Dye-ing Dollar - FUN Facts / Art Experiment!
What would happen if you change the color of the US Dollar and tried to spend it? This video is an exploration of this fun and playful theory!.
FUN FACT #1 : It's not illegal to spend defaced money, it's still money!
"It's not illegal to spend defaced money, it’s still money! It's only illegal to deface money if it is done in such a way that makes it defective. For instance, writing on a dollar bill is okay because you can still spend the dollar bill. Drilling a small hole in a coin is okay because you can still spend the coin. As far as paper money is concerned, leaving money in your pants pockets to be drenched in a washing machine won’t harm your bills. That’s because they are made out of linen and cotton fibers, which aren’t affected by water.
On this note, here’s an interesting but unverified observation from an online forum: It’s illegal to modify money in a fraudulent way (i.e. make a defective mint Penny and sell it for a thousand dollars), but it is perfectly legal to retrieve the base metals from money, just as it is legal to possess shredded paper money (and use it for stuffing pillows, toys, etc)."
FUN FACT #2 : There are many security features built into paper bills!
"There are many security features built into the paper bills! Of course you already know that it’s tough to get away with counterfeiting money. There are many security features built into a paper bill today. Some such features include the use of cotton and linen rag paper to make money, so it is against the law to produce or handle this type of paper. Special inks, microprinting, color shifting ink, distinctive colors per denomination, watermarks and embedded polymer strips have been added to our bills to prevent their duplication and recreation. Above all this, the Treasury redesigns notes every seven to ten years."
Link to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco http://www.frbsf.org/education/teacher-resources/american-currency-exhibit