I bought four new rolls of Christmas lights at Kalamazoo's finest hardware shop, Gale's True Value, just before Thanksgiving. Two of theserolls (manufactured, of course, in China) included specimens of Chinese paper money.

This unusual find was shunted aside by the holiday rush, until I saw Issue 4 of ANS Magazine, which contains a report from Elena Stolyarikon new acquisitions at the ANS. Figure 17 (p. 65) depicts both sides of a 50-Yuan banknote, Series 1999 (from the fifth issue of renminbi). My foundnote is 1 Yuan, series of 1999.

Figure 19 (p.66) depicts both sides of a 5-Jiao banknote, Series 1980 (from the fourth series of renimbi). My found note is a 1-Jiao banknote,Series 1980.

Kudos to Mark Tomasko for donating these sets of bills to the ANS. Kudos, as well, to the anonymous workers who slipped my two bills under theplastic wrapping of these two rolls of lights. Was it done as a political statement? By mistake? I don't know. It was nice, however, to get alittle numismatic dividend along with my new Christmas lights!