Had a question since I see a lot of tricks and use some tricks that deface money, whether it is coins or bills. The reason this is coming up is the new DvD called "Fraud" where one of the marks is moved on the bill and then given back to the individual. Tricks such as these is there any concern in regards to federal laws prohibiting the defacing of currency. I have never been questioned by it and on the otherhand I have never done it in front of a federal reserve officer also! Is there any reason to be concerned about this or is this like one of those no spitting on the sidewalk laws (another words not enforced).

Although the seal is not magically returned to it's original position (it's there, moved, done, permanent), you can simply pull out your wallet and give them one of your own $1 bills after you alter theirs. That way, they're left with an unaltered, perfectly spendable bill at the end-- no harm done. Other times, they may want to keep the bill as an awesome souvenir from the performance-- they'll remember it for a long time. The choice is yours. All of this is explained on the DVD. Hope this answers the question.

The question comes as to whether the altered bill can be used as currency or has lost its status as legal tender.

Last I heard, if the serial numbers are present, it's legal tender and can be replaced by the treasury if so desired.

The actual definition is as follows:

Defacement of currency is a violation of Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code. Under this provision, currency defacement is generally defined as follows: Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, Federal Reserve Bank, or Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued, shall be fined not more than $100 or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.

Defacement of currency in such a way that it is made unfit for circulation comes under the jurisdiction of the United States Secret Service.


From http://www.moneyfactory.gov/document.cfm/18/104

That above being said, I have seen on television things about the mint that the same does not go for coins. That once you obtain a coin it is your's to do what you want with. Not sure the exact legalities there, but keep in mind that the US Mint makes coins and the Bureau of Engraving makes paper money so there may really be two different laws in effect.

US Mint: http://www.usmint.gov
Bureau of Engraving: http://www.moneyfactory.gov

Surprised we are hearing about this stuff after we went off the gold standard and went Keynesian.

Magicians have been defacing money forever. As far as I know, no one has ever been charged with a crime.

Talking about defacing money I boutght a toonie off of a kid yesterday that the middle had just fallen out of..

I saw a magician at a convention, have a spectator write his name across the face of a bill, with a bold marker, in large letters. At the end of the effect he sent him back to his seat with a napkin and the same bill soaked in lemon juice. Now that should be a crime!

If the spectator were to spend the bill, and the person taking it noticed something wrong with the printing of the bill, my guess is that could lend itself to the potential for trouble. Noticing a name written on it, or a tear, would not raise suspicion, but seeing a bill rearranged may result in a phone call being made. After all all, the bill would not confirm to that which is legally stated as required for a bill to be considered legal and not counterfeit.

Overreacting?

Not in some cities. In Manhattan a few years ago a friend paid Sabarro on Times Square with a $5 bill. Not only did the cashier refuse to take it, but the manager was called over. Luckily the bill was ok, but the manager said had it not been, they were obligated to report it. There are people who take such things very seriously.

Brad

I was looking this up the other day for Canadian money. It is also illegal in Canada as well, however, no one has ever been charged for it.

In Turkey it's illegal to deface money, tear it, burn i, get the corners off and soak in lemo juice. People also respect money, so you get good reactions when you do these. I typically mention that I would have offended the law if I was not a magician, being a magician I'm exempt, because I alter reality.

I recommend don't perform effects that leave the money in defaced condition. Even if it is your own money, spectators should not see mutilated money as an end result. Switches should be done before the effect finishes. This is my opinion.

When I bend quarters etc. for specs, I usually give them a fresh quarter after since they can't spend it... it also adds a psych touch that I didn't switch coins and that I'm giving them the quarter as it wasn't a "special quarter"... but on to paper money...

I only do one effect regularly with bills -> the Signature of the goverment official signed on the bill is rubbed and changes into the spec's signature... (from AoA)... but here I give them an extra $1 back after the AoA moment subsides (if I did it well!)... and tell them 1) sorry, you can't spend it now as 2) why would you? this is a collector's item!!!! Keep it and show it...

No one has turned me in yet

(Yep, it costs money to deface money in my book to help decrease any sore possible reactions)

It is not about so much if it is a crime, but if it can be passed. If the spectator tries to spend it and can't, well not a crime but certainly inconvienent.

I deface (tear) someones money in every one of my shows for the burned bill routine. I know that many times there have been police officers in the audience and I have actually had an officer on stage and done it with their money on several occassions. Even though it's apparently illegal, no action was ever taken against me.

Having said that, at the end of the routine I always give them an undamaged bill from my wallet. I tape the damaged one up and spend it myself. I would never want to risk having a person who was kind enough to come up on stage and participate in the show, to have any problems with a bill I defaced and returned to them.

Well siad Doug, it was my point.

I call my effect a 1 dollar giant production. I tell them I'm working my way to a million dollar one.

My mom thinks I'm crazy because I have a bag full of singles with signatures and missing corners on it.

I think that, even if illegal in the strictest sense, the kind of alteration and/or defacement which magicians perpetrate probably lies fully outside the intent of the law. I say probably because I have no clear idea what the purpose of the law is.

My guess would be that the intention of the law is to prevent all forms of counterfeiting (altering serial numbers rather than printing sheets of bills) as well as large scale schemes to manipulate the supply of currency. (Exactly how the latter might be done, I have no idea. But then, I'm not a large scale criminal).

I don't think the purpose of the law is to catch all those kids laying pennies on the railroad tracks. But then again, there is a slippery slope towards delinquency. A penny on the tracks today, a magician tomorrow.

Jeff

I never heard of it being illegal to use money for art,or mechanical. If you own it you can do what you want in the private of your home with it.I seen others & I have made washers for bolts using pennys.I`m shure a lot of Chinese coins have been used as washers since they already have a hole in them LOL .Stores sell trinkits/necklesses made from money by punching out a heart, stars or other shapes in them.What about the coin rolling machines where you pay to have a penny smashed into a oval with a theme parks logo on them.My father used them in a fuse box for a tempory fix to a blown fuse & see it throw out sparks when its overloaded again,so we had some pennys with melted edges after that.

What does lemon juice do?