Why do they often hide the money figures in TV and movies?

Question

I have often seen that the actual monetary figures are kept hidden. If a cheque is offered to a character, he often looks at it and says something along the lines of "That's a lot of money!" without ever revealing the actual amount.Why do they never let the audience know the exact figure?

Answer 1

Perhaps the best answer is that if one provided the exact amount, the movie would age quickly -- because of inflation. For instance, in The Maltese Falcon (1941), the statuette is first valued at $5000, which was a giant sum in 1941 but would that amount would hardly be worth all the killing and mayhem today.