December 1998
Hank Eskin, the founder of Where's George, announces in a Usenet post in the rec.collecting.paper-money newsgroup that he has created a website for tracking the movements of United States currency. Being a longtime paper money collector, I am ecstatic that someone with the knowhow thought up such a site and launched it.
After a period of beta testing in which I was involved, the "Where's George?" website officially launches on 23 December 1998. I enter a grand total of 11 bills that month. At that time, no one felt the need to be "number one" as far as bill entries go. My thinking at the time is that I'll send out a few here and a few there, and see what happens. And although the George Score doesn't officially exist yet, I close the month with a GS of 154.85.
January 1999
Early in the month, I receive an invitation to interview for a job in Tucson, Arizona. I passed through Tucson in 1986. I always thought Arizona was a neat state, even before I had visited it. I had sent a number of resumes there, and the one company that I most wanted to hear from is inviting me for an interview! This is an opportunity to spend some marked bills in another state! I spend a weekend in Tucson, interview on Monday, and decide to accept the job if they offer it to me.
After I return home, I get not one, but *two* job offers from my prospective employer! After some deliberation, I accept one of them. Meantime, on the 23rd, I get my very first hit.....on a two dollar bill that I spent at a 7 Eleven in San Jose! One of the one dollar bills that I spent on my job interview trip returns a hit on the 28th! On the 30th, I have my first two hit day!
I fly down to Tucson again for a house hunting trip on the 31st. I end up entering 68 bills for January, and I collect three hits before the month is over. My George Score is now 369.98. As you start out, the GS is influenced more by the number of entries than it is by the number of hits, but this reverses as you go further.
February 1999
I returned to San Jose, on or about the 4th, after having located a townhouse in Tucson that I'm going to lease until I'm bought out of my house in Santa Cruz, CA. I'm also using a Where's George stamp for the first time. Hank came up with the wording. It's an Ideal 50 self-inking stamp in red ink that says:
See where I've been
Track where I go next!
www.wheresgeorge.com
After using this stamp, I seem to start getting more hits....sure beats having to handwrite the URL!
I leave for Tucson on the 23rd. I stop off in Palm Desert to see my aunt, after which I arrive in Tucson on Wednesday, the 24th of February. As far as I now, I'm the only active "Georger" in Arizona. I end up entering 142 bills that month. I get four hits, with a ten dollar bill getting its not only its first hit, but a second one as well. I also score hits on consecutive days for the first time, for a two day hitting streak. The George Score at the end of the month is 462.60
March 1999
I start my new job on the 1st! I still have with me some WG bills that I entered before I left San Jose. My records indicate that I spent the last one on the 4th. I've also entered some bills from my new ZIP code of 85750.
Meantime, there's lots of activity on the WG forums! There's this one guy Adam who's bound determined to be the #1 Georger, and this starts off this mad dash to enter lots of bills. I find myself entering lots of ones. I end up entering 268 bills for March, yet another new personal monthly record. There are also 21 hits. The George Score at the end of the month is 595.42.
April 1999
I'm now well settled in Arizona, and I'm seeing the desert in bloom for the first time. I'm stamping away my bills, and I even get down to the border town of Nogales to turn some of them loose. The site seems to be going really well, although at this point we're still in uncharted waters. I mean, no one's ever done a currency tracking website before, and we keep worrying that we're going to get shut down by the Feds. I end up entering 366 bills for April, yet another new personal monthly record. I'm well over 500 bills total entered. I also score a seven day hitting streak, from 4/10 through 4/16. The George Score at the end of April is 698.03.
May 1999
I'm really enjoying Tucson! In a pivotal moment, I visit the Tanque Verde Swap Meet towards the end of the month. I need some duct tape, so I stop off at Tucson Tools to buy some, using some stamped bills. The proprietor notices them after I leave. Another Georger is born! In the meantime, my 1000th bill overall was entered this month. I end up entering 531 bills in May....another new personal monthly record! The George Score at month's end is 754.17.
June 1999
Aye yi yi! That one guy at Tucson Tools is now posting in the forums! His name is Mercury, and he thinks WG is the greatest! And he wants to meet the miscreant who got him involved in this activity! Now what? I don't feel like admitting to anyone that I do this sort of thing! Very few people know that I do this! Oh, I told one friend, and I told my sister....but everyone else would think I have too much time on my hands! I end up entering 369 bills for June....the May 1999 record gets to stand.
July 1999
On or around the 3rd, I finally get up the courage to introduce myself to Mercury at the swap meet. We end up chatting for about two hours! It's the start of a friendship that lasts for the next several years. He offers to buy my one dollar bills off of me! This is great! He needs the change, and I need to catch up to Adam (as if I can really do that....). With Mercury's help, I can turn out the bills at a faster clip. I end up entering 654 that month! I also get my first "wild"....yep, a one dollar bill originated by Mercury finds its way into my change when I make a purchase at the beer stand. Now one curiosity is finally satisfied....learning what a bill report looks like when you find a WG bill. I end up taking Mercury's bill down to Nogales, I spend it there, and it is never heard from again.
August 1999
At work, I end up putting in a lot of overtime. In spite the long hours, it ends up being a good month for me. I surpass the 2500 and 3000 bills entered milestone. I also set a new monthly record, 661 bills. This monthly record will stand for over a year! The hit rate for August 1999 ends up being 25.3%, my highest for months with 100 or more bills entered.
September 1999
On the WG front, I end up entering 590 bills this month. This makes for a grand total of 3660 entries. I think I stand a shot at reaching the 5000 bills entered goal by the end of the year. Mercury continues to be a big help in distribution.
October 1999
On the WG front, I continue slowing down, with only managing to get 450 entered that month. This places my goal of having 5000 bills entered before 1/1/2000 at risk.
November 1999
I decide to visit my parents and family in San Jose for Thanksgiving. Because of that, I don't enter as many bills for November, but I do manage to spread them along I-10 and I-5. This results in some hits in Santa Clara county. My totals for that month are 350, and I now have 4460 bills entered overall. I'm really going to have to get going in December if I'm going to reach the 5000 goal.
December 1999
I end up returning to San Jose for Christmas. I am really getting to know I-10 very well! I return to Tucson after Christmas, and I go on a mad dash to enter enough bills to get me past the 5000 total mark. That milestone falls, and I close out the year with 5094 entries, for a grand total of 5105 bills entered. For December, the numbers are 645 bills entered, which is the closest I've come to threatening the August 1999 record. Meantime, WG is one year old!
January 2000
Here we are, the big 2000! For January 2000, I end up entering 525 bills. I figure it's a good start. My goal for 2000 is to have more than 10,000 bills entered before year's end. The other goal is to buy a house while prices are still "cheap".
February 2000
Here we are, the first leap year month in WG's existence. My participation in the forums starts to fall off as that I'm busy entering bills, and I'm looking for a house at the same time, while also still putting in overtime at work. Even though I'm busy that month, I manage to enter 550 bills.
March 2000
More overtime, and more time spent looking for a house impact the amount of bills I'm able to enter this month. The monthly total falls to 360!
April 2000
I pick up the pace a little. I'm still looking at houses, and I'm about to burn out on it. Fortunately the work demands aren't so great, and I've actually got more spare time on my hands. On the 27th, I finally find a house that excites me! Back yard's a lot smaller than I want it, but I put an offer on it, and it's accepted the next day! Now the fun will begin!
On the WG front, I decide to start experimenting with new stamp colors. Instead of the "classic red", I decide to use blue stamps for both the front and back. It's still the same message as before, just a different color. I manage to get 460 bills entered, which is 100 better than the previous month, but I am going to be very busy once I close.
May 2000
Stamp colors for this month are purple....one purple stamp on the front, and another on the back. I manage 400 entries.
June 2000
The move is in full swing. I spend the first night in my new house on the 7th. On the 25th, my last possession is removed from the townhouse. I'm in a new ZIP code now.
