Sunday, July 01, 2007

That's Not How Money Works

Apparently, Fox thinks they're allowed to deface U.S. currency for profit.

I know a bit about currency. Part of my elementary education. Mostly what I remember is, "Money is fancy! Don't mess with it! The Secret Service will get you!"

I don't recall, "Unless you have a really good reason! Like money!"

Mostly, I like how they didn't intend to “suggest that there was any approval from the U.S. Mint or the U.S. Government.” That's what money means: the U.S. Government has approved this metal. They say it's worth something. Otherwise, it's not money. If something is on money, and it still functions as money, that literally means, "the government is cool with this."

Note that the Franklin Mint is a private company--that's not entirely clear in the article linked. New York Times has a better article (meaning: not cribbed from the AP) but you have to sign up for a free account.

1 comment:

  1. The Franklin Mint's the one that makes all those collectible/commemorative coins. It's all perfectly legal to make your own coins, as long as you make them different enough from real money that people don't try to pass them off as such(there are actual rules). What it's not okay to do is deface actual US government money. I cringe when I see those souvenir penny machines. I also don't like it when people write on dollar bills. It's money. It's special. It's not to be tampered with because you'll break it. I'm pretty LG most of the time (despite my protests that I am in fact CG).

    The United States Codes under Title 18, Chapter 17, and Section 331, "prohibits the mutilation, diminution and falsification of United States coinage."

    This falls under "mutilation." Yay for violating federal law.

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