1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,520 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,520 --> 00:00:22,639 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales right there on display, just waiting 5 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,720 --> 00:00:40,040 Speaker 1: We've all been there. Fingers covered in paper cuts, pieces 7 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 1: of Scotch tape, stuck along the edge of a coffee table, 8 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: a single pair of scissors that keeps getting lost. For me, 9 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,600 Speaker 1: every Christmas Eve turns into a mad dash to finish 10 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: wrapping presents, which got me thinking, how did this tradition 11 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:56,960 Speaker 1: even begin? Well, it turns out the practice of wrapping 12 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: gifts can be traced all the way back to the 13 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: first century CE. It began in Korea with a special 14 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,399 Speaker 1: type of decorative, reusable wrapping cloth called a bajogi. A 15 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:10,360 Speaker 1: similar practice arose in Japan during the sixteen hundreds. By 16 00:01:10,360 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 1: the Victorian era, gift wrapping had spread to Great Britain, 17 00:01:13,760 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: although it was mainly a luxury for the upper classes, 18 00:01:16,920 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: and this was when wrapping paper started to look kind 19 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: of similar to what we use today. Instead of reusable cloth. 20 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,440 Speaker 1: They covered gifts in thick patterned paper, and they usually 21 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: added some ribbon or lace for that extra special pop. 22 00:01:28,880 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: For those who couldn't afford this kind of frivolity, tissue 23 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,600 Speaker 1: paper was a less pricey alternative. It was common to 24 00:01:34,640 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: see gifts shrouded in festive colors like red, green, or white, 25 00:01:38,360 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: and some stores wrap gift items themselves as a courtesy. 26 00:01:42,120 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: But not everyone was in favor of this colorful practice. 27 00:01:45,800 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: The nineteen eleven edition of Hardware Dealers magazine featured the 28 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 1: following note, and I quote, whatever your business, leave the 29 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 1: freak wrapping papers to the other fellow, which is pretty harsh. 30 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:00,680 Speaker 1: I mean, what did the freak paper ever do to him? 31 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: In any case, this crotchety advice was largely ignored. By 32 00:02:04,440 --> 00:02:07,040 Speaker 1: the nineteenth century, the tissue paper fad had made its 33 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 1: way across the Pond, and American stores often sold out 34 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: of the product around the holidays. In fact, it's exactly 35 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: what happened to Jc and Raleigh Hall, two brothers who 36 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:20,440 Speaker 1: ran a stationary store in Kansas City, Missouri, in nineteen seventeen. 37 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:23,680 Speaker 1: Their gift wrapping shelves ran empty. Not wanting to upset 38 00:02:23,680 --> 00:02:27,520 Speaker 1: their customers or miss out on valuable holiday sales. JC 39 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 1: and Raleigh went to the back of the store and 40 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: looked for something that could replace the tissue paper. They 41 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 1: found some thin, decorative sheets that they had ordered from France. 42 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: They normally used it for lining envelopes, but with no 43 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: other options, the brothers put the French paper out for 44 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,040 Speaker 1: sale at ten cents a sheet. The whole stack sold 45 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: out within a single day, so the next year, JC 46 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: and Raleigh ordered more French paper, this time specifically marketing 47 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,600 Speaker 1: it for wrapping gifts. Again, it sold out to almost immediately. 48 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: In nineteen nineteen, after two years of paper selling success, 49 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: the brothers started designing and producing their own decorative wrapping paper. 50 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: This product was so successful that has sparked an entirely 51 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:09,160 Speaker 1: new industry wrapping paper as we know it was born. 52 00:03:10,080 --> 00:03:12,920 Speaker 1: These days, it's estimated that over eight thousand tons of 53 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:16,519 Speaker 1: wrapping paper are used each Christmas season. It's a sixteen 54 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:20,079 Speaker 1: point two billion dollar industry. In the UK alone, people 55 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: throw away over two hundred and twenty five thousand miles 56 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: of paper during the holidays. That's enough to wrap around 57 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:29,160 Speaker 1: the globe nine times. To say it's wasteful would be 58 00:03:29,240 --> 00:03:31,919 Speaker 1: an understatement. Maybe that's why the guy who wrote into 59 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 1: Hardware Dealers Magazine was so upset. In my opinion, it 60 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:37,240 Speaker 1: might be time to take a page out of the 61 00:03:37,280 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: ancient Korean book and think about switching to a reusable 62 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: cloth wrap like the bajogi. In fact, my family's been 63 00:03:43,520 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: doing that for a few years now, but it doesn't 64 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: seem like people are willing to give up on wrapping 65 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:51,960 Speaker 1: paper anytime soon. Christmas just wouldn't be the same without 66 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:54,840 Speaker 1: those paper cuts, the scotch tape, and the missing scissors, 67 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,240 Speaker 1: and of course the feeling of tearing into a present 68 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 1: to see what's hidden inside. And we have jac and 69 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: Raleigh Hall to thank for making wrapping paper what it 70 00:04:03,600 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: is today. Indeed, the brothers created something of a paper 71 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:11,000 Speaker 1: based dynasty, selling everything from wrapping paper to stationary to 72 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: greeting cards. Their brand even expanded into television and film, 73 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,920 Speaker 1: becoming known for producing holiday movies. And you've probably heard 74 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,920 Speaker 1: of the name of j. C. And Raleigh's stationary store, 75 00:04:22,520 --> 00:04:40,640 Speaker 1: it's called Hallmark. A couple of Christmases ago, a strange 76 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 1: story made the headlines in Utah. A person had gone 77 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: into a grocery store, paid in cash and received some change, 78 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:48,719 Speaker 1: and then they stuck the money in their wallet without 79 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:51,120 Speaker 1: much thought. But later, when they looked at the one 80 00:04:51,160 --> 00:04:53,839 Speaker 1: dollar bill they'd received from the cashier, they were shocked 81 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: to see the face staring back at them. It wasn't 82 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: the regular green tinted George Washington. Instead, in