# "The Benjamin" Shredded money a different way



## bruce119 (May 11, 2010)

Well the government changed the way they shred there money. So I think I found a way to use it to my advantage. I call it "The Benjamin" 












As always questions, comments and opinions are welcome

thanks for looking


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## greggas (May 11, 2010)

I like it bruce...gives more of a money feel to the money blanks....where did you get the bills torn like this...treasury?


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## seamus7227 (May 11, 2010)

I like it too, it has a certain look that pops! nice job


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## maxman400 (May 11, 2010)

Pen Looks Great, If you had a bag of shredding and some Scotch tape you'd be in business. LOL. and a lot of time.


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## Whaler (May 11, 2010)

I like it!


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## JohnU (May 11, 2010)

Looks great Bruce!  I look forward to sorting those shreds out.  My version of the money collage takes too long because they are so thin.  I like it!!!!


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## DennisM (May 11, 2010)

greggas said:


> I like it bruce...gives more of a money feel to the money blanks....where did you get the bills torn like this...treasury?



The treasury sells 5lb bags of shredded money pulled from manufacturing


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## David Keller (May 11, 2010)

That looks great...  I've got a couple I purchased from you that I need to get turned.


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## Jim15 (May 11, 2010)

I like them, I think they look better this way.


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## bitshird (May 12, 2010)

Bruce they look great, but they also look labor intensive, Lots of eye straining work, but it does make a first rate pen.


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## bruce119 (May 12, 2010)

bitshird said:


> Bruce they look great, but they also look labor intensive, Lots of eye straining work, but it does make a first rate pen.


 
Thanks Ken

Yes They are a LOT of work. I guess I am a gluntent for punishment but folks here can appreciate the work that goes into fine hand made things and not massed produced stuff that floods the market (that's another story don't want to go there).

When I get a bag I sort through it and pick out the larger more interesting pieces. Even though $100s are boring next to a $1. Then I painstakingly (as you called it:wink reconstruct and glue them on the tube in a collage to make an interesting look.

I am working on a bunch more rite now and just got another bag of money still mostly $100s

thanks for the comments


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## witz1976 (May 12, 2010)

So I am curious, how many pens can you get out of a 5lb bag?


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## 2cor520 (May 12, 2010)

Looks great you can actually tell its money without a close inspection like the others.


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## cinder_ladylocket (May 12, 2010)

Its different and interesting....I think it would be a good seller...........good work as usual Bruce!


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## jttheclockman (May 12, 2010)

Bruce do you have a link to the source for the bags of money????  Pen looks better than the older money blank. Thanks for showing.


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## scotian12 (May 12, 2010)

Hi Bruce...they look great! Are you going to have any to sell?
    Darrell Eisner


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## DennisM (May 12, 2010)

jttheclockman said:


> Bruce do you have a link to the source for the bags of money????  Pen looks better than the older money blank. Thanks for showing.




http://www.moneyfactorystore.gov/5lbbagofshreddeduscurrency.aspx

If you get one good luck. I was going to try it myself but decided its not worth my time, would rather get them form someone who already does it. Was thinking of making wallpaper out of a bag or two and laminate under my workbench though..


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## bruce119 (May 12, 2010)

jttheclockman said:


> Bruce do you have a link to the source for the bags of money???? Pen looks better than the older money blank. Thanks for showing.


 


DennisM said:


> http://www.moneyfactorystore.gov/5lbbagofshreddeduscurrency.aspx
> 
> If you get one good luck. I was going to try it myself but decided its not worth my time, would rather get them form someone who already does it. Was thinking of making wallpaper out of a bag or two and laminate under my workbench though..


