The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 52, December 11, 2005, Article 24

ON LAUNDERING MONEY

Inspired by last week's excerpt on "money laundering",
Roger deWardt Lane of Hollywood, Florida writes: "My
family has been in the Resort Hotel business for years,
I'm third generation and I now have a granddaughter working
in Hawaii in the resort field.

I'm going to write this from memory - I'm not 100% sure
of the facts, as the subject was always passed on in more
of a joking manner, but I believe the details to be correct.
The story goes that one of the first hotels to wash their
money (silver coins) was the Waldorf-Astoria.  They would
send the coins down to the kitchen pantry where the steam
washing machine was located, and used daily to keep the
table silverware shiny.   It took more than one employee
to do the job, one to wash and one to watch the washer!
I believe other very famous resorts like the Greenbriar
also washed their money.

The clean money was returned to the General Cashier,
who would dispense it to the cashiers at the front desk
and restaurants.

On the same subject, not laundering money, but providing
"clean money" for the guests; all the resort hotels at
which I have worked, 16 before my thirty years at the
Classic Diplomat, Hollywood, Florida and the two that
followed, The Doral Saturnia 5 Star Spa, Miami and the
last resort - the Lago Mar Resort and Club, Ft. Lauderdale
all followed the same pattern. Orders for money from the
Bank always requested brand new currency, $1, $5, $10,
and $20. Most of the time the strapped brand new bills
were supplied.  Large denominations were more difficult
to get as 'new money' because the notes lasted for years
and stayed in pretty good condition, as we numismatists
would say VF to XF.

About twenty years ago, I needed to cover the vacation
period of our General Cashier and while on this assignment,
had to order $2,000 in brand new $1 bills.  They came
in a $1000 'brick' with a piece of plywood on each end,
and a steel strap binding the notes.  The first wood
piece would have a label showing the serial numbers of
the brick.  Last year I found among my collectables,
these two labeled wood pieces and the same numbered dollar
bills, which I had also kept.  I then donated them to the
American Numismatic Society collection, as I thought they
were quite unique. Today the bricks are shrink-wrapped in
sturdy plastic."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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