For the stamp colors, I use red on the front, but this time, NO stamp on the back. This is the only month in my "Georging" career where I don't stamp the back of the bills. Due to moving, I only manage to enter 210. I am past 7500 entries now, so getting past 10000 by year's end looks realistic.
July 2000
I pick up the pace a little for July, but I don't threaten my monthly record any. I use a red stamp on the front, and a black one on the back, and I end up entering 430 bills.
August 2000
This month, I enter 410 bills. I continue with red on the front and black on the back. Black on back.....sounds something like an AC/DC album....
September 2000
I slow down the pace on WG. I continue with red on the front and black on the back. The grand total entered this month is 310. Maybe I'm staring to burn out a little. I don't know.
October 2000
My WG totals for the month aren't the greatest, as that I only manage to enter 320. What happened to those 500+ months? I use a blue stamp on the front this time, but continue with black on the back.
November 2000
I use purple stamp on the front, and a black stamp on the back. I go to San Jose for Thanksgiving, and return to Tucson on the day after Thanksgiving.
Shortly after my return to Tucson, I end up surviving a multicar auto accident. My truck is no longer driveable, and will be in the body shop for the next several weeks. With all that going on, I can only enter 170 bills.
December 2000
I ended up spending Christmas in Tucson. I didn't want to trust the tin can rental car I had with such a trip. Because of the extra time I had on my hands, I was able to enter 820 bills! That ended up being a new monthly record. I was motivated as that I wanted to clear 10,000 entries before the year's end. My 10,000th bill was entered on 12/30/00. I close out the year with 10,070 entries. That means that 4965 bills were entered during 2000. The stamp colors for December were red on the front and back on the black.
January 2001
Since I almost missed the 10K milestone for 2000, I feel the need to get the new year off to a good start. I end up entering 860 bills this month! The front stamp is purple and the back stamp is black. This isn't one of my better months as far as hit rates go. Maybe purple isn't a good front color to use.
February 2001
I introduce an "aftermarket" stamp for the first time. Hank is no longer selling the WG stamp on request from the Secret Service, and I'm worried about breaking my originals....so.....I go to Office Max to order a three liner. The text is center justified, and for some reason the three lines are spread a little further apart than I would like. I also slow down my pace, only managing 410 entries. Yet, the stamp is a success, as that my hit rate is 19.8% that month.
March 2001
I resume use of the original stamps. I use red on the front, and black on the back. I enter 440 bills this month.
April 2001
I have out of state visitors this month, and I take a week off from work. My stepson's out visiting, and a few days later my parents and brother come out. For the WG bills, I use the original red on the front, but the aftermarket red on the back. The aftermarket's OK on the back but with the expanded line spacing, they don't fit in as well on the front next to ole George. I enter 480 bills for April.
May 2001
An important project at work has an impact on my bill entry. I have to make a major presentation to the customer, but I do very well at it. Because of that, I'm only able to enter 310 bills. I use purple on both front and back, and the hit rate is 21.3%! Maybe purple is a good color after all.
June 2001
I pick up the pace just a smidgen, entering 340 bills. The front is stamped with the purple three liner, with the back being the "aftermarket" red. The hit rate settles in at 17.6%.
July 2001
I slow down a little bit, entering 320 bills. This month I switch to using the blue stamp on the front, and a black classic three-liner on the back. I salvaged the stamp itself from a broken Ideal self-inker, and use that with a black stamp pad to hit the back. I never use black on the front though.
August 2001
I pick up the pace some, entering 420 this month. It's been a long while since 500 has been broken. This month, it's red on the front and blue on the back.
September 2001
This is a horrible month in our nation's history. Being in a funk, I stop stamping on the 11th, and it's a few days before I feel like resuming. I manage to enter 350, using red on the front, and the aftermarket red on the back.
October 2001
This month I enter 330 bills, using red on the front and purple on the back. It's obvious that I've slowed down somewhat from two years previous, as that 500+ months are no longer the norm. I started out the year wanting to clear 15000 entries, but if I don't pick up the pace it won't happen.
November 2001
This month sees 340 entries, using blue on the front and purple on the back.
December 2001
I have really started slowing down! I only manage 230 entries, and I close the year out with 14900 bills entered. WG doesn't seem to be the priority that it used to be. For this month, I use red on the front and blue on the back. WG becomes 3 years old as of the 23rd....it's well established.
January 2002
The pace continues to slow. I remember that I was busy dating during this time frame. I only manage to enter 200 bills, using red on the front and black on the back. The 15000th bill is entered on 1/14/02.
February 2002
The pace slows further, with only 170 entries. I use purple on both the front and the back.
March 2002
The pace slows even further, with only 100 entries for this month, my lowest since January of 1999. I use blue on the front, and purple on the back. What's happening is that I'm burning out a bit, no longer feeling the need to get lots of bills out there.
April 2002
This is another 100 bill month....one hundred entries. Color scheme is red on the front, and purple on the back.
May 2002
Things pick up a little, with 180 entries. I use red on the front, and black on the back.
June 2002
The pace slows down again, with only 130 entries. Colors are red on the front and red on the back.
July 2002
For the first time in a year and a half, I exceed 500 entries. I go on something of a tear and enter 530 bills, using a purple stamp on the front and a black one on the back.
August 2002
My quick pace is shortlived as that I slow down some. A total of 320 bills are entered, using blue on both the front and the back.
September 2002
I go on a road trip to Las Vegas for the first time since living in Tucson. I spend several bills there that are hit in Nevada, Idaho, New Jersey, Alaska, California and Kansas. I guess what gets spent in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas! I detoured through southern Utah and spend for ones in St George, of which only one returns a hit.
Entry-wise, it wasn't a productive month. Only 140 are entered, using a blue stamp on the front and a red one on the back.
October 2002
Again, not a productive month. I'm slowing down quite a bit. I use a red stamp on the front and a purple one on the back for a total of 170 entries.
I visit a friend of mine in Oregon, and I spend bills in Portland as well as across the river in Vancouver. Two of the Washington bills get hit, but only one of the Oregon bills! A one spent at PDX airport goes on to Florida.
November 2002
The pace picks up a little. I enter 210 bills, using a blue stamp on the front and a black stamp on the back.
December 2002
The "aftermarket" red stamp returns, but on the back. I won't use it on the front anymore because of its line spacing being too wide to fit between the portrait and the Federal Reserve seal. On the front I use a blue stamp. I take these on a road trip, but they don't do too well in returning hits.
For the month of December, there are only 130 entries. The total entries for 2002 are 2380 bills, to bring me to a grand total of 17,280. Yes, I slowed down during the year.
January 2003
The pace picks up a little. I enter 220 bills using a blue stamp on the front and a purple one on the back. I do remember being busy getting some things done around the house that month.
February 2003
I'm a little more productive this month, entering 360 bills using a blue stamp on the front and a red stamp on the back.
March 2003
For March, I use a red stamp on both the front and the back for 140 entries. I'm dating someone on a regular basis for the first time in several months, and time available for WG is somewhat limited.
April 2003
I'm still seeing this one lady, but I manage to make 170 entries using a blue stamp on the front and a red stamp on the back.
May 2003
This time the monthly total is 150 entries, using blue on the front and purple on the back. I go to visit a friend of mine from England who is in Palm Springs (he can't get to Tucson). He wouldn't let me buy him lunch, thus depriving me of an opportunity to turn loose of some more ones, but he does let me send him home with a bottle of Don Julio reposado tequila.
June 2003
There are 160 entries this month, which I guess is in accordance with my new monthly average low. I use red on the front and the back.
July 2003
The monthly number of entries plummets to 100, using a purple stamp on the front and a blue one on the back. Yes, I still go the bank to get ones, but they stick me with ratty and/or krinkly bills, and I don't like to enter rats or krinklies.
