We recently discovered that the husband of one of Ken’s old friends is obsessed with two dollar bills. Amazingly awesome, right? I had no idea that two dollar bills still existed (use the two!) and so I swapped some cash for some of his two dollar bills. Turns out, Matt loves using two dollar bills as doing so has helped make the simple process of exchanging money lead to amazing stories, connections, and interactions. Odd, quirky, and inspiring! Talking to him made ME want to start collecting two dollar bills and handing them out to people; taxi drivers, manicurists, coffee shops, you name it!
Matt goes to the bank each week to get his stack of bills for the next week or two. His story about his interest in 2 dollar bills was so touching and elegantly odd (ironic?), that I knew I had to interview him and inspire us all to BRING BACK THE TWO! As Matt likes to say, he does not like to collect twos. He just likes using them.
Elias, Matt’s 10 month old son, is also highly interested in two dollar bills.
One of Laura’s birthday gifts to Matt this year, was a 2 dollar bill stamp (because apparently, Matt also really likes stamps.)
According to Matt, “Everyday is Mardi Gras for me. Another ‘Fat Twos’ Day.” Love it.
Random and fascinating, here is the interview with Matt! Enjoy! (I want to start a collection that is so unique and obscure that people find my hobby and collection inspiring and touching!)
When did you become interested in $2 bills?
I started on this path in the summer of 1992 when I was living in San Francisco, working in the financial district (I was at Lehman Brothers at the time) and I discovered that my local bank could supply me with $2s. I was hooked. Subsequently, I cashed all my paychecks in $2s. My mantra is to spread the joy of $2 bills and to make transactions and merchant interactions fun and to spread the happiness of $2 bills throughout our system.
