Santa Dollars and Bunny Bucks
Tip It!The other day I was at the grocery store when a small sign advertising ‘Santa Dollars’ caught my eye. What, you might ask, are Santa Dollars? According to their web site, Santa Dollars are one dollar bills with a removable Santa seal placed over George Washington’s face. And they sell for — get this — $2.50 each! Or you can purchase them online for $3.50. But fear not… They come with a holiday card, and the proceeds go to charity. The store where I saw these was raising money for the Children’s Miracle Network, whereas online sales benefit Toys for Tots. Apparently these things have been around since 1985, and have generated over $15 $18 $20 million in charitable contributions (the amount varies widely depending on which of their pages you’re looking at). I wonder how much the company behind these things has pocketed along the way? Oh, and if Santa Dollars aren’t you’re cup of tea, Bunny Bucks are just around the corner.
Published on December 7th, 2005 - 14 Comments
Filed under: Charity
About the author: Nickel is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!
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14 Responses to “Santa Dollars and Bunny Bucks”
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December 7th, 2005 at 7:14 am
I find the bunny bucks strangely terrifying. I wonder why.
December 7th, 2005 at 9:53 am
You gotta love selling a dollar for $2.50 to $3.50!!!!
December 7th, 2005 at 10:08 am
Bunnies creep me out too. I’ve never been able to figure it out either.
December 7th, 2005 at 1:50 pm
Nickel,
Off the subject, but did you see your blog was mentioned in Newsweek this week? You’re a celebrity. Hope the bandwidth holds out…
December 7th, 2005 at 6:57 pm
Great story. I wonder if I could pay send my energy company $2.50 bunny bucks to cover my energy bill?
December 8th, 2005 at 2:25 am
Man, that’s a pretty expensive sticker. Might have to try and find me some of those…
December 8th, 2005 at 3:42 am
I see nothing snobbish at all about being irritated by the way Americans write and spell our language. One of the most egregious errors, and one that is committed by millions of Americans, is the spelling of a lot as one word (alot).
December 14th, 2005 at 10:02 am
Wouldn’t this qualify as defacing a dollar? I’m not sure because it is removable and for a good cause…but I wonder what the U.S. Treasury thinks.
Here’s what I found regarding Defacement of currency:
Defacement of currency is a violation of Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code. Under this provision, currency defacement is generally defined as follows: Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, Federal Reserve Bank, or Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued, shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.
December 15th, 2005 at 8:08 am
It does not damage the bill to the point where it can not be reissued, so no, it would not fall under the defacement law.
June 4th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
From what knowledge I have, it is the retailers that have donated to charities. The company that produced the Santa Dollar was owned by two ladies who made BIG bucks and then ended up in court fighting over money. Apparently one lady remodeled in house with company money….anyway greed got to her. Her marriage ended as well.
April 20th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I have a $! dollar bill that has the “Bunny Buck” rabbit.
I was under the impression that Bunny Bucks were of 2 dollar denominations? Are the 1 dollar bill’s common?
August 11th, 2009 at 10:23 am
I think bunny buck’s are cute, and great keepsake’s for young children. And as they get older it can teach they to save, to see if they bend enough to break down and spend their keepsake bunny or spend it. I didn’t know they had santa also, are I’d have gotten one for the grandson’s already. And it’s thoughtful to raise money for needy charities. Toy’s for Tot’s is great, small children don’t under stand why Santa didn’t bring my bike or doll. Have I been that bad? There were time’s when my boy’s may have one toy with a shirt or what ever needed clothes they needed most. We aren’t a money family, but we have family love. and learning to pinch a penny till it’s hot enough to streach, is how country folk’s get by. So don’t knock Bunny and Santa Buck’s. They are good for alot of reason’s.
January 18th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
I have an old Santa Dollar that I purchased at Minyards. Is it worth anything?
May 18th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
I have a Santa Dollar. Is it worth anything? can I buy something worth 2.50 with that dollar? Can I sell it?