This could work...

[CW]

I'm an American and I haven't a clue. Slang, either old time or regional, is a pain.

[Robert Bonomi]

The biggest 'general circulation' currency that the U.S. ever used was a $5,000 bill. There were some large 'notes' used *only* in inter-bank settlements -- $10,000 $50,000 and $100,000. The $100,000 one was a 'gold deposit' certificate, issued *only* to banks, and representing physical gold that they placed on deposit with the Fed. Reserve.

*VERY* EASILY. You have to recognize the difference between forgery and counterfeiting. If you _claim_ it is something that it isn't, *that* is what makes it counterfeit. If you create a 'copy' of something, and attempt to pass it off as an 'original', that is _forgery_.

When somebody cooks up "funny money" copies of actual currency, *and* attempts to 'pass' that paper, that is 'counterfeiting by forgery', in effect. _both_ actions are involved.

counterfeiting is the making of a 'false object'. forgery is the making of an object 'in the likeness of something else'.

The laws on the books forbid you from making what purports to be "official money" of the government. Doing so is the creation of a 'false object',

*whether*or*not* it 'is in the likeness' of something the government _actually_ produces.

Note: there is *NOTHING* on the books that prevents you from printing your _own_ "money". All you have to do is convince others to _use_ it. It's nothing more than a transferable IOU.

Many years ago, _most_ of the big banks *did* issue their own 'money'. That is where the term "bank note" actually comes from. They were notes _issued_ by the bank, promising to deliver, 'on demand', the specified amount of the precious metal (or whatever else) that those notes were 'backed' by.

[Kenneth]

Hi CW,

"haven't a clue" would certainly seem to qualify...

Slang is:

"A kind of language occurring chiefly in casual and playful speech, made up typically of short-lived coinages and figures of speech that are deliberately used in place of standard terms for added raciness, humor, irreverence, or other effect."

All the best,

[Scott Cramer]

Nice job, Doug - post some pics on ABPW!

AS for changing a $1,000,000 bill, read Mark Twain's "The Million Pound Bank Note" for some ideas on how to make it work.