# Is this a counterfeit bill? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691 "2005-04-04T17:24:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/1 "2005-04-04T17:24:43Z")
I found one $1 bill that’s about 1.5 mm wider than a normal $1 bill, and maybe 1mm longer. The print isn’t larger, it just has extra blank space on 2 sides. It seems to pass all the tests described [here](http://www.secretservice.gov/money_detect.shtml) to my untrained eye, except I can’t tell if the blue and red threads are actually embedded or printed. Is this definitely counterfeit, or can it be a defective but real one? If it’s counterfeit, who’d go to the trouble of producing such a good fake and still get the size wrong? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/2 "2005-04-04T17:28:52Z")
And who would go to the trouble of producing counterfeit $1 bills? ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/3 "2005-04-04T17:40:13Z")
I’ve had many such bills in my time. I always chalked it up to “margin of error” during the cutting process. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/4 "2005-04-04T17:45:28Z")
Nobody counterfeits singles. I’d chalk up the size to inflation. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/5 "2005-04-04T17:50:18Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > And who would go to the trouble of producing counterfeit $1 bills? I’ve gotten one before. I guess one good thing about passing phony $1 bills is that no one expects to get passed a phony $1 bill. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/6 "2005-04-04T18:06:12Z")
> [@Earthworm Jim](#): > > I’ve had many such bills in my time. I always chalked it up to “margin of error” during the cutting process. I guess that’s the most reasonable explanation. But it’s pretty sloppy quality control true - this bill won’t even go into a vending machine, which is why I noticed it. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/7 "2005-04-04T18:10:23Z")
It could be a kid who is just seeing how real he can make it, not a hard core counterfeiter. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/8 "2005-04-04T18:24:52Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > It could be a kid who is just seeing how real he can make it, not a hard core counterfeiter. Every few years it seems, some of the local college students pit their Photoshop skills and printing technology against the local change machines. They usually manage to walk off with $50 in quarters. **scr4** ’s bill is likely just the result of the mint’s sheet cutters getting a little out of alignment. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/9 "2005-04-04T18:30:30Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Nobody counterfeits singles. I’d chalk up the size to inflation. I’ve had friends founterfeit singles and fives while in college. Usually they used the singles to get into parties (dark room, drunk people taking the money, no one notices), they used the fives (and tens I think) for pizza, that way they would get the change. Also, don’t forget, true or not, people _think_ they won’t get in as much trouble for printing off singles for the pizza guy then they will for say trying to pass of a million dollar bill at walmart. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/10 "2005-04-04T19:14:18Z")
One of my former bosses thought nobody’d care if he counterfeited $1 bills, and tried to deposit some into his bank account. He’s now serving time. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/11 "2005-04-04T19:53:45Z")
According to the security folks when I worked for Chase Manhattan Bank, the $5 is the most counterfeited bill. It’s easier to pass in convenience stores, etc. And it’s incredibly dumb to try and deposit your fakes right into a bank! Tellers A)see and feel tons of money all day long B)Have specific training on spotting forgeries C)Have a direct phone number to the Secret Service, whom they are charged to call if they have any suspicions or questions. D) Are personally responsible for any overages or underages they process E) Work in a high security environment for semi-decent pay. Whereas your average 7-11 clerk has no training, works for diddly and generally couldn’t care less if they take a few bad fives. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/12 "2005-04-04T19:54:32Z")
Just don’t try and [counterfeit $2 bills](http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/closet/silly/2-at-Taco-Bell.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/13 "2005-04-04T20:24:05Z")
The treasury department will actually sell you, for a slight premium, an UNCUT sheet of US bills. Kind of neat to have a sheet of bills like that, makes a nice present for the kids. From time to time a recipient of such a sheet runs across hard times, and cuts the sheet down to size manually. It’s legal, but quite likely to get accused of being bogus currency. Might be what’s happenned here. Might not. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/14 "2005-04-04T22:21:44Z")
> [@CynicalGabe](#): > > Just don’t try and [counterfeit $2 bills](http://www.digiserve.com/eescape/closet/silly/2-at-Taco-Bell.html) Snopes says [undetermined.](http://www.snopes.com/humor/business/tacobell.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/15 "2005-04-04T22:31:25Z")
I think **Jonathan Woodall** ’s theory that it was cut down from a sheet of one dollar bills is the most likely. I really can’t imagine that the cutting error could happen at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. For one thing, their cutting machines are fairly precise and for another, they’d notice it when other machines stack the bills. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/16 "2005-04-04T22:51:56Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Snopes says [undetermined.](http://www.snopes.com/humor/business/tacobell.htm) Huh. I didn’t doubt the story for a minute. I used to work for a business that was not too popular in the community–a blood plasma donation center, which other businesses complained attracted scuzzy people. To show the local merchants that we were good for their business, we started paying our donors in two-dollar bills, on the theory that the other businesses would thereby know where that money was coming from. Now isn’t that a great way to get on a shop’s good side: flood the community with currency that they _don’t have a slot for in their cash registers?_ ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/17 "2005-04-04T22:53:08Z")
> [@Dewey Finn](#): > > I really can’t imagine that the cutting error could happen at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. They _did_ just manage to ship out some [Wisconsin quarters with extra leaves on the corn.](http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/02/big_excitement_.html) ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/18 "2005-04-04T23:41:55Z")
> [@Jonathan Woodall](#): > > The treasury department will actually sell you, for a slight premium, an UNCUT sheet of US bills. Kind of neat to have a sheet of bills like that, makes a nice present for the kids. > From time to time a recipient of such a sheet runs across hard times, and cuts the sheet down to size manually. > It’s legal, but quite likely to get accused of being bogus currency. > Might be what’s happenned here. Might not. Jonathan’s explanation is what I thought of first when reading this thread. **scr4**. If you post the serial number of the bill and the date on the bill, I’ll be able to tell you if it’s from an uncut sheet. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/19 "2005-04-05T00:38:12Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > They _did_ just manage to ship out some [Wisconsin quarters with extra leaves on the corn.](http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/02/big_excitement_.html) I might be blind, because I don’t see the extra leaves. Really. I’ve studied the circled photos and I can’t see the differences. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691/20 "2005-04-05T01:04:23Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > I might be blind, because I don’t see the extra leaves. Really. > I’ve studied the circled photos and I can’t see the differences. :smack: Agreed, the pictures were awful. There was a thread on the Wisconsin quarters a couple months back that linked to better pictures. Of course, I can’t find it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-counterfeit-bill/297691.md?page=2)