On Mar 23, 2018, at 12:49 PM, Ali Bahmani <ali...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Do you think it is okay to fold the real bank notes into origami models?
> Considering that some would say that it damages it and shortens its life
> cycle, is it okay to fold and encourage others/students to do moneygami
> with real banknotes?
> Is there any law / guidelines regarding this topic?
> Ali
Hi Ali,
In the USA, it’s definitely not a problem. Bills get routinely crumpled and
folded just by ordinary users; a folded bill might actually get better
conserved for a while, thanks to being folded. US bills are rugged and can
take a lot of folding without any significant damage; you can unfold them and
iron them and they look great, albeit not like new.
However, both bank note materials and legislation regarding what you can do
with bills may vary from country to country. Some bank notes are practically
unfoldable anyway because they incorporate plastic elements, and in some cases,
folding might damage built-in security features such as holograms.
So, I’d say it’s probably a good idea to play it safe and check on local
legislation if you think there might be some law under which doing origami with
a bank note might be considered to be defacing the currency. I am unaware of
any such cases, though, and have seen published photos of many different
countries’ bank notes being used in origami.
Just my 2 cents…
Matthew