August 2003
The number of entries plummets to 60! Part of the reason is a vacation to Nebraska and Iowa to visit relatives. There was also a road trip to San Carlos, Mexico. Stamp colors for this month are blue on the front and purple on the back. Yes, I know, I need to get off of my sitting end to enter more bills, though I'm using my sitting end when I enter them.
September 2003
Things pick up, with 130 entries. I use blue on the front and read on the back. I also enter the two wilds that I got in my change when I was in Nebraska.
October 2003
Still more traveling! I make my yearly trip to Oregon but I don't spend very many bills there. I use purple on the front and red on the back. I enter 120 this month. I am nowhere near 20,000 total entries, though by all rights I should have had that several months ago.
October 2003
This month the colors are purple on the front and red on the back. I make my yearly trip to Portland Oregon as well. There are only 120 entries this month.
November 2003
A blue stamp is used on the front. The aftermarket red returns to the back. There are 170 entries this month.
December 2003
In a vain attempt to improve the year-end numbers, I enter and stamp more for this month, using red on both the front and the back. For the first time in five years, I enter bills from San Jose while I am visiting my parents. I enter a total of 340 bills for the month, and end 2003 with only 2120 entered for the year. The grand total of entries is 19,400.
January 2004
I continue with red on the front and red on the back. I enter 200 bills that month. There is a business trip to Los Angeles, but I don't get to distribute very many bills as that I don't want my co-workers to catch on to what I'm doing. Not that it mattered, as that not a single one of these was hit! It doesn't appear that the 20K milestone will fall anytime soon.
February 2004
This month's colors are red on the front and purple on the back. I enter 140 bills.
March 2004
Things really slow down for me this month. Only 80 bills are entered, using purple stamps on both front and back.
April 2004
This record slow pace continues! Again, only 80 for the month, with blue on the front and purple on the back. I still don't have 20,000 bills entered.
May 2004
I pick up the pace, but only enough to finally reach the 20,000 milestone! Bill #20,000 is entered on 5/30/04. There are 100 entries for the month, using red on the front and blue on the back.
June 2004
It's a busy month on the personal front but not on the WG front, although I do better than I did in May. I use a blue stamp on the front and a red stamp on the back for 130 entries. At the end there's a road trip to Laughlin NV and San Jose CA. More bills are entered with the San Jose ZIP code when I'm there as that I ran out of ones before I got there!
July 2004
This is one of my worst months ever as far as entries go. Only 60 bills are entered, using a red stamp on the front and a blue stamp on the back.
August 2004
There's only a very slight improvement over the previous month, as in ten. That's right, only 70 entries. I use a blue stamp on both front and back. Looks like the 25K milestone is a few years off at this present pace.
September 2004
I'm busy dating someone steadily again, and I go to Nebraska this month. Are these lame excuses for only entering 70 for this month too? I use blue on the front and red on the back.
October 2004
I'm still dating the same lady, and I go to Portland for my yearly visit. This month, I have a renewed interest in "Georging". I enter 280 bills! The bills spent in Oregon though don't do well, as that only two bills manage to collect hits out of 19 that are spent in the Portland area. That's not counting one bill spent at LAX that went on to Utah. For stamp colors, I use red on the front and blue on the back.
November 2004
I really start to pick up the pace! I've also resumed entering two dollar bills. I break up with Jennifer, and I don't do any road trips. A total of 470 are entered with blue stamps on both back and front. I tried to reach a 500 entry month, but fall short. I get sent out to Massachusetts on the Monday after Thanksgiving; I think that had something to do with it.
December 2004
I'm still trying to keep pace, but I have yet another business trip to Massachusetts. That really cuts into the time available for bill stamping, but I do add some states to where I've spent bills myself: Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. Too bad that of the fourteen bills I spent at O'Hare, only one can manage to return a hit....from the Chicago area. I use red stamps on both front and back.
For December 2004, I enter 320 bills. For the year 2004, it's a dismal 2000 entries total! I end the year at 21,400 entries, but I vow to make 25K as soon as possible.
January 2005
Wow, what a month! I meet this neat lady named Kathleen. It gets serious. I get my first strap of $2 bills from the bank. Mercury helps greatly in distribution of these. I have a business trip to Los Angeles as well. I stamp bills like crazy trying to make it a 500 bill month, but I only manage to enter 480, using a red stamp on the front and a blue stamp on the back. Of those 480, 152 of them are $2 bills.
February 2005
In spite of spending a lot of time with Kathleen, I am still stamping like crazy, having at it with $1 and $2 bills. There's this "Top Tom" list that I want to be on....you have to enter at least 2000 $2 bills to become a Top Tom. I use red on the front and blue on the back, but I only manage 470 entries, including 214 $2 bills. Dang, I want 500 or more really bad! I used to be able to do that, why not now?
March 2005
This is a very hard month. Kathleen is diagnosed with cancer. It was caught in time, but what they can't cure is a degeneration of her brain. She ends the relationship, and I see who could have been wife #2 slip away from me.
For the first time, I use custom messages stamped in the back margins of all the bills. In orange is one stamp reading "JOURNEY TO THE STARS!" and another reading "ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!". It's a line from an April Wine that has been a favorite for many years.
April 2005
I spend almost a week out in Los Angeles on a business trip. It's depressing enough losing a loved one the previous month, and now I'm stuck in L.A. and I hate it. I manage to enter 630 bills, with red stamps on both front and back. The back margin message is the same as the previous month, but I use black ink instead. I'm not sure, but I think it'll help the hit rate.
May 2005
This month I really go on a tear! On the 2nd, I break the $50,000 amount of cash entered. I start dating again, but it just isn't the same. Stamping bills right now is more fun, even though I miss Kathleen. I use a red stamp on the front and a purple stamp on the back. In the back margin, in black, it's "JOURNEY TO THE STARS!" and "ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!".
It's a good month in terms of Georging. I get to meet a neat Georger, Kevin in FL, who is visiting Tucson for a wedding. I enter 930 bills to set a new monthly record! Where before it seemed that resuming 500+ months was difficult, I'm now wondering....can I possibly get 1000 or more entered in the same month?
June 2005
This is another month where I'm busy stamping. I use a blue stamp on the front and a red stamp on the back. The back margin stamp this month is "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER", and I use blue ink for that. Bill #25,000 is finally entered! That milestone is reached on the 17th. The monthly totals are good: 910 entries! I guess I just can't quite hit 1000 though.
July 2005
I continue ripping 'em out, but the pace does slow down a bit. I'm busy learning HTML and website building. I use blue on the front and purple on the back. The back margin stamp is in brown, and returns to "JOURNEY TO THE STARS! ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!". A total of 670 are entered. That's a good number, but not as good as 900 or so. However, I become a Top Tom on 7/23/05!
August 2005
The pace of entry picks up a little. I use purple stamps on the front and back, and the back margin stamp is "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER" in blue ink. I think I need a greater variety of back margin messages. I don't act on that as of yet. I end up entering 730 bills.
September 2005
Bill entry comes to a temporary halt as that I leave for an overdue vacation that takes me to Philadelphia and New York state. I do get some bills entered though. This month it's red on the front and purple on the back. The back margin message is "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER" in coffee-brown ink. There are only 260 entries this month.
October 2005
It's a busy month in terms of my making my annual trip to Oregon. The bills I spend there do better this year as far as returning hits go. I use purple on the front and red on the back. I continue with "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER" in black ink on the back. I place my first order with Stamp Connection of Oregon (I should have stopped by to see them!) to get new back margin messages. I enter 470 bills.
November 2005
Finally, a new back margin message! I use "BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!" in this standout royal blue ink. It accompanies a blue WG stamp on the front and a purple one on the back. I end up entering 760 bills. I'd like to reach 30K by year's end, but I'm not sure I'll make it. However, I'm entering at a much faster clip as opposed to one year ago.
December 2005
This is quite the month. For the WG stamps, it's red on the front and black on the back. The back margin message, in royal blue, is "HELP ME, SPOCK!" Does it show that I'm a Star Trek fan? I end up entering 690 of these.
