know the reasoning behind it.....but it sure should NOT have been taken away from him!!

Something's kinda fishy here......p

Interesting story.

I wasn't sure who was on the $1,000 bill. So I did a search.....

..


It was.....















































Grover Cleveland


I thought it was him after viewing the (front of the) bill above. I am leaning toward thinking that I believed it was Cleveland before finding the pictures above.

Thanks for the pics Tom!! I had no idea what that particular bill looked like or who was on it. NEAT!!