Hi folks, a person I know has,a few years ago now,tried to teach neighbors ,family and friends about the virtue of buying Gold and Silver.As most of you know often you would be shunned and invitations to BBQ's slowed down significantly. Anyway,he decided to give up on the teaching and resorted to currency defacing instead. You see,he figured if he wrote a message on a bank note and put it in circulation he might just tickle the interest or curiosity of the recipients. So on quite a few A$ 20,- notes,if you look closely,you will see the words " ONLY GOLD IS REAL MONEY" penciled on.The letters are not small but the gray color does not exactly jump at 'ya. It would be fun to see if any of you is in possession of one of those,so please,have a look in your wallet. Thank you P.S.: Currency defacing is a criminal offence.
Here in the USA, it's not a crime to write small notes on (or ink stamp) the paper FRNs - as long as you don't render the notes "unfit for recirculation" according to Title 18, Section 333 of the United States Code: "mutilating, cutting, disfiguring, perforating, uniting or cementing together, or doing anything else to a bank bill with the intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued".
Artist James Charles doesn't seem too fussed about the law http://weburbanist.com/2011/07/20/pop-cultured-currency-art-of-defaced-us-dollars/
My art teacher at high school used to write poetry on money and "send it out into the universe" as he would say! I thought that was really cool !
I find I cant help but really appreciate the simplicity in peoples joy like that - a simple action but sounds very cool! I do remember reading a bible verse on a $20.00 note a few years back - same deal I guess. Made me smile at least.
But doing the same thing to coins is apparently illegal in the US, but not the UK, where it is just frowned upon. A few people have printed out little stickers to stick to coins, I think the Silver Surfer film was advertised in such a way but they had to pull them, I think most ended up on eBay.http://coinedformoney.blogspot.com.au/2009/04/heres-george.html In the UK a taxi company did something similar but were politely asked to stop, which they did. The right wing British National Party did they same thing, I think that got a few complaints. I am surprised that all the coins in circulation aren't covered in adverts, everything else is.
