Pulling the Magnetic Strip out of American Paper Money

My grandpa taught me how to do this along time ago and I figured because this is the site that is the depository for all how toing knowledge why not add my own weird trick.

Step 1 Locating the Strip

Take American paper currency more than the one (one dollar bills do not contain the magnetic strip) and hold it up to a bright light. I recommend doing this with five because this may make it so that you can't use the bill in a vending machine or at least it will think its a one. I also recommend that you do this with an old bill because it makes extraction easier. When you look through the five you should see a strip of something that has the words USA FIVE written in small black print on it.

Disclaimer: This may be illegal. This is only for informational purposes.

Comments

[Erik Lindemann]

Actually, vending machines work mostly on the magnetic ink that is used in bills. I have no idea what this magnetic strip is, or if it is that at all. If you don't mind me asking, but do you think this does anything good at all. Just about every instructable has some redeeming quality, whether illegal or just plain entertaining. This to me has no merit since if that strip is in fact magnetic, it's definitely too weak to use in any other applications.

[sokamiwohali]

Actually, vending machines and magneticism have no correlation to each other...vending machines use optics (mostly tiny cameras in certain places) to validate, and determine the worth of the money you put in it...so even if you take the strip out of a $5 bill, it is still useable in the machine because it doesnt read wether or not there is a strip in the currency.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/vending-machine-pictures2.htm

Thats where i got my info from.

[moomoocows]

It may not be useful or helpful but as OniTora said this site is here to tell you how to do things and I did just that.

[auziman]

the magnetic strip is so you can't counterfeit money

[Zargon]

Truth be TOLD: The magnetic strip is a RFID and the agents of the imperial US govmt. use it to make sure you are not taking $$$ out of the country or carrying too much, according to them, at any given time. They have hand held and walk thru scanners... think airport here... and can tell from 25' or more how much you have in your pocket as you walk by. Big Brother in action. So, one redeeming quality of this instructable could be, that if you remove all the strips from all of your cash you can carry as much as you want anywhere you want, without being arrested for the innocent act of carrying your own money in your own pocket or bag, or briefcase. :-) Thanks... I think I'll do that to 100 - 100 dollar bills and see if I can get through the airport security ;-D

[OniTora]

Redeeming qualities isn't in the rules. I'm only a casual skimmer, but I thought it was about teaching people how to do things. That's a thing I'm glad I now know how to do. I'm not gonna go do it, but it's cool to know how its done in case I ever need to.

Ease up. ^_

-=Nash=-

[nnygamer]

United States Code
TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
PART I - CRIMES
CHAPTER 17 - COINS AND CURRENCY
§ 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.�

Read more, make your own judgment if it is illegal to deface US Currency
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=426715

[sokamiwohali]

actually its not illegal. i called someone at the treasury and they told me that as long as someone is not trying to use the money they deface as being re-circulated then its perfectly fine. and if defacing money was so illegal, than someone who went to turn in defaced money to get replaced would get arrested on the spot. not only that but you wouldnt see those souvenir penny presses. Just Saying

[qubert]

ill do it I'm canadain _____________ | | /\ | | | | d b | | | | | | | ______________ just kidding , but it really is a criminal offence

[A good name]

In canada it isn't illegal.

[--scare--]

ummm... YES IT IS!!!

you can get fined and jailed for DESTROYING money or THROWING IT AWAY...
(money costs money to be produced!!)
flinging your pennys at strangers is a crime in two ways!!

but only for canadian money!!! we can destroy as much US money as we want!!!
(or from anywhere else than the country we are in) e.g. i can burn anykind of money exept canadian money  o.O

and by the way, a fine policeman warned me once for throwing my change in the street at a pesky hobo LOL!!

[sokamiwohali]

not true. it doesnt matter your country of origin, race, or religion, if you deface U.S. money (according to that law nnygamer posted) you can still be fined and jailed if caught.

[PikminRed]

Please do this with any Usa money you find if you live in canada.. I think we have too much inflation.. It wouldnt hurt to get rid of some cash.. Gum was $0.05 now it is 3.25 a pack...