 
That's where they come from



scotian12 said:


> Hi Bruce...they look great! Are you going to have any to sell?
> Darrell Eisner


 
I can't say but keep your eyes open :wink:

thanks


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## workinforwood (May 12, 2010)

Looks great Bruce.  The new way of shredding money has created tons of jobs.  Instead of having a machine shred tons of money paper like spaggetti over just a few hours, we now pay individual people to tear the money by hand one bill at a time. :laugh:


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## thewishman (May 12, 2010)

workinforwood said:


> Looks great Bruce.  The new way of shredding money has created tons of jobs.  Instead of having a machine shred tons of money paper like spaggetti over just a few hours, we now pay individual people to tear the money by hand one bill at a time. :laugh:



Do you think I could get that kind of work to do from home?:biggrin:


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## wolftat (May 12, 2010)

thewishman said:


> Do you think I could get that kind of work to do from home?:biggrin:


 Open up your wallet and have at it.:biggrin:


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## Rfturner (May 12, 2010)

nice "$100" pen


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## johnm (May 12, 2010)

I actually like this better.


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## Dudley Young (May 12, 2010)

Very nice. If any of ya want shredded money, ya better get is now. The mint is pulverizing it now.


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## bruce119 (May 12, 2010)

Dudley Young said:


> Very nice. If any of ya want shredded money, ya better get is now. The mint is pulverizing it now.


 
Were did your info. come from. What do you call pulverizing.

This past fall it changed from what you see on the right to the left in the photo below. The last 4 bags I bought was like the left all $100 and pieces. I just got my last bag this past week.

I spent 3 days on the phone with the mint & BEP and just got the bureaucratic run around. No one could answer my questions they did not know nore did they care. And I put a LOT of effort into getting answers. All I wanted to know is was the change in shredding was the way it was going to be. Seemed to me they got a new machine and this is the way it is going to be. I have been an old school printer for over 40 years so I know how it works.

Just can't figure out the Gov. do you have an inside connection. There are a lot of craters that use the money for other things and I can see the style shreds being a benefit to them.

So if they are going to pulverize it are they still going to be selling it or is what you see on the left the pulverizing.


*NEW......OLD*


*NEW.................... OLD*
  
thanks


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## jttheclockman (May 13, 2010)

I bet you could do the same thing with a copier and cut the paper to any size or shape pieces you want. With todays copier no one would know the difference. That would seem like an easier way to go.   Of course you would need a $100 bill and we all know how hard they are to keep long enough to copy the darn thing.


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## CSue (May 13, 2010)

Great work, Bruce.  I like this look better - more recognizable.  It'd be a challenge to sort and put together, though.


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## bruce119 (May 13, 2010)

jttheclockman said:


> I bet you could do the same thing with a copier and cut the paper to any size or shape pieces you want. With todays copier no one would know the difference. That would seem like an easier way to go.  Of course you would need a $100 bill and we all know how hard they are to keep long enough to copy the darn thing.


 
I would know the difference :wink: As I said I was a printer for over 40 years and know how to go about it. The average (in fact most) persons would not know. That is why I give a small baggy of money with every pen or blank I sell for authenticity. If your were to put the real money next to the copied you would mostly see the difference. They build things into currency that are difficult to copy and imposable if you have a chance to see through it. It is not the printing that gets most counterfeiters It's the paper they can't counterfeit.


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## jttheclockman (May 13, 2010)

bruce119 said:


> I would know the difference :wink: As I said I was a printer for over 40 years and know how to go about it. The average (in fact most) persons would not know. That is why I give a small baggy of money with every pen or blank I sell for authenticity. If your were to put the real money next to the copied you would mostly see the difference. They build things into currency that are difficult to copy and imposable if you have a chance to see through it. It is not the printing that gets most counterfeiters It's the paper they can't counterfeit.


 

Wait till you see what they have done with the new bills and it starts with the $100 bill.


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## chris63 (May 23, 2010)

what is the price for the new style blanks ,  love the old ones but like new better can tell its money


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## edstreet (May 23, 2010)

The run around you got at the mint/BEP is due to counterfeiting, they do that to deter it so don't feel bad when they give you that treatment. Security through obscurity is their game.

What may be helpful is to take a $1 bill and cut it up carefully into random patterns and glue that onto the blank then cast it.  It should give that magnifying effect when turned just like the snakeskin does.

Also try this, long strings and weave it around the tube like a wicker basket then cast that.


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## bruce119 (May 23, 2010)

edstreet said:


> The run around you got at the mint/BEP is due to counterfeiting, they do that to deter it so don't feel bad when they give you that treatment. Security through obscurity is their game.
> 
> What may be helpful is to take a $1 bill and cut it up carefully into random patterns and glue that onto the blank then cast it. It should give that magnifying effect when turned just like the snakeskin does.
> 
> Also try this, long strings and weave it around the tube like a wicker basket then cast that.


