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Currency Collection
Before entering the Gallery, visitors can stop by this display to see some
of the most rare and valuable currency in the United States. On display
are authentic $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills which the government
discontinued in 1946. Beginning in 1969, these notes were pulled from circulation
as checks became the dominant form of large dollar transfer. |
Life of a Bill
How long does cash last? What becomes of a bill once it’s “spent?” Here,
visitors learn fun and fascinating facts about their money: did you know
a $1 bill lasts an average of 22 months before it is so worn out it is taken
out of circulation? Compare that to a $100 bill which lasts nine years. Worn
notes are shredded at the Los Angeles Branch – about $45 million per
day – and replaced with currency that is fit for circulation. |
The Flow of Money
Every day billions of dollars in cash, checks, and wire transfers pass through
the Federal Reserve. When visitors touch a glass-screen virtual waterfall,
scrolling numbers part to reveal various facts about the payments system—for
example, every month 47 million Americans receive social security deposits
or checks through the Fed. |
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Coin Operations
A penny here, a nickel there—it doesn’t seem like much, but when
you add up all the coins in vending machines, cash registers and piggy banks,
that’s a huge number of coins changing hands everyday. Visitors here get
an opportunity to learn more about the Fed’s role in distributing coins
and explore an etched glass map of the 12th District featuring a magnified State Quarter within each 12th District State. |
Dollar Detectives
Can you spot a fake? Here at the Los Angeles Branch, specially trained employees
inspect bills to find potential fakes and take them out of circulation.
Test your dollar savvy at this exhibit to make sure you’re able to
identify security features on U.S. currency. |
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Safe and Sound
When customers walk into their bank, they need to know that their money is
safe. Exhibits in this area focus on the supervision and regulation duties
of the Federal Reserve, helping visitors understand the market forces that
regulate banks and how the Fed examines capital, asset quality, management,
earnings, liquidity, and sensitivity (C.A.M.E.L.S.) to ensure that banks
manage their risk. Visitors can test their skills as bank examiners using
a pachinko-style game to determine the relative risk or safety and soundness
of banks.
Also in this area, a visitor station features case histories
on community investment and fair lending that illustrate
banks’ roles in community revitalization. |
Monetary policy
How does the Federal Reserve influence the nation’s financial system
to promote a healthy economy? Setting monetary policy is one of the Fed’s
most important and visible roles because its decisions have the potential
to affect our nation’s economy. Touch screen computer games feature
an interactive Fed Chairman game wherein visitors set the target federal
funds rate and watch their decisions play out on the economy. In an adjacent
room, a floor-mounted ten foot screen plays a short video on the Federal
Reserve. |
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Tours
A full tour of the Los Angeles Branch is 90 minutes and consists of a visit
to the Fed Gallery as well as guided walks through the Checks Processing
Department and the Cash Vault. All tours are free, though tour participants
must be of high school age or older.
Tours are available Monday through Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
or 1:00 p.m. by reservation only. To reserve your tour
call, (213) 683-2900 or book online.
Public parking is located nearby at Grand and Olympic
Blvd.
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