the center 83 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 1: of the bill there was a portrait of none other 84 00:05:03,160 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: than jolly old Saint Nick staring at Santa Claus. The 85 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,560 Speaker 1: person was baffled. They thought maybe it was some kind 86 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 1: of holiday joke, but then they started to worry that 87 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,280 Speaker 1: they'd been given a counterfeit bill. Unsure what else to do, 88 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 1: they took a picture of the dollar and sent it 89 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,359 Speaker 1: to the Fox news station in Salt Lake City. It 90 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: turns out this person wasn't the only one who had 91 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: stumbled upon some curious cash. The news station published an 92 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:28,799 Speaker 1: article letting people know that the festive funds were indeed 93 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: legal us tender. That image of Chris Kringle was just 94 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 1: a sticker placed there by a charity that was fittingly 95 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:39,360 Speaker 1: called Santa's Dollars. Each year, Santa's Dollars sells the merry 96 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: money at a slight markup, donating the profits to a 97 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: long list of good causes, and so that is how 98 00:05:45,080 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: a bunch of weird bucks ended up in Salt Lake 99 00:05:47,480 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: City supermarkets. But considering that we're only one minute into 100 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 1: this story, you probably know that this is part of 101 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,960 Speaker 1: a much longer and much weirder history of American currency. 102 00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 1: You see, the standardized US dollars of today were designed 103 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:03,919 Speaker 1: and instituted in the early eighteen sixties. Prior to that, 104 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:07,120 Speaker 1: every single state could make their own money. There were 105 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:11,480 Speaker 1: New York dollars, Massachusetts dollars, Connecticut dollars, and so on 106 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:14,839 Speaker 1: and so forth. As you probably imagine, this created a 107 00:06:14,839 --> 00:06:18,000 Speaker 1: lot of confusion when it came to conducting business across 108 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: state lines. But it gets even worse. Beyond having different 109 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:25,599 Speaker 1: currencies in each state. Even individual banks could design and 110 00:06:25,640 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 1: print their own dollars. Just imagine trying to keep your 111 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:32,279 Speaker 1: Bank of America ones separated from your Chase Bank twenties. 112 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: You would need like three times as many compartments in 113 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: your wallet. And on top of all of this, the 114 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: gold Standard, which lasted until nineteen seventy one, made the 115 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: situation even more complicated. The gold standard is a system 116 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: in which the value of paper currency is directly connected 117 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 1: to gold. For example, if a bank had a million 118 00:06:50,600 --> 00:06:53,359 Speaker 1: dollars worth of gold, they could print a million dollar 119 00:06:53,440 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: bills with the promise that at any time a customer 120 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,159 Speaker 1: could exchange their money for the metal. Basically, because gold 121 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,480 Speaker 1: is a precious metal, it was perceived to have inherent value. 122 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: By contrast, money, which is literally just dyed paper, only 123 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: had value if it was backed by gold. That meant 124 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: that banks had an incentive to keep as much gold 125 00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: on hand as possible while convincing customers to use the 126 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: paper money instead. But as you'd imagine, to make people 127 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:22,360 Speaker 1: want dollars instead of gold, banks had to get very creative. 128 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: Take the Saint Nicholas Bank of New York City for example. 129 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,800 Speaker 1: In the early eighteen hundreds, the institution capitalized on its 130 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,920 Speaker 1: name by printing a whole series of holiday themed bills. 131 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 1: These weren't decorated by stickers like the Santa dollars of today. 132 00:07:36,640 --> 00:07:39,800 Speaker 1: They literally had images of Santa Claus, his sleigh, and 133 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,440 Speaker 1: his reindeer woven into the fabric. The idea was to 134 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,840 Speaker 1: make paper money fun and collectible so people would willingly 135 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 1: keep it over gold, and it worked, or at least 136 00:07:50,040 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: the idea caught on later on in the eighteen fifties, 137 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 1: the Howard Banking Company released a so called center Closs 138 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,320 Speaker 1: bill featuring pictures of the Dutch version of Santa, and 139 00:08:00,400 --> 00:08:03,840 Speaker 1: more banks followed suit. All In all, twenty one financial 140 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:08,040 Speaker 1: institutions in eight different states jumped on the merry money train, 141 00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 1: creating and distributing holiday themed dollars. People love them, and 142 00:08:12,480 --> 00:08:14,640 Speaker 1: banks love that they got to keep their gold in 143 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: the safe. But no fad last forever. When the US 144 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: institutionalized the standardized national currency in the early eighteen sixties, 145 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:27,400 Speaker 1: all of these unique bills suddenly became worthless. Well kind of. 146 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: If you happen upon a nineteenth century Santa dollar today, 147 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 1: you wouldn't be able to use it to buy your 148 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: Christmas presents. But that doesn't mean that cash isn't coveted 149 00:08:36,160 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: among collectors. They can fetch impressive prices. A single Saint 150 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: Nick bill sold at auction in twenty eleven for forty 151 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: thousand dollars. And so this year, as you're writing your 152 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: wish list to send off to the North Pole, consider 153 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,520 Speaker 1: asking Santa to drop some of those biographical bucks into 154 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: your stocking. It's an investment that might just leave you 155 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 1: feeling jolly. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of 156 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, 157 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:11,359 Speaker 1: or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast 158 00:09:11,600 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey 159 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award 160 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, 161 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,440 Speaker 1: and television show, and you can learn all about it 162 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:29,960 Speaker 1: over at the Worldoflore dot com. And until next time, 163 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,760 Speaker 1: stay curious.