I also visit San Jose, but I forget the black stamp! This forces me to use red on the back for those that I entered in San Jose. But the highlight of this trip is getting to meet eight other Georgers at a mini-gathering on the 21st. It's nice to meet several others who suffer from the same sickness that you do when it comes to stamping bills.
I'm impressed with some of the other stamping techniques. I start thinking about using the Dave Anderson stamp that Stamp Connection features.
For the month, it's 690 as I've previously said. For the year, it's 7650 bills worth $17,076. I set lots of new monthly records in 2005, and I'm looking forward now to 2006.
January 2006
I'm still using the classic Ideal 3 liner stamps as described way up there on this page, but I'm thinking of some drastic changes to my stamping technique. I place another order with Stamp Connection to prepare for February. Meantime, January is quite the month. I use a three-liner blue WG stamp on the front and a similar one on the back in purple. The back margin message returns to "JOURNEY TO THE STARS!" "ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!".
It's one of my best months ever. I finally break the 1000 barrier! I set a record with 1100 entries! Getting brand new crisp uncirculated straps from the bank helps!. Bill #30000 is entered on 1/24/06. My George Score is 1189.10, and I'm ranked third in Arizona.
February 2006
Radical sweeping changes in how I mark my bills are introduced! For the first time, I use the Dave Anderson stamp on $1 and $2 bills. It has arrows pointing to the date and the serial number, with a message encircling the Treasury Seal. Mine's customized; instead of the message to its right saying "THIS IS A REGISTERED BILL", mine says "PLEASE REPORT SIGHTINGS". This doesn't work on the fives and up, so for those bills it's a simple one liner in red, "www.wheresgeorge.com".
For the back, I use the classic three-liner in blue, but two new back margin messages are introduced. In the top margin on most bills, the message in blue is "PLEASE REPORT SIGHTINGS". On the bottom, in dark purple, is "BABY DONE GOT SOME SOUL!"...that's the title of another favorite April Wine song. With some bills though I have to place both messages on the top or on the bottom depending on how the bills are cut.
I rip out a total of 730 bills for the month. That's my best February ever.
March 2006
I go back to using the classic three-liner on the front, in red ink. The hits on the previous month's bills though seem to come in a little faster. Maybe it's a better stamp.
On the back, the aftermarket red is brought back after a long hiatus. I may as well put it to use as that it's been in retirement for some time. The back margin messages are as follows: "CURRENCY TRACKING PROJECT" in dark purple and "PLEASE REPORT SIGHTINGS" in royal blue. Only 620 are entered though.
April 2006
I register for the WG gathering that's going to be in Las Vegas next month. Because of that, I feel the need to stamp lots and lots of bills to have enough to trade with everybody. I'm also using yet another customized Dave Anderson stamp on the front.
Because it's April, on the front as part of the stamp, is the April Wine logo. I use the color red on the front. On the back, I use the classic three liner in purple. The back margin messages, as you might have guessed, are "JOURNEY TO THE STARS!" and "ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!" in red ink. People who get my bills sure seem to like that one!
Meantime, another monthly record is set: I enter 1130 bills! My George Score is 1196.40. I'm ranked second in Arizona and #221 nationally. The 3500th $2 bill is entered this month too.
May 2006
A big disappointment strikes when I'm driving to Las Vegas to attend my first ever "mega" WG gathering. Things went well until I made it to Phoenix, when my clutch started slipping! I called my mechanic via cellphone, who advised me to return to Tucson. I learned later that the manufacturer of the part changed ownership about the time it was put in, and quality problems ensued....meaning that mine wasn't the only clutch that failed prematurely. I really felt bad about missing the gathering, as that I had been looking forward to it.
For May, I used a custom Dave Anderson stamp with a BTO logo on the front, using red ink. The back had the classic 3-liner in blue, and in the top margin (or bottom if there wasn't room in the top) in blue ink I stamped "TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS".
For May, I entered 640 bills, for a total of 33,270 entries worth $69904. I ended May having 6367 total hits on 5243 bills, and a George Score of 1198.59. I'm ranked #222 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
June 2006
This was an interesting month. I made my first-ever road trip for the specific purpose of getting a hit in a hard county, that being Greenlee of Arizona. That's AZ's toughest county and after seven years of living in Tucson none of my bills has been hit there! I did this on the last day of the month, taking a detour from a fireworks run that I had made to Lordsburg, NM. I dropped off some bills in Duncan, AZ.
On the way back, I do something that I've never done before. I stopped off in Safford, and found their library. I entered 50 bills while there, adding another ZIP code to the four that I've already entered from. I didn't bring my WG stamp, so they had to come home to Tucson for marking.
For the stamping scheme, it's the classic red on front with the classic purple on back. In orange ink in the top margin is "PLEASE REPORT SIGHTINGS" and on the bottom margin, also in orange, is "HAVE YOU SEEN JUNIOR'S GRADES?". I end up entering 680 bills.
At the end of June, I have 33950 bills entered worth $71149. There are 6518 total hits on 5373 bills. My George Score is now above 1200, at 1201.24. I'm ranked #214 nationally and #3 in Arizona.
July 2006
This is yet another interesting month in my Georging career. On the 21st, I make another trip to Greenlee County, and this time I enter 70 bills at the Clifton public library. I spend some of them there, and on the 27th two of them are hit in Morenci! I finally have Arizona County Bingo! On the 31st, I visit Tombstone, and enter 40 bills there. Some of the bills are spent there, and those that come home with me are held in reserve for future visits to Tombstone. I call this experiment "The Tombstone Project".
For a stamping scheme, I use the original Dave Anderson on the front in purple. On the back is the three liner made by Stamp Connection, and in the back margins are "LIFE'S TOUGH" and "IT'S TOUGHER IF YOU'RE STUPID".
A total of 750 entries are made. My George Score at the end of the month is 1203.74, which puts me in at #209 nationally and #2 in Arizona. A total of 34,700 bills worth $72,286 have been entered.
August 2006
I'm now visitng public libraries in order to run up the number of ZIP codes that I've entered bills in. I'm also using another custom version of the Dave Anderson stamp on the front, this time with "Currency Tracking Project". The back margin message reads "HELP ME, SPOCK!" The month gets off to a slow start hit-wise, but once they start coming, they start coming.
It's a good month though. I enter 620 bills, and I wind the month up with the George Score at 1206.34. I slip two notches nationally, falling to #211. In Arizona, I retain the #2 slot. As of month's end I have 35,320 bills entered worth $73,111.
September 2006
For the month of September, I end up using a Dave Anderson stamp with the BTO logo in purple, and a red three-liner classic. In the back margin, there is "BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!" in blue.
For the first time, I enter bills outside of the United States. On Labor Day I walked across the border into Nogales, Mexico, where I enter 30 bills in an internet cafe that I find down there. I marked them all and managed to spend all 30 of them before leaving. It doesn't take long for the first hit to roll in either.
For the month, there are 780 entries. I've reached 36100 bills worth $74,030. My national ranking is #206 and my state rank is #3. My George Score is 1208.80.
October 2006
The April Wine logo on a custom Dave Anderson returned on the front, this time in purple. The classic three-liner in red remained, and the back margin message, in purple, was "JOURNEY TO THE STARS! ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!"
The pace of entry slowed down somewhat, as that I only entered 610 bills. This leaves me with 36710 entries worth $74,801. My national ranking is #211 and state rank is #2 since the top man in AZ didn't refresh.
November 2006
For this month the Dave Anderson stamp with the BTO logo came back, and in purple. A purple classic three-liner though is used on the back, along with "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER" in blue. I'm busy trying to stamp straps straight from the printers so that I can have bills to trade next month when I visit San Jose.
It's a good month, as that I get 770 bills entered into the system. This takes me to 37480 bills worth $75,809. My George Score is 1212.85, which puts me in at #215 nationally and third in Arizona.
