CASH: Disney Dollars...

[Hal]

I know we're all focused pretty closely on Clipper right now, but as
time goes on we will pay attention to other things, and one of those is
digital cash.

We've had a lot of debate here about whether it would be legal to issue
private cash.  I went to Disneyland last week, and discovered that they
are issuing their own form of cash: "Disney Dollars" (presumably a
Disney trademark).

Disney Dollars come in at least three denominations: $1.00, $5.00, and
$10.00.  They are very attractively printed notes, about the size and
shape of American dollars.  They're quite a bit more colorful but the
layout of the bills is similar to other forms of currency.

Disney Dollars can be exchanged with U.S. dollars on a one-for-one basis
at the park.  No sales tax is involved in the transaction.

I saved a $1.00 Disney Dollar, a special issue to commemorate Mickey Mouse's
65th anniversary this year.  Here is what it says:

On the face:  "Disney Dollars"   "Mickey's 65th".  In the fine print:
"May be used as legal tender only at Disneyland park, Disneyland Hotel,
Walt Disney World resort and the Disney Store (U.S.A. & Puerto Rico)."
Another block of fine print: "Disney Dollars may be spent or collected and
saved as souvenirs and are redeemable at any time before or after any
period of inactivity."  At the bottom:  "A00651375A"  "Series 1993"
"One Disney Dollar".  There is a picture of Mickey Mouse in the middle
with the word "Mickey" under it.  "Scrooge McDuck" has signed the bill
above the word "Treasurer".

On the back:  "Disney Dollars" at the top; "One Disney Dollar" at the bottom,
and a large colorful picture of Mickey in a car filling most of the middle.
"(C) The Walt Disney Company" in fine print.

If Disney can issue its own currency, maybe other people can, too.  These
are basically gift certificates.  If somebody had some goods or services
to sell, they could issue their own "dollars" which would be good for
purchasing their things, but which could also be exchanged back for U.S.
dollars if needed.

Hal Finney
74076.1041 at compuserve.com