[mocha1315]

 lol, all the penny pressers (presses a penny in to a oval shape with design on one side)  use American pennys in Canada.
we pay 1 - 2 dollars to crush US money.

[PikminRed]

Lol. Try taking a couple coins, putting em on the rails of the track, and watching the train smash em. We did that with the amtrak trains here.
I have pictures, but I don't feel like uploading em. Tell me if you want me too...

[--scare--]

I win the canadian part of the debate... ^.^ YAY

as for the US part, i'll leave you to it (i'm in Montreal) and i dunno any us laws that can apply to me (when i'm in Montreal)

[belligerentbanana]

Edrainkona is right. If he's not using the money to buy/sell/trade or whatever, it's perfectly fine. And anyways, no one does anything. People accept money with stuff written on it all the time. "...or does any other thing to any bank bill,..." i think this is a thing

[edrainkona]

Its only illegal if you do it for fraudulent intents.

[trebuchet03]

Yeah, we should totally spend lots of money in searching, litigation, etc. to go after him.... o.0

[ckeith2]

lmao, this is to funny who cares if its defacing money our own Government has single handily ruined the value of the American dollar, and they don't get jailed for it!!!

[cody777]

imma pull a bunch out and make some sort of bracelet with 'em

[moomoocows]

That would be awesome, well at least if you make an instructable of it.

[Andrew546]

If you insist... Thats not a magnetic strip. Its a fluorescent security thread, made out of plastic. Vending machines don't use it to identify bills The only way this could cause problems with a vending machine is if the physical damage (rips/creases) cause it to reject the bill. You really should take you own pictures. Stock photos and paint images just don't convey the message well.

[PikminRed]

OI! I got a new 5$ from the bank, and held it up to my sun lamp. Here's what the little strip looks like:

[tubbychick3n]

is it possible that you could maybe tape this to a one dollar bill to trick the vending machines into thinking they're 20s?

[creator 1]

That would be cool, but vending machines don't take anything more than a ten. I think.

[qballcat]

but you would already deface a 20 so you gain nothing.....................................................................................i think

[tubbychick3n]

Well, i've been able to remove the strip without ruining the dollar. I think i'd still be able to use the twenty.

[qballcat]

ok ok i gotcha, i thought u would use BOTH in a vending machine but use the 1$ with a 20 strip in the machine and use the real 20 for real $$$...im a bit slow

[tubbychick3n]

Nah, don't worry about it. I still wonder if that would work though.

[pdub77]

No, it won't work. Sorry to disappoint. It would also be considered counterfeiting and if the Secret Service happened to catch you it would be a bad day. Remember, increasingly there are cameras everywhere.

here's a link to check out: http://money.howstuffworks.com/question269.htm

[mr.turtle667]

That would be really cool

[zstamey84]

cool! I tried it on my 10 and it worked perfectly. No real use for it but it was really cool to see the strip come out. It looks like plastic with metal writing.

[llondon]

Hmm i did it with a fiver of mine, stretched a bit when I pulled it out but still fun to do =). +1

[gammatron]

I used to do this all the time as a kid. A bit of warning, as already said, the strip isn't magnetic, it's an anti-counterfeit device. If someone looked for it and it wasn't there, you might suddenly find yourself out X amount of money. I usually check for the watermark, myself.

[theRIAA]

i thought this was very interesting, i never knew there was a literal strip inside bill but i can't get it out without ripping it...

[moomoocows]

Make sure you work the strip area enough to loosen it thoroughly. Then if you are doing it with your fingers you'll have to make a very small rip to get at it.

[marc92]

It would be cool to try and extract the small tracking device from a 20 dollar bill. I believe it is under the right eye. Here is the story and here is the metacafe video.

[JamesRPatrick]

Anyone notice how the bills in the first link had burns in the right eye and the bill in the second link burned the left eye?

[Vertigo666]

Does anybody know what the deal is with the $50s? I vaguely remember something about bleaching $20s...?