This page displays both of the Festival Reserve Notes that I have designed…
Above is the Festival $8 Bill (888) which debuted in November 2009.
The idea to design an $8 Bill for Festival Eight actually came to me late night on Halloween, so it is safe to say it was a few days late and $8 short. However, over the past few months, the idea kept popping into my head so I decided to do it. The design is based on the $1 Bill, and I tried to work in as much Phish symbolism as possible while remaining true to the original form. Anything that I could do to make the Festival $8 Bill Phishy (in a subtle way) I changed on the bill. Is this the first Phish gag gift?
The serial number references Halloween, as do the Roman numbers at the bottom of the pyramid. I took out 5 of the 13 stars, olive leaves and arrows in the seal on the right side of the back of the Bill to make eight of each as a nod to Festival 8. Taking out the middle 5 stars from the Star of David actually created an unintended figure eight, which caught me by surprise. I also removed the center tail feather of the eagle so that there are only 8 of them. I changed the Latin slogan below the pyramid to read “Lego Libri Servo Vita”, meaning “Read the Book and Save Your Life.” The signatures at the bottom of the Festival $8 Bill are those of Marco Esquandolas and M.R. Palmer.
I originally wanted to use a visage of a crowned king to represent Wilson, and then it hit me that Woodrow Wilson was on the now defunct $100,000 Bill. It seemed like a perfect fit in keeping currency authenticity and Phish symbolism intertwined. I also changed the letter in the middle of the Federal Reserve Seal to an 8, and the city of printing has been changed to Indio, CA. I changed the green serial numbers to PH (for Phish) and the date of Halloween uses up the 8 digits that typically consist of a currency’s number code. Also, the other serial numbers were changed to F8, 1030 and 1101 respectively to represent the other two days of the festival. The Department of Treasury Seal has been changed to pay homage to the Exile On Main Street album cover performed during set 2 of the Halloween show. In Clod We Trust needs no explanation!
Hope you like it… This is a memento that will be even easier to carry with you than a Phish Coin. The Festival $8 Bill is printed on Crane & Company 100% Cotton woven paper. This is as close to the U.S. currency cotton/linen paper as I could get without having the Feds checking things out!
The Festival $8 Bill is $5 on the lot, and comes in a vinyl protective currency sleeve.
Prices with Shipping: 1 = $6, 2 = $11, 3 = $17, 4 = $22, 5 = 28, 6 = $33, 7 = $39, 8 = $44, 9 = $50, 10 = $55…
All Inquiries, Paypal Payments & USPS Money Order Requests to: phishcoins@gmail.com
Please Submit Paypal Payments as a “Personal” > “Payment Owed” if possible.
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Above is the Super Ball $9 Bill (999) which debuted in June 2011
I have to admit that I was hoping after Festival 8 that Phish would use a #9 in the name of their next festival. They obviously did, so I present to you what will likely be my last attempt at a Phishy take on U.S. currency… The Super Ball $9 Bill!
While I used the $1 Bill as the inspiration for the Festival $8 Bill, I settled on a vintage $5 Bill as the “template” for the Super Ball $9 Bill. As with the Festival $8 Bill, I tried to stay as true to the layout of the currency while littering as much Phish symbolism as possible into the design.
Regarding the front side of the Super Ball $9 Bill, the serial numbers mark the dates of the festival. The “printing” city is Watkins Glen, NY. Rutherford B. Hayes (dead presidents only) symbolizes Rutherford the Brave. The Chairman of the Festival is Harvey P. Hood (who we know as Harry Hood) founder of the H.P. Hood Dairy Company. Errand Wolfe is the Secretary of the Treasury, as he would have been in charge of the finances of the Lizards after the death of Mr. Palmer and the overthrow of King Wilson.
The black seal on the front side contains the Latin phrase “LEGO LIBRI SERVO VITA” which translates to “READ THE BOOK & SAVE YOUR LIFE” and the Roman number “IX” to represent Super Ball IX. Underneath this seal is the latin phrase “E QUATTUOR UNUM” which is a Phishy off-shoot of the phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM” which appears on U.S. Currency. While “E PLURIBUS UNUM” means “FROM MANY… ONE” the phrase “E QUATTUOR UNUM” means “FROM FOUR… ONE” which to me is really what Phish is all about, the sum of all parts is greater than any single element. The green seal has checkered flags and reads “WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL” where Super Ball IX was held.
As for the back side of the Super Ball $9 Bill, I changed the name of the Lincoln Memorial to Forbin Memorial, and altered the structure to resemble the Self Storage USA Building used for the secret set late night on 7/2/11. I also put “SBIX” in the lower boxes where the word “FIVE” would normally appear. The number 83 in the lower right references the year that Phish was formed, and the phrase “IN CLOD WE TRUST” appears across the banner at the top of the back side of the Super Ball $9 Bill too. That needs no explanation ; )
The Super Ball $9 Bill is priced the same as the Festival $8 Bill. They are $5 each on the lot, and are printed on 100% Cotton Rag Paper from Crane & Company, who makes the paper used for U.S. Currency today! Each bill comes in a museum grade vinyl currency sleeve to protect your “investment.”
Prices with Shipping: 1 = $6, 2 = $11, 3 = $17, 4 = $22, 5 = 28, 6 = $33, 7 = $39, 8 = $44, 9 = $50, 10 = $55…
All Inquiries, Paypal Payments & USPS Money Order Requests to: phishcoins@gmail.com
Please Submit Paypal Payments as a “Personal” > “Payment Owed” if possible.
