Man Jailed for Trying to Pass $1 Million Bill

  • Thread starter robphy
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In summary, the person is a national hero in Serbia and has designed an electric tower. Tesla's "free" tower is depicted on the back of the note. The $2 bills weren't printed for many years then re-launched for the 1976 centenary. When I was a kid, I used to do handy-work for an older guy and he paid me with a $10 gold certificate that was oversized compared to the standard currency. My parents made me deposit it in the bank.
  • #1
robphy
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http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h89ZSpKEHtmpT-3qK-Lvb15YRBGAD8S5MSKO0

http://www.abc2news.com/media/news/7/b/1/7b1c71c4-0730-47ed-aef8-852d5775cd0d/Original.jpg
http://www.abc2news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=d51a542c-5ca2-439d-b0a7-a8a4df223ae5&rss=702

Apparently, this isn't the first time someone tried to use a $1M bill:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4489683/
(See also: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/fakemillion1.html )

(But that's small change:
Check out http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0315062billion1.html which has pictures of a $1B bill. )
 
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  • #2
The UK does use £1Million ($2M) notes !
Although it does state these are used for internal bank clearing only and not generally issued. http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/about/other_notes.htm
 
  • #3
Since there is no such thing as a million dollar note, is this person guilty of counterfeiting? The article doesn't say what crime is he charged with.
 
  • #4
The biggest 'real' note that I've seen was a (US) 5K, but if I remember right, the Feds at one time made, up to, a 'real' 100K note (for internal banking uses)
 
  • #5
Almost related, I own one of these 10 billion dinar notes.

http://www.pacificviews.org/weblog/archives/000745.html

It's not counterfeit. I asked a friend of mine to pick one up while he was in Serbia, and he did so. He told me that when he put it away for me, it was the price of a newspaper, but by the time he got on the flight back it was totally worthless.
 
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  • #6
jimmysnyder said:
Almost related, I own one of these 10 billion dinar notes.

http://www.pacificviews.org/weblog/archives/000745.html

It's not counterfeit. I asked a friend of mine to pick one up while he was in Serbia, and he did so. He told me that when he put it away for me, it was the price of a newspaper, but by the time he got on the flight back it was totally worthless.

It looks like Tesla
 
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  • #7
rewebster said:
It looks like Tesla
Go to the front of the class. He's a national hero over there. On the back of the note is depicted an electric discharge through some gizmo of his. Unfortunately I don't know what it is. Here is an image something like it, but not exactly the same.

http://www.mercury.gr/tesla/worken.html
 
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  • #8
D H said:
Since there is no such thing as a million dollar note, is this person guilty of counterfeiting? The article doesn't say what crime is he charged with.

I seem to remember a case like this - someone printed $3 notes and since there weren't any $3 notes in circulation he couldn't be charged with counterfeiting. I think he was careful not to put the real treasurer's signatue on them.
The US does (did?) have $2 notes but they were rare so were great fun to pass off to confused cashiers.
 
  • #9
jimmysnyder said:
Go to the front of the class. He's a national hero over there. On the back of the note is depicted an electric discharge through some gizmo of his. Unfortunately I don't know what it is. Here is an image something like it, but not exactly the same.

http://www.mercury.gr/tesla/worken.html

that 'thing' in the middle was his 'free' electric tower in Wycliff(?)--I haven't read any Tesla stuff in about twenty years--the one in the back on the left was that 'superimposed' photo of him under that big coil in Colorado (I think)
 
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  • #10
mgb_phys said:
I seem to remember a case like this - someone printed $3 notes and since there weren't any $3 notes in circulation he couldn't be charged with counterfeiting. I think he was careful not to put the real treasurer's signatue on them.
The US does (did?) have $2 notes but they were rare so were great fun to pass off to confused cashiers.

I don't know if its true, but I read that getting the $2 bills into circulation were an 'earmark' for the racetracks way back when
 
  • #11
I once had a $2 bill with red ink (where silver certificates would have blue for serial numbers and some of the printing). It was a gift from my grandfather.

My parents made me deposit it in the bank. :frown: Today it would be a collectors item.

I do have a modern $2 bill, which I got at a store last week. Commercial people still don't like them.

I saw a large denomination ($100 K?) bill one time at some show. It was in a large glass block, fastened in a heavy frame, and was guarded.
 
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  • #12
The $2 bills weren't printed for many years then re-launched for the 1976 centenary ( $2=200cents) because most people kept them as collectors instead of using them you don't seen many.
 
  • #13
When I was a kid, I used to do handy-work for an older guy, and one time he paid me with a $10 gold certificate that was oversized compared to the standard currency. I put that in my father's strongbox, and it was broken into and the bill was stolen along with a couple of Marshmallow Fluff jars full of silver coins culled from my paper route. We know who did the break-in, but had no proof. I'm sure my bill and coins were spent for cigarettes and beer at face-value.
 
  • #14
There is actually a set of 100 REAL 10 thousand dollar bills at a museum. I think that the 10k is the biggest bill available to the population.
 

FAQ: Man Jailed for Trying to Pass $1 Million Bill

What happened in the case of the man trying to pass a $1 million bill?

A man was arrested and jailed for attempting to pass off a counterfeit $1 million bill as real currency.

Why was the man arrested for trying to use a $1 million bill?

It is illegal to create or possess counterfeit currency, and attempting to use it as real money is considered a form of fraud.

How did the authorities discover the $1 million bill was fake?

The bill was likely inspected by a cashier or bank teller when the man attempted to use it, and they would have recognized it as a fake due to its unrealistic value and lack of security features.

What are the consequences for trying to pass counterfeit currency?

In most cases, attempting to use counterfeit money is considered a felony and can result in imprisonment, fines, and a criminal record.

Is it possible for someone to create a legitimate $1 million bill?

No, the largest denomination of US currency currently in circulation is the $100 bill. Any bill with a higher value, including a $1 million bill, would be considered counterfeit.

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