Wednesday, September 5, 2001

Schneider: Sour notes

Despite arguments, writing on currency still viewed as illegal

Tuesday morning began with what seemed like a simple, straightforward question:

Is it, or is it not, OK to write on U.S. paper currency?

The answer, as you'll soon learn, is neither simple nor straightforward.

But, first, a word on how the question became relevant:

In a column last week I told you about a Web site called wheresgeorge.com that allows those so inclined to track the travels of their paper money through the serial numbers on the bills.

The system relies on the participation of a lot of people, so fans of the site are inclined to advertise the Web site by writing its name on the bills they send off into the world.

In my original column, I reminded readers of something I thought I had learned in elementary school - that it's illegal to deface (i.e. write on) U.S. currency.

Thanks, again, to the Internet, the weekend brought me a batch of irate e-mails. Wheresgeorge.com fans from West Covina, Calif., to Lower Marion, Penn., upbraided me for suggesting they were lawbreakers. They argued that it's illegal to write on currency only if that writing makes the bills unusable.

By the book

Many of the writers cited the actual federal statute, which is vague, to say the least.

The pertinent passage: "Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any -- bill -- with intent to render such bill unfit to be reissued, shall be fined -- or imprisoned ..."

Instead of struggling with nuances and interpretations, I decided to go straight to the folks responsible for enforcing the law.

I started out at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving in Washington, D.C. Spokeswoman Claudia Dickens said writing on currency is NOT illegal, as long as it doesn't "render the bill unfit (for circulation)."

However, Dickens recommended that if I wanted a definitive answer, I should talk to somebody at the U.S. Secret Service.

Warning issued

Agent Jim Mackin, also in D.C, told me that I was supposed to deal with the Detroit office of the Secret Service, but he answered my question anyway.

Getting down to specifics, he said the Secret Service was well aware of the wheresgeorge.com phenomenon. The agency's official position is that writing the Web site's name on a bill was, indeed, a violation of the law.

He said the folks who run the Web site had been informed of that.

Following Mackin's suggestion to call Detroit, I reached a Secret Service agent who said the statute is never enforced. He insisted on anonymity.

When I asked to speak to somebody less secretive, I got agent Joe Viviano, who put his own spin on the issue:

"If Grandma and Grandpa write 'Happy Birthday, Tommy' in the margin of a $50 bill with an ink pen, nobody's going to go after them," Viviano said. "But if they use a black magic marker and write in big letters across the face of the bill, that's another story."

Viviano said he interprets the statute to mean that, technically, writing anything anywhere on a bill is a violation of federal law.

What do you think? Call John Schneider at 377-1175, send a fax to 377-1298 or e-mail jschneid@lsj.com. Include your name, phone number, city, town or township.