diff --git a/cmd/basecoin/account.go b/cmd/basecoin/account.go
index f3d3a4a8d7..22b4e076fc 100644
--- a/cmd/basecoin/account.go
+++ b/cmd/basecoin/account.go
@@ -7,18 +7,14 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/urfave/cli"
 
-	"github.com/tendermint/basecoin/types"
-	cmn "github.com/tendermint/go-common"
-	client "github.com/tendermint/go-rpc/client"
 	"github.com/tendermint/go-wire"
-	ctypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core/types"
 )
 
 func cmdAccount(c *cli.Context) error {
 	if len(c.Args()) != 1 {
 		return errors.New("account command requires an argument ([address])")
 	}
-	addrHex := c.Args()[0]
+	addrHex := stripHex(c.Args()[0])
 
 	// convert destination address to bytes
 	addr, err := hex.DecodeString(addrHex)
@@ -26,44 +22,10 @@ func cmdAccount(c *cli.Context) error {
 		return errors.New("Account address is invalid hex: " + err.Error())
 	}
 
-	acc, err := getAcc(c, addr)
+	acc, err := getAcc(c.String("tendermint"), addr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	fmt.Println(string(wire.JSONBytes(acc)))
 	return nil
 }
-
-// fetch the account by querying the app
-func getAcc(c *cli.Context, address []byte) (*types.Account, error) {
-	tmAddr := c.String("tendermint")
-	clientURI := client.NewClientURI(tmAddr)
-	tmResult := new(ctypes.TMResult)
-
-	params := map[string]interface{}{
-		"path":  "/key",
-		"data":  append([]byte("base/a/"), address...),
-		"prove": false,
-	}
-	_, err := clientURI.Call("abci_query", params, tmResult)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Error calling /abci_query: %v", err))
-	}
-	res := (*tmResult).(*ctypes.ResultABCIQuery)
-	if !res.Response.Code.IsOK() {
-		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Query got non-zero exit code: %v. %s", res.Response.Code, res.Response.Log))
-	}
-	accountBytes := res.Response.Value
-
-	if len(accountBytes) == 0 {
-		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Account bytes are empty from query for address %X", address))
-	}
-	var acc *types.Account
-	err = wire.ReadBinaryBytes(accountBytes, &acc)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Error reading account %X error: %v",
-			accountBytes, err.Error()))
-	}
-
-	return acc, nil
-}
diff --git a/cmd/basecoin/tx.go b/cmd/basecoin/tx.go
index e70d9a9ffa..4b0bd83845 100644
--- a/cmd/basecoin/tx.go
+++ b/cmd/basecoin/tx.go
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ func cmdSendTx(c *cli.Context) error {
 	chainID := c.String("chain_id")
 
 	// convert destination address to bytes
-	to, err := hex.DecodeString(toHex)
+	to, err := hex.DecodeString(stripHex(toHex))
 	if err != nil {
 		return errors.New("To address is invalid hex: " + err.Error())
 	}
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ func cmdAppTx(c *cli.Context) error {
 
 	// convert data to bytes
 	data := []byte(dataString)
-	if cmn.IsHex(dataString) {
+	if isHex(dataString) {
 		data, _ = hex.DecodeString(dataString)
 	}
 
@@ -135,34 +135,10 @@ func getSeq(c *cli.Context, address []byte) (int, error) {
 		return c.Int("sequence"), nil
 	}
 	tmAddr := c.String("tendermint")
-	clientURI := client.NewClientURI(tmAddr)
-	tmResult := new(ctypes.TMResult)
-
-	params := map[string]interface{}{
-		"path":  "/key",
-		"data":  append([]byte("base/a/"), address...),
-		"prove": false,
-	}
-	_, err := clientURI.Call("abci_query", params, tmResult)
+	acc, err := getAcc(tmAddr, address)
 	if err != nil {
-		return 0, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Error calling /abci_query: %v", err))
+		return 0, err
 	}
-	res := (*tmResult).(*ctypes.ResultABCIQuery)
-	if !res.Response.Code.IsOK() {
-		return 0, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Query got non-zero exit code: %v. %s", res.Response.Code, res.Response.Log))
-	}
-	accountBytes := res.Response.Value
-
-	if len(accountBytes) == 0 {
-		return 0, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Account bytes are empty from query for address %X", address))
-	}
-	var acc *types.Account
-	err = wire.ReadBinaryBytes(accountBytes, &acc)
-	if err != nil {
-		return 0, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Error reading account %X error: %v",
-			accountBytes, err.Error()))
-	}
-
 	return acc.Sequence + 1, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/cmd/basecoin/utils.go b/cmd/basecoin/utils.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a944c5bd10
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmd/basecoin/utils.go
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+
+	"github.com/tendermint/basecoin/types"
+
+	cmn "github.com/tendermint/go-common"
+	client "github.com/tendermint/go-rpc/client"
+	"github.com/tendermint/go-wire"
+	ctypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/rpc/core/types"
+)
+
+// Returns true for non-empty hex-string prefixed with "0x"
+func isHex(s string) bool {
+	if len(s) > 2 && s[:2] == "0x" {
+		_, err := hex.DecodeString(s[2:])
+		if err != nil {
+			return false
+		}
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+func stripHex(s string) string {
+	if isHex(s) {
+		return s[2:]
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+// fetch the account by querying the app
+func getAcc(tmAddr string, address []byte) (*types.Account, error) {
+	clientURI := client.NewClientURI(tmAddr)
+	tmResult := new(ctypes.TMResult)
+
+	params := map[string]interface{}{
+		"path":  "/key",
+		"data":  append([]byte("base/a/"), address...),
+		"prove": false,
+	}
+	_, err := clientURI.Call("abci_query", params, tmResult)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Error calling /abci_query: %v", err))
+	}
+	res := (*tmResult).(*ctypes.ResultABCIQuery)
+	if !res.Response.Code.IsOK() {
+		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Query got non-zero exit code: %v. %s", res.Response.Code, res.Response.Log))
+	}
+	accountBytes := res.Response.Value
+
+	if len(accountBytes) == 0 {
+		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Account bytes are empty from query for address %X", address))
+	}
+	var acc *types.Account
+	err = wire.ReadBinaryBytes(accountBytes, &acc)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, errors.New(cmn.Fmt("Error reading account %X error: %v",
+			accountBytes, err.Error()))
+	}
+
+	return acc, nil
+}