Fake United States Paper Currency Denominations

Fake United States Paper Currency Denominations have been used as both jokes and as a real attempt of counterfeiting. Counterfeiting was common back in the 1800s until the National Banking Act in 1863 was passed. This is because until then banks were allowed to print their own currency so there were no questions asked if a bill was legitimate or not.

The $3 bill has been released more as a practical joke to poke fun at celebrities like Bill and Hillary Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Richard Nixon. There is a saying that goes with this, "Queer as a three dollar bill."

There was a $22 bill made by Lawrence Wagner (a.k.a. Love 22) who was a U.S. Presidential Candidate. He printed the bill because being a numerologist he believed that the number 22 was very important. The Federal Government indicted him for the crime of counterfeiting, but he was let go because technically you can not counterfeit something that doesn't exist.

In 2001 and 2003 there were two occasions where a $200 bill was used to pay for items. The one bill had a picture of President George W. Bush on the front of it.

A $1,000,000 bill does not exist now and has never existed, so the U.S. Federal Reserve allows it to be printed as a novelty. There have been times when someone has tried to deposit the bill into a bank account or use it for purchasing something.

Ray Comfort, a Christian evangelist, has a ministry called Living Waters Publications which produces fake $1,000,000 bills and fake $1,000,000,000 bills. The $1,000,000 has Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th U.S. President, on the front of it and the $1,000,000,000 pictures the 19th British evangelist Charles Spurgeon. Both notes have gospel messages on the back of them.

Randy Zakowski is an author and a successful coin seller. Visit his site Canadian and U.S. Money to find great deals on United States Paper Money plus other types of United States Currency.

Paper Shredder Waste Sizes - What the Numbers Mean

If you are contemplating the purchase of a paper shredder, one of the key choices you must make is the security level or shred size. So how do you make the choice? Here are a couple guidelines that have served us well over the years.

First, use the largest shred size that will meet the security requirement. Models with larger shred sizes are more durable and offer more capacity for less cost.

Second, there is security in volume. If your volume is heavy, you might consider a larger shred size. It is a more difficult task to reconstruct one-thousand pages than it is to reconstruct ten pages. Another helpful tool is the international destruction standard known as DIN 32 757 (Deutsche Industrial Norm). Shredder manufacturers are now listing six levels of shred sizes, but only five are actually part of the DIN Standard. The reason these are important is because they are observed by all of the major shredder manufacturers. The international standards are used in the marketing of this equipment and are now a significant part of the government procurement process. Let's review these different levels.

Security Level 1 and 2 are strip shred requirements. Documents are cut into strips the length of the paper. These are the lowest security levels. Level 1 is a strip shred of ½" or smaller. Level 2 is a strip shred of ¼" or less. Strip shredders have become less popular in recent years as security concerns have increased.

Security Levels 3, 4, and 5 are produced by crosscut shredders. These shredders cut in two directions and produce confetti of various sizes. Security Level 3 is considered a medium security level and a fairly large crosscut particle measuring 3/16" X 3" or less. Security Level 4 is a medium-high security particle measuring 3/32" X 5/8" or less. Level 3 is adequate to meet most unclassified government applications. But if you have doubts, move up to Level 4.

Security Level 5 is a high security particle measuring 1/32" X ½" or less. This was the particle size used for classified documents until the US Intelligence Community changed the standard in 2003. If you move to a Level 5 model, you will notice a drastic reduction in capacity. It would be worth your time to take a few minutes to compare the cost and the capacity loss by going to this much smaller shred size.

Although the highest security level is now commonly being called Level 6 by manufacturers, there actually is no Level 6 DIN standard. If you need to shred classified documents, you are required to select a model listed on the National Security Agency's Evaluated Products List (EPL). The 1/32" X 7/32" (1mm X 5mm) or smaller particle is the current US standard for classified documents. The latest shredder EPL (as well as other types of destruction equipment) is listed on the NSA's Web site at: http://www.nsa.gov/ia/guidance/media_destruction_guidance/index.shtml

Contact http://www.semshred.com for more information

Terry Creek