Custom Where's George Stamp

Altering a rubber self-inking stamp to make it easier to line up.

Step 1: First things first, you need a stamp.

Have you ever received a bill with a "wheresgeorge" stamp on it?
Have you ever wanted to make your own?
Well, it's pretty easy to order a stamp. I ordered mine from iPrint.com (Trodat printy 4911 with a font size of 8).
This particular stamp has a window in front so that you can see where your stamp will fall but for a single line of text in the middle of the stamper, it is a little tricky to place it exactly where you want it.

Comments

[tillytoo9]

Thank goodness we have a citizens' arrest member to brief us on our rights. I remember these representatives in grade school. They usually sat by the teacher. Thanks for the instructable.

[1Word]

Even worse is when the Citizen Arrest Member's sources of information are urban legends.

[Nesagwa]

It is illegal to advertise anything on money like this. You can face jail time if they trace one of these bills to you.

[1Word]

Anyone who takes legal advice from a non-lawyer is a fool.

Now ask me how I know you're not a lawyer.

[nave]

they're not gonna throw you in prison to show you how far a dollars traveled

[mailboxlady]

I think the government has better things to do than go after people for stamping "Where's Gerorge.com" on them. Think this through people. LIGHTEN UP and be real.

FYI- Did you know that if you sprinkle salt on a birds tail, you can then catch the bird?

LOVE your post tillytoo9!

[builderkidj]

Woah! didnt know that!

[Nesagwa]

"§ 333. Mutilation of national bank obligations. Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both. [Codified to 18 U.S.C. 333] [Source: Section 1[333] of the Act of June 25, 1948 (Pub. L. No. 772; 62 Stat. 700), effective September 1, 1948; as amended by section 330016(1)(B) of title XXXIII of the Act of September 13, 1994 (Pub. L. No. 103--322; 108 Stat. 2146), effective September 13, 1994] "

[Kristyanna1019]

It is still fit to be legal tender it has not rendered it at all. Also then tell the Bank when they mark the bills with the pen to see if it is legal to is defacing as per you.

[michaelsteinbach]

with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued

Since I intend for the Bill to continue on to more people and I have not "destroyed" it, it's still legal.
It used to be illegal only because wheresgeorge.com was selling the rubber stamps and therefor, was a profit making website. The secret service contacted the website and told the owner that he should discontinue selling the stamps. He did.

[Nesagwa]

Well, its not up to us to decide if its unfit to be reissued, thats up to the treasury. Its STILL illegal to do stamp bills like this. They just gave the site a friendly warning to stop selling stamps with the intent to deface bills. Hes in the clear now, the people doing the stamping arent. Im just saying its probably a good idea to let people know that they actually are breaking a law doing this (even if the law is fairly vague and hardly enforced)

[1Word]

@Nesagwa - please cite the relevant case law; until then, I'll consider your opinion the same as I would for any other random person on the Internet.

[king kolton9]

its over you lost

[king kolton9]

give it up

[jillg]

you are only breaking the law if you do something like that for malicious or wrongful reasons

[blacklab579]

Yeah but if the government really cared all they would have to do is look at the site and they would know who is stamping them and where to find them.

[Sgt.Waffles]

"ith intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued" Writing on a bill is not illegal. Unless you are deliberatly trying to take the bill out of circulation, it is completely legal. I find your argument asinine. The purpose of www.wheresgeorge.com is to track the progress of a bill. How can you track the progress of a bill if you are deliberately trying to take it out of circulation? Your argument is full of ifs, ands buts, and what ifs.

[GameNox]

I got a bill like that....ALL THE WAY FROM NEW YORK (I live in L.A.). Yeah, if the goverment really cared they would have confinscated it...

[fozzgirll]

A few people think even one or two markings is defacement. It's not. The legal standard for "defacement" in the US is rendering the defaced bill "unfit to be re-issued", which is something a few normal stamps don't generally do. Mark your bills in a sensible manner so you don't get in trouble for defacing money! The website does not need to be written/stamped in seven places! One or two is OK.

[LionessQB]

It's actually considered defacing public property. And, yes, you can get in trouble for it. Much like putting a moustache on George. Interesting

[Lithium Rain]

Citation needed.

[michaelsteinbach]

From Wikipedia: ... One Secret Service spokesman in Seattle, Washington told The Seattle Times in 2004: "Quite frankly, we wouldn't spend too much looking into this." ... I think everyone is safe. If you don't want to stamp bills, fine, you don't have to.

[LionessQB]

I never said it wasn't interesting. You don't have to email me about it.

[steelnix]

The web site Wheresgeorge now has I think called mystery bills... The bills are still input on the site with no marks placed on them... Then if a "fellow" bill tracker trys to enter the bill number thinking its a first timer, he is surprised to see its already entered!! I have entered quite a few bills to find out they have already been entered into the site...

[Browncoat]

wheresgeorge.com = Love!

[GorillazMiko]

Awesome! Same with Dr. Cool, I've always wanted to make one of these. +5/5 stars.

[ozaark]

Wow great instructions I've never used the Trodat line of self-inking stamps for Where's George stamps . The custom self-inking stamp I made at Simply Stamps is actually pretty accurate because the bottom is clear the entire way around.

I just used their 'quick stamp tool' with 1 line and the stamp they sent was an Ideal model, I think they sell the Trodat models too. I'll have to try your instructions!

[Dr. Cool]

Thanks I have always wanted to make a Wheres George Bill