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by wickeand000 5048 days ago
Nope, In the US it is illegal to deface currency for any reason.

---------------------------------- Title 18 United States Code, Section 331

Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; or

Whoever fraudulently possesses, passes, utters, publishes, or sells, or attempts to pass, utter, publish, or sell, or brings into the United States, any such coin, knowing the same to be altered, defaced, mutilated, impaired, diminished, falsified, scaled, or lightened -

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both ----------------------------------

2 comments

And the StraightDope covers that exact passage, and focuses strongly on the "fraudulently" part.

Please point to the part of the kitchen where the fraud is occurring.

Someone should point this out to the people who make the penny squishing machines for tourists that they had on the San Francisco docks when I visited many moons ago. Does anybody know if they are still there at all?