You probably don't think about it often, if ever, but all that money you see on t.v shows and movies is fake. Now you're might be thinking, couldn't they get in trouble for counterfeiting all that cash? Well, certainly they could. That's why there's strict government guidelines in place to ensure that everything is legit. There's also a little company called RJR Props in Atlanta that's here to do all the heavy lifting for the movie production crews.
RJR founder Rich Rappaport recently sat down for an interview to go over a bit of the process. He says first of all, his company has to deal with the Secret Service to make sure none of the bills breaks any federal rules.
Rappaport says RJR makes two types of bills. The first being "Standard Grade." The standard bill is made to like good when it's held at arms length. He says it will look real on camera, but if you tried to spend it somewhere it would easily be spotted as a fake.
Then there's the "High Grade" bills. This stuff looks legit in close ups, but since it's SO realistic, it can only be printed on one side. There are also a few minor differences of course. For one, where it normally says "United States Federal Reserve" on the real stuff, the fake bills read "Unreal Fake Currency" or "For motion Picture Use Only." Also on the front and back of the bills, the "U" in United States of America is actually a "W"
Now despite being fake, this stuff isn't free of course. RJR Props sells stacks of the standard grade bills for $45 each while the high-grade stacks go for $65.