(FORTUNE Magazine) – A ton of money sounds like an incomprehensible amount--more than Jeff Bezos lost all day!--but how much is 2,000 pounds really worth? Naturally the answer depends on the kind of money you're weighing. According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, all paper bills weigh the same: one gram. About 454 grams make a pound, which means that a ton of dollar bills would be worth $908,000.

With coins, you don't get the same bang for the buck (bad pun, sorry). A quarter weighs 5.7 grams, according to the U.S. Mint; therefore, a ton of quarters would be worth $40,000. With pennies it gets worse. You need about 363,200 pennies (at 2.5 grams each) to make a ton, for a paltry total of $3,632. Hmm, maybe you really have lost a ton of money this month.

--Reed Tucker