BerkShares

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BerkShares http://www.berkshares.org is a local currency that circulates in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts.

The current exchange rate for BerkShares is 1 BerkShare for 90 U.S. cents. BerkShares are traded for US dollars at 12 local bank locations in the area. As of February 2008, 300 businesses were formally listed on the BerkShares website to accept the currency. Other businesses participate informally. Listed businesses are identified by window stickers and joint promotional material. Exchange occurs between customers and businesses and between businesses. Excess BerkShares may be traded in for US dollars at participating banks at the current exchange rate. Some businesses place limits on their use — the co-op market in Great Barrington lets patrons pay for only 50% of their bill with BerkShares, thereby adjusting the discount to 5%.

Approximately one million, four hundred and thirty thousand BerkShares were issued through participating banks in the first seventeen months of operations, worth $1,287,000 USD.^[1]

1 History
2 Denominations
3 References
4 External links

History

BerkShares were launched September 29, 2006.^[2] The bills were designed by John Isaacs^[3] and are printed by Excelsior Printing on special paper with incorporated security features from Crane and Company.^[4]

Denominations

BerkShares are printed in 1, 5, 10, 20, and 50 BerkShare denominations, and feature images of local people.

The 1 BerkShare note uses a portrait of a Mohican, the original inhabitants of the area.
The 5 BerkShare note uses a portrait of W. E. B. DuBois, a civil rights leader born in Great Barrington.
The 10 BerkShare note uses a portrait of Robyn Van En, local community leader, died in 1997.
The 20 BerkShare note uses a portrait of Herman Melville, the author of Moby-Dick, written in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
The 50 BerkShare note uses a portrait of Norman Rockwell, a painter who lived in Stockbridge, Massachusetts