 
Now your getting into an area legality defacing money. I wouldn't want to post a picture of that 

.


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## edstreet (May 23, 2010)

bruce119 said:


> Now your getting into an area legality defacing money. I wouldn't want to post a picture of that
> 
> .



So scan it then print it   Could do some high end notes that way.











These are offset transfer's and some quite $$$ ones at that.


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## bruce119 (May 23, 2010)

Just the act of copying a bill can be counterfeit I would recommend that anyone considering doing it study up on the laws. There are legal ways 25% larger or smaller. But copying a bill just the way it is hmmmmm. Then there is the challenge to get it to print to have the rite look. It's not printing or the scanning you can get that pretty good it is the paper the fiber and the color that is difficult. And then for us pen makers after all that getting it to cast. Then again it's the paper can can be tricky keeping it from wetting.

Good luck


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## bruce119 (May 23, 2010)

Oh and I know what offsets are when there is a missed sheet in the printing process ans the back cylinder is hit causing the image to transfer to the back side of the sheet.

Told you I was a printer

.


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## edstreet (May 23, 2010)

bruce119 said:


> Just the act of copying a bill can be counterfeit I would recommend that anyone considering doing it study up on the laws. There are legal ways 25% larger or smaller. But copying a bill just the way it is hmmmmm. Then there is the challenge to get it to print to have the rite look. It's not printing or the scanning you can get that pretty good it is the paper the fiber and the color that is difficult. And then for us pen makers after all that getting it to cast. Then again it's the paper can can be tricky keeping it from wetting.
> 
> Good luck



Incorrect.  What makes it counterfeit is the attempt to defraud, NOT the act of copying or duplicating.  What divides criminals from common citizens is 2 things, motive and intent.  If your intent is to make money and use it for purchases then you are a counterfeiter, if your intent is to make pens then you are not a counterfeiter.  I have called the secret service on this issue and the answers I received was yes you can have counterfeit bills and coins as long as you are not trying to distribute them into circulation.  I am a coin and currency collector and I received some counterfeit coins so I did look into the issue.

Here

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/18/I/25/474  deals with counterfeiting, not the constant words with intent to use and attempt to defraud.

http://www.moneyfactory.gov/historicallegislation.html 

http://www.secretservice.gov/money_illustrations.shtml even here it states for non-fraud use it's ok 

however in the end all the laws on record are just BS as we are not trying to defraud and it is a pure art form so we should be exempt from any restrictions.


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## bruce119 (May 23, 2010)

I know that law "intent to defraud" it is the coin cutter saving grace. I have been next to coin cutters in shows. Even that is a gray area.

Problem with the paper money is the statement.
"The illustration is of a size less than three-fourths or more than one and one-half, in linear dimension, of each part of the item illustrated"

Kind of kills reproductions yes 1 sided would work just fine but the size and it's interruption does not say one of all all of. I take it as all of size & one sided and originals be destroyed.

Although a bunch of small bills would make a cool pen that gives me an idea.

thanks


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## MartinPens (May 23, 2010)

No wonder you are so busy! I really like the larger pieces. Totally opens the look. I have some old stamps I would like to use in casting. I guess I need to start looking into doing my own casting, but I'm hesitant to see the list of things needed and the cost involved. Great photos too.

Martin


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## chris63 (May 26, 2010)

hey bruce  would like to by  5 of the new style blanks with torn money  instead of shredding  look more like money   instant message me with cost and how , ordered  from you before and blanks were awesome..  chris


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## William A. Cahill (Jun 29, 2010)

Hi Bruce, olyumabill here. Please shoot me a Paypal invoice. I would like two blanks.
                                                    THANKS    Bill Cahill

olyumabill@aol.com


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## Ruby pen turning (Jun 30, 2010)

shredded money (chunks and strips) on ebay.
Small bags for under 5 bucks with shipping.
now im off to go get a bag...dunno if I will ever get to use it, but if I feel the need to try casting it I will have it.


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