A story in the March issue of Bank Note Reporter shares the news that PCGS Currency has slabbed a group of notes that were once used to pay ransom to a skyjacker.

The skyjacker, known as "D.B. Cooper," had leapt from an airplane with $200,000 in cash in 1971. Some of it was found in 1980 by an eight-year-old boy named Brian Ingram. He's kept that cash all these years, and now he's having it certified and placed in special holders by PCGS Currency.

The notes, all $20s, suffered great environmental damage prior to being discovered by Ingram, and for this reason PCGS Currency is not assigning grades to the notes. The firm's special holder for the notes includes the distinctive image of the FBI's sketch of "D.B. Cooper."

Further, PCGS Currency staff have pieced together and reported 35 serial numbers that appear the FBI's list of notes given to "D.B. Cooper" but were not previously recognized as being among the notes recovered by Ingram.

Ingram has been reported as saying that he would keep one or a few and disperse the rest, but latest word was that no final decisions had been made as to how or if to sell.

What do you think, you want one? How much would you pay?

The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing has offered several new products in the past couple months, and at least two have sold out within days of going on sale. One other is set to go on sale Feb. 25.

The first to sell out is called the $2 Double Lucky Money set and contains two $2 Federal Reserve Notes. One note's serial number begins with 8888, and the other note's serial number begins with 2008.

Production was limited to 4,888 sets, priced at $48.88 each. And they're all gone.

Also all sold are the 10,000 2008 $2 Single Note packages, which offered Atlanta district Series 2003A $2 FRNs. Price was $7.95 apiece. Other districts are to be offered in calendar year 2008.

More about BEP collector products can be see at the Coming Soon portion of The BEP Store.

The next item listed to become available from BEP is the New York district 2008 $2 Single Note, 10,000 available, price $7.95 each. On-sale date is set for Feb. 25.