Pony Up the Dough
Trivia brain teasers have some element of trivia in them, but they are not just pure trivia questions.
Castor and Pollux Janus own Janus's Curiosity shop. They have the most unique collection of trinkets in the town. What is most curious about these two brothers is that they have been trying for years to sell their business. They are offering to sell the entire store with the entire inventory for only $17.51 US. The catch is that they will only accept payment in cash, and will only accept a certain combination of bills and coins totaling exactly $17.51. All coins and bills must be different from each other, but all coins and bills have one thing in common. Can you buy their shop by figuring out their secret combination of monies?
HintThink carefully about the brothers' first and last names...
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Answer
You must pay with: A 10-dollar bill, a 5-dollar bill, a 2 dollar bill, a New Jersey 25 cent piece, a South Dakota 25 Cent piece, and a Lincoln Penny dated 1959 or later.
All of these forms of tender feature a picture of the same person on the front and reverse.
1) The 10-dollar bill features Alexander Hamilton on the front and the U.S. Treasury on the reverse. Erected in front of the Treasury, and visible on the reverse of the bill, is a statue of Alexander Hamilton.
2) The 5-dollar bill features Abraham Lincoln on the front and the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse, the statue of Lincoln can be seen seated inside the memorial.
3) The 2-dollar bill features Thomas Jefferson on the front and John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence" on the reverse. Thomas Jefferson is shown standing at the table in this painting.
4) The New Jersey 25-cent piece features George Washington on the front and the individual state's design on the reverse. New Jersey selected the crossing of the Delaware River. George Washington can be seen in his famous pose at the prow of his boat.
5) The South Dakota 25-cent piece also features George Washington on the front. South Dakota elected to include a representation of Mount Rushmore on the reverse. Washington is clearly seen on the far left.
6) The penny, like the 5-dollar bill, features Lincoln on the front and the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse. In a stunning attention to detail, the statue of Lincoln can still be seen on the coin.
The hint refers to Castor and Pollux, the twin stars of the constellation "Gemini". Their last name, "Janus", is also the name of a Roman deity known for having 2 faces...hence twins (same person) and two faces (both sides).
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Comments
owen74 
Sep 12, 2007
| Very clever, I guessed the 2 dollar bill and 5 and 10 dollar bill's, but thought it was a half dollar and a penny.  |
luckylefty  
Sep 14, 2007
| Very clever, never would have come up with the answer. |
4demo
Oct 18, 2007
| Difficult but very interesting and clever!  |
zonarita 
Oct 28, 2007
| Really enjoyed this teaser. It was hard and I only got the bills (10, 5) and a penny. I guess my bank experience helped there. Look forward to reading more of your teasers. |
mosca
Dec 07, 2007
| Wow! What a great teaser! I got the Castor and pollux connection but couldn't figure out what it had to do with the money. For the dollar amounts, I figured a 10, a 5, a one, and either a Sacagewa or Susie B Anthony coin. I was really on the wrong track!  |
974999gec
Dec 08, 2007
| whoa |
(user deleted)
Jan 11, 2008
| horrible teaser, first of all it doesnt even mention that the 2 brothers are twins. 2nd, its misleading when it says that the monies must be different then uses 2 quarters.
the logical answer to this puzzle is really:
bills: 10, 5, 1
coins, 1, .50, .01
with the "connection" being the similarity in the ratios between bills and coins- e.g. moving the decimal place over one spot (even though i realize that doesnt work for the dollar/penny- i feel like ive wasted too much effort thinking already) |
Hrsemn4
Jan 30, 2008
| Umm...Castor and Pollux...names of the TWIN stars of the Gemini constellation. It requires a little thought...I wasn't about to just give the whole thing away was I? And the 2 quarters ARE different, else why would collectors all be so keen to get them all if they are the "same" as you claim. This was approved by the editors...I'd say it stands up very well. |
MusiK 
Dec 26, 2009
| woah, what a teaser! |
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