Rob Holsen, Coin Washer

Here’s a perfectly legal kind of money laundering. Back in the 1930s, when high-society women were typically wearing white gloves, the director of San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel decided to have every coin washed squeaky clean before it was handed out again. The tradition has been been upheld ever since. The man in charge, Rob Holsen, has been looking after pennies and dollars that are badly in need of a shower for more than 15 years. I met him for a profile in the Financial Times Germany in 2011.