Putting ads on money seems to be the quintessence of capitalism. It has been employed successfully by the state throughout history (commemorative coins) to drum up patriotism, now it has moved into the private sector. Here's what has been tried so far.
- Well, minting private commemorative coins (not for legal tender, though). The Highland Mint is one of the companies that offers the service. Northwest Territorial Mint is another.
- Squishing pennies (and quarters, nickels and dimes, too). You have seen those cool machines in the gift shops at historic locations and you can actually own one of them, from Copper Memories.
- Sticking your message onto dollar bills. First tried successfully last January by GoGorilla for USA Network's Traffic: Miniseries (pictured above, see CNN's article).
- Sticking your message onto coins. Tried last August by Crispin Porter Bogusky for Consumer Networks. "The quarters [would] turn up in Minneapolis vending machine change dispensers, pay phones and on the street" (PromoMagazine).
