What about it?

Years ago, my father-in-law had a stack of Bill Clinton $100 gag bills. They looked pretty good but they had all sorts of little joke signitures and such on the bill. Obviously fake to anyone with a 6th grade education.

So we were in a Hooters in Ohio and he tried to pay for a Hooter's tee shirt with the fake bill. The girl working the merchandise counter actually accepted the bill. The Hooter's girl was like "I didn't know that Bill Clinton was on a bill. That's like sooo cool." Another waitress standing there got in on the action too. It was like every blonde joke coming alive before my very eyes. I laughed so hard as I've never seen people so clueless.

He did ask for the Bill bill back and paid with real currency.

You think the blonde joke is funny? How about the Bill Clinton in a Hooters joke?

I read about a company that got in trouble from puncturing quarters and half dollars to make karate coins.

That would be so funny if that happened. Brad Christian would be living in a closeup case on the street trying to pickpocket people.

I wonder if the federal government has some kind of a defacing tax?

No, I've never heard it. What about it?

I'll explain it to you when you're older Ling.

A cop got mad at me when I showed him Fraud by Daniel Garcia. That trick is CRAZY!

As long as the coin is not machined / altered to make the face value appear to increase, you can basically do anything you want to, to any US coin. (Make tricks, make jewellery, etc.) However, in other countries, it is actually illegal (and some countries WILL prosecute if you do it as a business) to deface coins- Australia is a case in point. Has something to do with the face of the Queen being on the money. Makes it hard to find a folding coin over here! Luckily as I am from the USA, I change a local coin into a US half, as part of the routine, and continue from there if I use an altered coin.

Whats the final say on something like this topic? Any pros out there actually know the law?

I wouldn't think it is illegal considering all the magic companies out there that actually gimmick real money.

It IS illegal but is a rarely prosecuted offense.

Prosecuting someone costs a few grand - if you're defacing a few dollars, it's just not worth the DA's time.

Ever been to a museum and see one of those coin smasher things? The ones that squash your pennies into a souvernier? On some of them, it cites the penal code saying something to the effect of, "U.S. currency may not be defaced, mutilated, or destroyed with intent to commit fraud." Basically, you can't print $100's on a one dollar bill or try to determine the exact mixture of the ink in a lab.

Any imitation of currency in most countries is illegal.

Here in Canada, we cannot. I contacted the government and received permission (after the proper contracts were signed) to get actual-size bills done.

I was surprised I was given permission untill I read the terms. Black-and-white.

In the US, there also appears to be size restriction. If under a certain size, you are allowed so it cannot be mistaken for legal tender.