I was just wondering, won't a mismade bill have 2 different serial numbers on them? I have one in Euros and it does, not too sure about the American bills though. Anyone ever catch any of you about that? I was thinking about using ink eraser to erase the last digit but never got to it yet. Any patters of something? Or do you not hand them out?

You don't hand it out. Just present it, turn it over slowly. Keep it a couple of feet back from the spectator's faces. No one will challenge the serial number, except for those jerks who challenge EVERYTHING. And you've already made them slink off in shame by the time you do the mismade bill anyway, right?

I remember Michael Ammar performing it for some talk show and he handed out the bill in between. Well I guess we can't really compare ourselves with THE Michael Ammar.

If you want to give the bill away you can sign it first... right across one of the serial numbers in BIG BLACK MARKER!

I think Michael knew that no one was going to jump up in the middle of a talk show and shout "Fake! The serial numbers are different!"

People are just not going to spend that much time looking at these details.... They are too shocked to see the obvious 4 corners switched.

I have done this effect plenty of times and even though I hand it out to be examined... I take it back after 10-20 seconds.... They are more closely looking at how the pieces are attached (glue, tape, etc.).... I, personally, have not had the serial numbers be much of an issue.

I give them the bill to touch. They are sure such a thing doesn't exist. So they freak out when they can feel that there are no seals ou tape or glue, and that this is a real impossibility. They think about cutting and gluing back the bill, they think about things I couldn't even imagine, but why the hel* would they think that the pieces come from different bills? (because for them, there are "pieces" put together.)

Really, I understand your concern about the discrepancy, but there are few chances that they would notice. Plus, when you hand it, everyone grabs it from each other to check by themselves the "reality" of the thing. When someone keeps it for more than a few seconds, it's time to take it back anyway to keep the pace of the routine.

If I happen to meet the problem, I'll may think otherwise, who knows...

People really won't pay attention to it. And if they did, so what?

It's a magic effect and you're entertaining them. The surprise, laughter and unexpected results and the big pay-off for us and your spectator. After all, we really don't (well...most of us anyway) have some supernatural power at our disposal.

Just have a good time and everything will be OK. Enjoy the reactions while they last and then do another one!

Mark.

I have never had the serial numbers questioned. And I do hand it out, EVERYBODY wants to look at the thing to see if its taped together.

Very few people would ever realize that the bills may not in fact have two differant numbers on them. After all the series letters are still the same. And how many things do we have that have the serial number printed twice besides money. Even invoices have their numbers printed once.

I have found however that the Lettered Federal Reserve Seal is VERY Noticeable by even casual examination and I have been burned by this. Therefore, I always match the Seals on the one's for those effects.

By the by the new money is great, as they have eliminated the Lettered Seals!

M

The following scenario may show just how little people pay attention to the serial number. I was performing at a family party when I asked for a the loan of a one. Just before the bill got to my hand the spectator's brother grabbed the bill and shouted, "Wait! Let's memorize the serial number!"
I went on with the trick with a witty comment in mind if they challenged the change of the serial number. I did the switch and handed out the bill, instructing the spectator to make sure that it was a whole bill... no tape, glue, etc.
They were so amazed at the site of the mismade bill that they didn't check the number! (Let alone check to see if the numbers on the bill matched)
AFTER I changed it back, the brother said, "Check the number!" ...Duh?!

I agree. I've been performing the Mismade Bill for well over a decade. I direct the spectator's thought processes, before they can think of questions of their own, when I hand one of them the bill. I ask if it's taped together and whether it feels like a real bill. Too often, magicians neglect verbal misdirection.

Just curious, what was the comment?

I did perform the mismade bill quite regularly back a while ago. I used an origami aproach talking about changing their bill using origami. I would hand it out and tell them to check for tape in the center where the corners now are printed. I would say maybe 1 in 10 times someone would either notice the two serial numbers. Even more often, they would note/remember the last few digits of the serial number on the mismade bill and compare it to the bill I give back to them (their original borrowed bill). This makes it clear to them that it was a clever switch and not a metamorphosis. I still do perform this sometimes and get good reactions. When people notice the serial number issues, they are still clueless how I switched it with aparently empty hands. For them it unfortunately becomes a puzzle. There may be other at the table though that are too far to hear the descussion of the serial numbers and for them it is still magical.
I am now starting to explore some of Jay Sankey's ideas for the bill switch that he has on his $100 Miracles dvd. There are a lot of ideas that are more subtle, or just don't seem like a switch trick.
I guess my thinking is when Copperfield did this switch on his special years ago (I was just a kid) I believed it changed. However a lot of adults probably knew it was a switch, although they had no idea how. Most logical thinkers are going to think of a switch as their first solution. It just makes more sense than moving ink. That is why I like some of Sankey's ideas where it isn't such a blatant change that it screams switch.
Those are my thoughts. If you can find something useful in them take it.

Best,
Paul

Another approach could be to change, for instance, to 5 Euro to a mismade 10 Euro. The the 2 different serialnumbers make more sense.

I've performed a bill switch with a mis-made bill plenty of times. So that they know it isn't something I made on my computer at home, I ALWAYS hand them the bill. They get just a long enough look at it to verify that it's made of real dollar bill material and then I take it back. I have NEVER had anyone pay the least bit of attention to the serial numbers. It's really a non-issue.

Much todo about nothing.

I have been doing the miss-made bill for many years and have never been burned. I do often give the miss-made as a gift. At about $1.50 a shot, it is hardly a bad investment when selling a potential gig or as a special gift to the host of a paid gig.

If you are concerned about the two serial numbers not being the same, I would suggest that you remove one of them, I did that for years. However, I did the miss-made as a demonstrator for years in a magic shop without removing a serial number and it was never questioned. I did not then and do not now worry about getting it back right away. Even if someone looks and thinks about the two numbers, he or she would probably look at the last few numbers in the chain. If they did that, they would see nothing out of the ordinary as the “changing” numbers seldom take place at the end.

Removing a serial number is easy but hardly worth the trouble as many experienced magicians on this thread have mentioned.

Bob

How do you get mismade bills for $1.50 a shot. Even if you buy a uncut sheet and cut them it will cost a lot more than that - correct? Due to wasted ends, etc. Just curious.

Vijay

The sheet costs $55.00 and you get about 22 mis-made bills out of it, so the initial cost is about $2.50 each.

Then, if I have decided to give the person a keepsake, when I finish the routine I ask them if they would like to keep THEIR mis-made bill or would they like me to un-inside-out their bill for them. About half the time they say they would like to keep the mis-made.

So, since I now have their bill, the whole thing costs me about $1.50. Hardly a big price to pay for good publicity.

Bob

You might try and erasing the last number of the serial number so all the numbers appear to be the same.

Why would that be advantageous regarding a bill switch?

ALSO:
On a sheet, the numbers do not necessarily change at the end. Sheets are cut in stacks of 100. In "that" stack the numbers will change at the end, but not from bill to bill in a given sheet. In other words, if you look at the numbers on a sheet you will find the changing numbers to be in the middle of the series.

I am looking at a sheet now. The last three digits on every bill is 65G.


Bob