December 2006
The crush of the holidaze is upon us and although a lot of the shopping was done over the summer, I forgot about the Christmas cards. This impacts the amount of bills that I am able to enter this month, which is 630. That's still a decent showing though. The classic three-liner in blue returned to the front, and on the back the top margin has a stamp that simply says "www.wheresgeorge.com" in red, and the bottom back margin has "BABY DONE GOT SOME SOUL" in green. It's the first time since June 2000 that the center of the bill on the back is left blank.
Also, I visit the itty bitty town of Arivaca to enter some bills. I entered 20 of them and had a bit of a challenge getting rid of them since there aren't that many businesses down there. More bills were entered in Nogales that month as well.
The highlight though, is the annual visit to San Jose to visit family and friends. I meet up with several Georgers from the Bay Area and I take home 561 bills in trade....a lot of them want Greenlee County really bad.
At the end of December I have a total of 38110 bills entered that are worth $76,742. My George Score is 1214.47, and that puts me at #220 in the USA and #3 in Arizona. It was a record-breaking year in terms of entries: 9060 for the year! I'm also up to 14 ZIP codes.
January 2007
For this month, the back field of the bill where the "ONE" is was avoided as that the back had the URL stamp in orange this time in the top margin, and "PLEASE REPORT SIGHTINGS" in blue in the bottom margin. The front had the Dave Anderson stamp with "Currency Tracking Project" in blue. I wasn't sure at first if that would help the hit rate, but in the last half of the month the hits started happening with that marking scheme.
A total of 640 bills are entered. This makes for a grand total of 38750 entries worth $77,625. I end the month with a George Score of 1216.62. My national rank is #213, and my state rank is #3. I'm trying to climb up in the rankings but just can't seem to do it. At least I'm not slipping, though it would be nice to break into the top 200.
February 2007
I slowed down somewhat in February, entering only 550 bills....my lowest total since September 2005. I used the custom DA stamp in purple with the BTO logo on front, and the back saw use of the classic three liner in blue. Back margin stamps were "PLEASE REPORT SIGHTINGS" in black (usually in the top margin) and "TAKIN' CARE OF BUSINESS" in blue (usually in the bottom margin). No new ZIP codes were added.
At month's end, I had 39300 entries worth $78,481. My George Score was 1218.69, which placed me at #221 nationally and #3 in Arizona. I hope to break 40K entries in March.
March 2007
This month used the regular Dave Anderson in purple on the front, with the "aftermarket" three liner in red on the back. The back margin message was "HELP ME, SPOCK!" in red. There were 560 bills entered that month, which fell short of the 40,000 total entries that I wanted.
When March ended, there were a total of 39,880 bills worth $79,800 entered. The number of bills with hits was 6385, resulting in a total hit rate of 16.01%. My rank in Arizona remained at #3. Nationally, I finished at #224.
April 2007
The April bills for this year featured the Dave Anderson with the April Wine logo, like they did for last year. This was in red, along with the Stamp Connection classic three liner on the back also in red. The back margin had the "JOURNEY TO THE STARS! ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!" in "coffea bean".
A total of 590 bills were entered. The 40,000th entry took place on the 7th. When the month was over, there were 40,450 entries worth $80,674. My George Score was 1222.28, which was #214 nationally and #3 in Arizona.
May 2007
The classic three liner in red returned on front, and this time the only stamps on the back were in the margins and both were in black. The WG URL was used in the top margin, and "LIVE LONG AND PROSPER" was in the bottom margin. The month saw 670 bills entered, which brought my total to 41,120 entries worth $81,714. At month's end I ranked nationally at #216 and at #4 in Arizona.
June 2007
For June, an all out attempt to enter more than 1000 bills was made and was going well until things at work got busy. I was only able to enter 710 bills, with the custom DA stamp (April Wine logo in blue) on the front and the URL in orange in the top margin on the back. The additional back margin stamps were "JOURNEY TO THE STARS! ROCK AND ROLL GUITARS!" in solid green. At month's end I had 41,830 bills entered worth $82,677. I was ranked #216 nationally and #3 in Arizona.
July 2007
Conditions at work were hectic this month. There were 550 bills entered, but I was able to add some new ZIP codes this month. The total bills entered was 42,380 worth $83,414. My ranking was #217 nationally and #4 in Arizona. My George Score was 1227.26.
August 2007
Two new ZIP codes were added this month! Bills were entered from Sahuarita and Benson for the first time. The total bills entered were 540. This brought the grand total to 42,920 worth $84,229. My ranking was #214 nationally and #5 in Arizona. My George Score was 1228.37.
September 2007
I visited Las Vegas this month! That gave me the opportunity to enter 110 bills from ZIP 89109, The Strip. I wanted to enter a lot of bills, but I could only get in 530. That brought the grand total to 43,450 worth $85,075. My ranking came in at #211 nationally and #5 in Arizona. My George Score was 1229.77.
October 2007
This was a busy month for me as that I had a trip to Portland OR and a hunting trip. In spite of that, I was able to enter 530 bills to bring my grand total to 43,980 bills worth $85,856. My George Score came in at 1231.10, which placed me at #209 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
November 2007
Things weren't quite as busy this month as they had been the previous month. I was able to enter 670 bills. For the first time, I entered bills in New Mexico. I visited Lordsburg and turned loose of all 30 bills that I entered there. I finished the month with 44,650 bills entered that were worth $86,895. My George Score was 1232.34, ranking me nationally at #205 and #5 in Arizona.
December 2007
This was a busy month as well, but I had time off for the holidaze. We had a gathering in Phoenix on the 1st where I met up with the Arizona Gang. I also made my annual road trip and was able to meet up with several Georgers including MojaveWanderer, breadfan, gremlin, Greymoon, Todd, John in San Jose, and Rowan. I acquired some new ZIP codes too....Phoenix, Buttonwillow (CA) and Needles (CA). For this month, 850 bills were entered. This made for a total of 45,500 entries worth $88,152. My George Score was 1233.84. Nationally, I was ranked at #209, and #6 in Arizona.
January 2008
I slowed down a bit for this month. I took home about 800 bills received in trade while in CA, and I wanted to start getting these out. I ended up entering 570 bills, for a grand total of 46,070 worth $89,088. My George Score at month's end was 1235.25. This had me at #207 in the USA, and #4 in Arizona.
February 2008
I slowed down slightly during this month, with the flu not helping matters any. I was able to enter 530 bills, to push the grand total to 46,600 entries worth $89,806. My George Score at the end of February was 1236.50, which places me at #203 nationally and #5 in Arizona.
March 2008
This was a busy month, with two weekends being consumed by out of state visitors. I was still able to get in 530 entries. When I was done, I had 47,130 bills worth $90,432 entered. This left me with a George Score of 1237.86, which had me at #206 nationally and #5 in Arizona.
April 2008
Yet another month with 530 entries! I'm not doing that on purpose either. As of month's end, there were 47,660 bills entered worth $91,229. My George Score was 1239.18. I improved somewhat nationally, coming in at #202, but I was still #5 in Arizona.
May 2008
For May 2008, I entered 570 bills. This left me with a grand total of 48,230 bills worth $92,010. The George Score was 1240.54, placing me at #204 nationally and at #4 in Arizona.
June 2008
Things picked up, but only slightly. During this month I visited Palm Springs for a few days, and was able to enter 260 bills while there. For the whole month, I got in 600 entries. The total number of bills entered was at 48,830, worth $92,832. My George Score was 1241.82. Ranking: #208 nationally, #4 in Arizona.
July 2008
There were 570 entries this month, which was good considering that I was dealing with some unusual personal circumstances (all good). Kathleen is back! It turned out that she got the wrong test results back in March 2005! We started dating again, with our first time out being a Where's George gathering in Scottsdale. I also changed jobs within the company, getting a better one.
The amount of entries brought my total to 49,400 bills entered worth $93,575. This resulted in a George Score of 1243.17, putting me in at #213 nationally and at #4 in Arizona.
August 2008
August was a very busy month for me, but in spite of it I was to enter 610 bills, which made for my best month this year (so far). I also broke the 50,000 mark! I ended the month with 50,010 entries worth $94,518. My George Score was 1244.36. Nationally, this places me at #200. In Arizona, I'm at #5.
September 2008
September was a fun month. I was able to enter 660 bills this month, for a yearly high. Of those, 120 were entered in Las Vegas. At months' end, I had 50,670 entries worth $95,488. My George Score came in at 1245.51, which ranked me at #210 nationally and #5 in Arizona.
October 2008
I set a record for October with 830 entries. The totals at the end of the month were 51,500 entries worth $96,585. My George Score was 1246.85. This had me ranked at #209 nationally and #5 in Arizona.
November 2008
November was a busy month, but I was able to enter 640 bills. This brought me to 52,140 bills entered worth $97,508. The George score was 1248.21, placing me at #203 nationally and at #6 in Arizona.
December 2008
My pace quickened up for this month. Having time off at the end of the year helped, even though I was in San Jose for most of that time off. I entered 710 bills. At year's end, I had 52,850 bills entered worth $99,369. My George score was 1249.57, which had me ranked at #214 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
January 2009
The first month of the new year saw me break the $100,000 mark on the 22nd! I went on to finish with 610 entries. This left me with 53,460 bills entered worth $100,345. The George Score at the end of the month was 1250.99. This placed me at #212 nationally and at #5 in Arizona.
February 2009
I slowed down a little in February, only getting in 520 entries. I ended the month with 53,980 bills entered worth $101,128. My George Score was not recorded as that I was out of town when the month ended. My ranking was #212 nationally and #5 in Arizona.
March 2009
My pace improved somewhat during March, with 580 entries. I finished with 54,560 entries worth $101,991. My George Score at the end of the month was 1254.01. This had me ranking at #214 nationally and #5 in Arizona.
April 2009
Like the month before, I had 580 entries in April. The total amount of bills entered was 55,140, worth $102,907. My George Score was 1255.40. My ranking nationally was #217, and I improved to #4 in Arizona.
May 2009
My pace of entries slipped slightly, as that I entered 520 bills this month. This brought my total amount of bills entered to 55,660 worth $103,577. At month's end my George Score was 1256.79. I ranked at #222 nationally and at #5 in Arizona.
June 2009
For the first time in nearly four years I had less than 500 bills entered in a month, with 470 entries. I knew that I was slipping pace but I needed to focus on some other things. The total bills entered at the end of June was 56,130 amounting to $104,335. The George Score was 1257.93. I improved to #206 nationally and to #4 in Arizona.
July 2009
This ended up being a good month. Kathleen and I flew out to Pennsylvania on the 19th. I picked up two new ZIP codes: 17112 Harrisburg PA and 19083 Havertown PA. I entered 630 bills to bring my total to 56,760 entries worth $105,206. My George Score was an even 1259.00, placing me at #217 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
August 2009
This ended up being a not so good month. Kathleen and I broke up, and I had to deal with getting a new refrigerator. I was only able to get in 350 entries this month. When it was over, I totalled out at 57,110 bills entered worth $105,840. My George Score was, get this: an even 1260.00! My ranking did improve to #212 nationally and I remained at #4 in Arizona.
September 2009
This was a somewhat better month. I entered 460 bills, up over one hundred from the previous month but short of the five hundred entries I'd like to get in each month. At the point where the year is three quarters finished, I had 57,570 entries worth $106,703. My George Score came in at 1260.76. My rank improved again nationally, at #204. In Arizona I remain at #4.
October 2009
For October 2009, I entered 430 bills, which brought my total number of entries to 58,000. The total amount entered was $107,298. My George Score was 1261.65, placing me at #208 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
November 2009
I picked up the pace this month. I got in 580 entries. This brought me up to 58,580 bills entered worth $108,201. At month's end my George Score was 1262.49. I now rank #214 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
December 2009
To prepare for a gathering at the end of the month, I stepped up my pace. I entered 780 bills during December, which ended up becoming my highest monthly total for 2009. My total entries now number 59,360, with those bills being worth $109,560. I closed out the month (and year) with a George Score of 1263.39. This puts me at #213 nationally, but at #5 in Arizona.
The gathering was at the Tied House in Mountain View, CA. I took home 691 bills in trade there. After the gathering I stopped off to see breadfan, and picked up 460 more in trade. I've now got a lot of trade bills to get of. Good thing a commercial Georger I know moved to Tucson this month!
January 2010
My pace slowed down a bit in January. I entered 630 bills total, and ended the month at 59,990 bills entered worth $110,603. I would have broken the 60K mark except that Where's George got star billing on Yahoo!, and thus the site wasn't reachable due to the high volume of traffic.
At the end of the month, my George Score was 1264.26. This had me in at #5 in Arizona and #205 nationally. I keep trying to break the top 200, but just can't seem to get there. Oh well.
On a much brighter note, I met Lynette for the very first time, after an initial introduction on eHarmony. We found out that we had a great deal more in common than we first thought. Life is good!
February 2010
Thanks to Caleb the Quik Trip Guy, I was able to set a record for February and get some more bills out there. A new stamping style using a custom message on the back, I think, also helped the hit rate. I entered 870 bills, significantly sending out five dollar bills. The total entered was 60,860 bills worth $113,845. My George Score was 1265.39, placing me at #212 nationally and at #4 in Arizona.
March 2010
This was a hot month! For only the third time in my career I entered more than a thousand bills in a month! A new March record was set too, with the 1070 entries that I got in. When it was all over, I had 61,930 bills entered worth $117,354. My George Score at the close of the month was 1266.95. I came up to #207 nationally and held on to the #4 slot in Arizona.
I also attended two gatherings. One was at Casey Moore's in Tempe, and the other was in Tucson where The Roaming Gnome came out from Rhode Island to attend an air show. Lynette was at both gatherings.....she likes the WG crowd! Well, what's not to like about us?
April 2010
I slowed down quite a bit for April. Part of it was wanting to do some other things, which I took the time to do since I was fearing "burnout" of WG. I caught up on some reading and spent some time with Lynette. We visited parts of Arizona that were new to me.
As a result, I was only able to get in 580 entries. I now have 62,510 bills entered worth $119,329. My George Score at month's end came to 1268.01. I'm now #207 nationally, and #5 in Arizona.
May 2010
I picked up the pace in May. I entered 800 bills, which made it a good month. At the end of the month I had 63,310 entries worth $121,730. My George score came in at 1269.37. This has me at #204 nationally, and #4 in Arizona.
June 2010
Due to some traveling, the amount of entries dipped down to 560. I ended June with 63,870 entries, with the dollar amount of entered bills being worth $123,846. As that I was on travel on the last day of the month and wasn't able to check in, I can't provide a George score or ranking. I did turn loose of several bills in northern Illinois/southern Wisconsin.
July 2010
Lynette and I returned from Illinois/Wisconsin, after which we shortly broke up (and I'm at peace about it too). I ened up entering 720 bills for that month, bringing my total entered to 64,590 bills. The dollar amount of those bills was worth $124,976. My George Score at the end of the month was 1272.04. I finally cracked the Top 200 nationally, coming in at #197. In Arizona, I'm at #5.
August 2010
My pace of entries slowed this month, as I only got in 630 entries this time. This brought my total entries to 65,220 with the dollar value of $126,523. My George Score ended at 1273.40. I am now ranked nationally at #196, and at #5 in Arizona. Hopefully I can ratchet myself upward a few notches.
Also during August, we had a gathering here in Tucson. Mark from Pennsylvania was in Tucson visiting his sister, and I set up a gathering where we were joined by Afa Dollah, Diamondback Dave, and Diamondback Dave's son Chris.
September 2010
This was my best September ever, with 880 entries! Well, 200 of them were crisp uncirculated (CU) bills that were entered/marked for later trading at gatherings. I'm trying to build up the trade stock in anticipation of future gatherings.
My total entries are now 66,100 bills entered; worth $127,987. My George Score is now 1274.66. My ranking is now #188 nationally, and #5 in Arizona. I'm glad to be in the top 200 nationally but I don't know if I'll make the top 100.
October 2010
Things slowed down a bit for me this month, as that I came down to 660 entries. Part of this was due to a four day interruption for my annual trip to Portland, Oregon. I did manage to enter and release 40 bills while in Portland, as well as turning loose of some bills at the airport in Las Vegas where I connected both coming and going.
This brings my total amount of entries to 66,760 bills worth $129,490. My George Score came in at 1275.89. I finished the month at #197 nationally and #3 in Arizona, mainly due to a couple of Arizona users not refreshing their stats.
November 2010
Things slowed down a bit more in November, as that one weekend was spent out deer hunting down near Willcox. We didn't come home with any but we sure saw a lot of interesting wildlife! Anyway, this gave me an opportunity to release in Willcox, some bills that had been entered there in a previous visit at the end of July.
That aside, there were 610 entries for the month, bringing the total dollar worth to $130,920. My George Score at month's end was 1276.94, having me at #190 nationally and #5 in Arizona. Onward to December!
December 2010
At the front end of the month, we had a gathering in Mesa at Los Dos Molinos Mexican restaurant, and we plan to go back there in January. I came home with several traded bills, hoping to take them to San Jose. But, I didn't make it to San Jose for Christmas. I lost my right front wheel at 70 mph some ten minutes after crossing into California, so I was stuck in Lake Havasu City AZ for a few days awaiting repairs. This did give me the opportunity to enter/release bills there, thus adding a ZIP code, but that did little to lift my spirits for missing out on Christmas with my parents.
I slowed down a lot in terms of total entries, but I stepped up quite a bit in entering/releasing $100 bills. For some reason I wanted to get more Bens out there. These were mostly ditched at a local casino but as I write this none of them have checked in yet.
But on to the stats. I had 530 entries this month, to run up my total entered to 67,900 bills worth $135,774. My George Score was 1277.88. I am now at #209 nationally and #5 in Arizona. Onward we go.
January 2011
January 2011 was uneventful as far as WG and personal life went. I entered 550 bills that month. This brought my total to 68,450 bills entered worth $137,620. My George Score was 1279.02. This had me at #198 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
February 2011
This was a tough month on the personal front. I entered only 250 bills this time around. My totals are now 68,700 bills entered, worth $138,400. My George Score came in at 1279.89. This places me at #204 nationally and #4 in Arizona.
March 2011
Statistics were not collected for the month ending March 2011. All I can tell you is that there were 310 entries that month to bring me up to 69010 total entries.
April 2011
This was not an active month as far as entries go as that I had some personal issues to deal with. I did collect month-end stats. I entered 180 bills that month, to bring my totals up to 69190 bills worth $139,444. My George Score was 1281.08. This had me at #204 nationally, and #6 in Arizona. Fortunately things started improving for me that month.
May 2011
Things picked up for me! I had time to enter 340 bills. At month's end this made for 69,530 entries, and the total dollar worth of all entries came to $140, 537. My George Score was 1281.75. I slipped nationally to #209, but came up to #3 in Arizona. I guess a few of the Arizona Georgers who were ahead of me either dropped out, or did not renew.
June 2011
Finally.....a month with 500 or more entries! But not more than 500, but exactly 500. This pushed me past the 70K mark. The totals at the end of June were 70,030 entries, with a value of $143,097. My George Score this time was 1282.42. This had me at #190 nationally, and #2 in Arizona.
July 2011
And now.....a month with more than 600 entries! July saw a total of 610 bills entered, to bring my total number of bills entered to 70,640. The dollar amount of those entered stood at $144,631. At month's end, my George Score was 1283.12, placing me at #203 nationally and #2 in Arizona.
August 2011
Production, or rather, entry, continued to rise. This was one of the better months! I entered 860 bills, to raise my totals to 71,500 entries worth $146,928. My George Score at the end was 1283.96, which propelled me to #200 nationally, and still at #2 for Arizona.
September 2011
Things slowed down for me in September. It was busy at work, with some long days here and there. I was able to get in exactly 600 entries this time. I made a special effort this month to concentrate on hundred dollar bills, which pushed me past the $150K milestone. With three quarters of this year down, my total entries are now 72,100, worth $152,812. My George Score was 1284.68. This ranked me at #197 in the USA and #2 in Arizona.
October 2011
October was a decent month, with fewer entries than September, but still not bad. This time I got in 570 entries for the month. The totals now are at 72,670 entries worth $154,845. My George Score at the end of the month was 1285.27, this time having me at #198 in the nation, and #3 in Arizona (someone here refreshed!)
November 2011
I took some time off from work this month, and went to San Jose to see my parents. During the trip, I met with some fellow Georgers for a small gathering at the Tied House in Mountain View, taking home 764 bills in trade! I entered bills in Tucson, Quartzsite, Buttonwillow, San Jose and Victorville! Five cities! The number of bills entered was 560. There are now 73,230 entries worth $157,138. George Score? Well that came in at 1285.88. I went up one notch nationwide to #197, but still am at #3 in Arizona.
December 2011
My pace of entries slowed down for the last month of the year. Part of it was due to concentrating on getting the bills acquired in trade out there, and the other part of it was due to dislocating one of my fingers, which had me out of entering bills for a couple of days. And of course, it being the season of the holidaze didn't help matters here either. All told, I got in 370 entries. This ran my total number of bills entered to 73,600, worth $158,050. I ended the month and year with a George Score of 1286.45. I fell to #198 nationwide, but held at #3 in Arizona.
January 2012
My finger injury and being busy both contributed to a decline of entries for the New Year. I also concentrated in larger denomination bills and in getting the bills collected in "trade" out there, which also impacted the number of entries. The total entries for January 2012 numbered 310. All-time totals are now 73,910 entries worth $159,045. My George Score at the end of the month was 1287.13. This placed me at #193 nationwide and at #2 in Arizona.
February 2012
The pace picked up in February, thanks to the extra day that we got this year. I was able to get in 400 entries. This runs up the grand total of entries to 74,310, with a total dollar value of $160.333. My George Score came in at 1287.59. I held at #193 nationally and at #2 in Arizona.
March 2012
The pace of entries picked up in March, but mainly to enter several bills to be used as trade stock for a gathering. There were 470 entries that month, to bring me up to 74,870 bills entered worth $161,697. My George Score at the close of the month was 1288.18. This had me at #199 nationally and at #2 in Arizona.
April 2012
April pretty much kept up the pace from the previous month. There were 480 entries. This brought me up to 75,260 bills entered worth $163,335. I ended this month with a George Score of 1288.79. I climbed up to #195 nationally and remained at #2 in Arizona.
May 2012
I had my best month of the year, so far with entries! I was able to get in 670 bills entered. Part of this was due to entering more $2 bills and being able to arrange for them to be handed out in change for me. I ended May with 75,930 total entries, with a dollar value of $167,830. My George Score came in at 1289.45. For some reason I am now at #184 nationally (did some people forget to refresh?) and I still hold at #2 in Arizona.
June 2012
The month of June was decent. I entered 520 bills, and any month I get in 500 or more entries is a "decent" month. The June entries ran my totals up to 76,450 bills entered worth $170,106. My George Score was 1290.16, which placed me at #194 nationally and still at #2 in Arizona.
July 2012
July was better than June in terms of entries. This month I got in 600 of them, bringing my total bills entered to 77,050 worth $172,990. My George Score ended the month at 1290.24. I slipped a notch nationally to #195, but held at #2 in Arizona.
August 2012
I didn't enter as many bills this month, for two reasons. One, I took a vacation to Virginia for one week and made it a true vacation by not entering bills that week. Two, I have been getting a lot of ratty bills from the bank, and I hate rats and krinklies. I don't enter them. So I took those back to the bank and got twenties for them. I have entered twenties regularly but it seems as if I had been entering a lot lately. Anyway, there were 330 entries. My totals are now 77,380 bills entered worth $174,243. My George Score is 1291.57. I slipped a few notches again, as that I am now #202 nationally but I continue to be #2 in Arizona.
September 2012
My pace picked up a little in September, though I came nowhere near breaking a record. I entered 400 bills that month. This had me at 77,780 entries worth $175,839. My George Score at month's end was 1292.06. This ranked me at #200 nationally, and #2 in Arizona.
October 2012
This month, entry-wise, wasn't quite as good as the previous month. October saw me enter 370 bills, bringing my total entered at 78,150. The amount of bills entered became $177,056. My George Score was 1292.54. I slipped one notch nationally and came in at #201 but I held at #2 in Arizona.
November 2012
November was a better month for me. This time I broke the half gallon mark (500), with 550 entries. This brought me up to 78,700 bills entered with a value of $178,688. My George Score at the close of the month was 1293.04. I came up to #198 nationally, and remained at #2 in Arizona. On now to the last month of the year!
December 2012
December is usually the month for my annual road trip to San Jose, and that was the case for this year. During the trip I met up with several of the NorCal Georgers (a really great group of people!) at the Tied House in Mountain View. I took home 562 bills this time; down from the record set last year of 764 bills. Anyway, December saw 660 entries, making this a good month.....though 100 of them were CU $5 bills in a strap (all traded at the Tied House) and 200 CU singles (also traded at the Tied House.)
So, at month's end, I had 79,360 bills entered worth $181,110. My George Score was 1293.62. I end the year at #199 nationally, and still at #2 in Arizona. Now on to a new year!
January 2013
The new year got off to a good start with 670 bills entered for its first month. No, it's not a record, but it's good. The total entries at the stroke of midnight on the last day of January was 80,030 bills worth $182,781. My George Score came in at 1294.13. I climbed up to #195 nationally but remained at #2 in Arizona. On a personal note, I met a neat lady named Sheila on the 26th.
February 2013
I slowed down in February, and I'm going to blame my new girlfriend Sheila. We spent a lot of time together this month and I had less time to spend entering/stamping bills, so I only got in 340 entries. When I was done for the month I had 80,370 bills entered worth $184,282. My George Score was 1294.72. I fell in the ranks to #205 nationally, but I remained at #2 in Arizona.
March 2013
The pace picked up in March as that I got in 520 entries, in spite of spending a lot of time with Sheila. This brought me up to 80,890 entries with the total value of the bills at $186,300. At the turn of the month my George Score was 1295.33. I climbed the ranks nationally to #198 and since no one in Arizona refreshed, I was #1!
April 2013
April was an interesting month as that it gave me the opportunity to send out several hundred dollar bills. Sheila and I went up to Las Vegas for a long weekend, staying downtown at the Fremont. I entered/marked bills with the downtown Vegas ZIP of 89101, and proceeded to send out four or five at a time, walking up and down Fremont Street. I would cash out before I lost very much, thus getting new hundreds to enter and mark. For the month, there were 680 bills entered. I closed April with 81,570 entries with the bills' worth of $190,664. The George Score tallied at 1295.99. This had me at an even #200 nationally, but I slipped to #3 in Arizona.
May 2013
The amount of entries slipped somewhat in May, though I think any month with 500 or more is a good month. I got that good month with 540 entries, to bring the total number of bills entered to 82,110, that were worth $192, 165. My George Score continued its slow climb to 1296.55. I slipped a couple of notches nationally to land at #204, but was back at #1 in Arizona.
June 2013
June was an even better month than May, as that this time I got in 680 entries. This got my total number of entries to 82,790, with the value of all bills entered to $195, 755. The George Score incremented another integer and was at 1297.14 at the halfway point of the year. I returned to #198 nationally, but slipped to my usual slot of #2 for the state.
July 2013
July 2013 will always be remembered for two things. One, a trip to San Jose so that Sheila could meet my parents, and two, another trip along historic US 66 from Victorville to Barstow, and then Barstow to Ludlow. This trip allowed me to enter/release bills in Gila Bend AZ (for the first time), Quartzsite AZ, San Jose CA, Arvin CA (for the first time), Victorville CA, Lake Havasu City AZ, and Parker AZ (for the first time). All told, there were 530 entries this month. Totals became 83,320 entries worth $197,941. My George Score tallied at 1297.72, leaving me ranked #202 nationally and #2 for Arizona.
August 2013
August saw a very slight slippage in entries from the previous month: 520 entries, down ten. This ran the totals up to 83,840 bills entered worth $199,627. My George Score ended the month at 1298.41. I slipped in the national ranking to #207 but held at #2 in Arizona.
September 2013
My pace of entries slowed for September, as that I got in 430 entries. RaySF passed thru Tucson on the 24th and I met up with him and traded some bills. At month's end this gave me a total of 84,270 entries worth $201,376. My George Score weighed in at 1299.11. I moved up to #203 nationally, and to #1 in Arizona, but my state ranking is more indicative of Caleb forgetting to refresh than anything else here.
October 2013
October didn't pick up very much from the previous month, with 460 entries. I did make a visit to Portland OR, where I entered some bills, and I also met with breadfan in Gresham, who I've known for several years. He had recently moved from San Jose, to start a new chapter in his life.....like I did so many years before. The total of entries increased to 84,730 bills worth $203,222. My George Score closed the month at 1299.68, placing me at #197 nationally, and #3 in Arizona.
November 2013
Now here was a good month! I got in 810 entries! This ended up being the best month, entry-wise, for 2013. The total number of entries was at 85,540 bills, with a total value of $207,435. My George Score broke 1300 too! At month's end it tipped the scales at 1300.43, putting me at #188 in the USA, and #2 in Arizona.
December 2013
The final month of 2013 was another good month! It wasn't quite as good as the previous month, but 770 entries isn't bad! This ran the total up to 86,310 bills entered worth $211,955. My George Score tallied up at 1301.15, placing me at #196 nationally, and slipping to #3 in Arizona.
January 2014
The first month of the new year saw a slowing down of sorts, with 520 entries logged in. This brought the total entries of bills to 86,380, valued at $214,239. My George Score at the end of January was 1301.98. I moved up a few notches nationally to #192, and I also reached #1 in Arizona.
February 2014
Things slowed down for me this month, largely in part to a tough assignment at work. I was only able to enter 320 bills. The total number of entries at month's end was 87,150 bills. The total dollar value of bills entered came in at $215,449. The George Score weighed in at 1302.49. I slipped somewhat in the rankings, landing at #198 nationally and at #2 in Arizona.
March 2014
During March I took Sheila and the kids for a long weekend in San Diego County, where we visited Lego Land. It had been several years since I had been there for another occasion. We stayed in Encinitas, being there long enough to enter 70 bills in that ZIP code. The month went on to become a great one, with 880 bills entered. This brought the total amount of entries to 88,030. The amount of bills entered came in at $218,043. The George Score ended the month at 1303.15. I came in at #194 nationally but remained at #2 in Arizona.
April 2014
April 2014 was something of a tough month personally, which affected my pace of entries. I slowed down to 360 bills this month, for a total of 88,390 bills entered worth $219,138. My George Score was 1303.77. Nationally this had me at #195, (still in the top 200), and I returned to #1 in Arizona.....mainly due to the usual number 1 slot holder moving out of state. On a much brighter note, Sheila and I became engaged on the 25th.
May 2014
This month saw an improvement both personally and somewhat in Georging. I got in 430 entries for the month, bringing me up to 88,820 bills entered worth $220,612. The George Score closed the month at 1304.38. I rose up in the ranks nationally to #188 and I retained the #1 position in Arizona.
