I GREW HEMP: rubberstamped money

My collection of rubberstamped money.

last updated: May 5, 2003

A couple of years ago I became aware that ordinary people have been using currency to spread ideas.

I had received a few I GREW HEMP bills, but was awhile before it dawned on me that people were actually using cash as a communication channel.

Some bills advertise political opinions. Others share highly personal messages, I suppose many of which are in-jokes. And some are probably just artistic creations.

But why did these people select legal tender to convey their messages? Here are my pet theories:

They are trying to reach a very wide audience.

First of all, money is inherently valuable. So no matter how obnoxious or antithetical the statement on the bill may be, you're still going to spend it. Unlike a poster or flyer, which you would simply discard. (In the advertising world, the dollar bill would be considered a durable medium.) And once you put the bill back into circulation, it is likely to change hands dozens or hundreds of times.

And currency itself knows no socio-economic boundaries. Everybody makes cash purchases, receives more cash in change. Even people who don't read the newspaper, listen to the radio, or watch television. Regardless of age, gender, religion, or ethnicity, everybody handles cash. Therefore, your message could reach people who would never have received it any other way.
They are trying to be anonymous.

I have never seen a stamped bill which identified its sender.

(I suppose if you count the Where's George? bills as having identifiable senders, then yes I have run across a couple of those. But I think the Where's George? phenomenon is a slightly different subject.)

Perhaps one reason nobody signs their work is that it's technically a federal crime to adulterate US currency. I am no lawyer, but I think it's only a crime if the alteration interferes with the usage of that currency. For instance, I suppose if you stamped a large design on the back of a bill and it was no longer accepted by vending machines, that would be a crime.
They are trying to make a point about purchasing power.

This only applies in certain cases.

Sometimes a group will mount a campaign to illustrate their combined buying power. One way to do this would be to stamp money with your group affiliation. Everybody receiving that money would then realize the economic contribution of that group.

I have heard of pending military base closures begetting stamped bills with the base's name on them. I have never actually seen one of these bills, however.

I should point out that if you wanted to mount a demonstration of consumer spending power, you don't need to stamp bills. You could urge your membership to deal in unusual tender, like $2 bills or Susan B. Anthony dollar coins. But then you'd also have to publicize your campaign, or else shopkeepers would just be puzzled at the weird denominations coming in. In that regard, stamped bills are preferable because they are self-explanatory.

The I GREW HEMP dollars first brought this whole phenomenon to my attention.

It's a clever idea with a charming execution. Unlike any other design I have seen, these bills make use of Washington's portrait. The message is enclosed in a dialogue balloon pointed at George's mouth, in the same manner as in a comic book.

The intended message here is served up as a tiny history lesson. George Washington did indeed cultivate hemp on his estate. He is also quoted as saying, "Make the best of Indian Hemp and sow it everywhere."

Of course, the implicit message is: if growing hemp was perfectly fine for the Father of our Country, why on earth is it now illegal?

other sites featuring I GREW HEMP dollars:

The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST was added to U.S. currency in 1955, much to the dismay of many atheists. In fact, there is an organized campaign afoot to remove the message. Specimen collected in Los Angeles, 2001.

I would expect this PRO ABORTION message to be intended as a call to arms, rather than an evangelizing attempt. Specimen collected 2001.

LESBIAN MONEY: Probably an example of a consumer spending power campaign. Specimen collected in San Francisco, 1999.

GAY MONEY: Another variation on the theme. Image courtesy of Maria Kubecka.

After receiving this BISEXUAL MONEY, I can't wait for a HETERO MONEY bill. Specimen collected in San Francisco, 2001.

The TRAWLER DOLLAR -- another spending power campaign? Image courtesy of Kristian Jaech, Steilacoom, WA.

The WHERE IS MY DADDY? bill conveys unmistakable support for the Men's Rights movement. Image courtesy of Kristian Jaech, Steilacoom, WA.

This JEWS FOR CLINTON hundred was discovered by a coworker in the Silicon Valley in June 2000.

Neither of us can decide whether this was produced by a Jewish supporter of the Clinton administration, or by an antisemite attempting a little reverse psychology. There is no website for the group "Jews for Clinton". In fact, I cannot locate any sites on the web containing that string.

Incidentally, this is a series 1996 bill. Perhaps it was stamped for the '96 presidential election.

The Latin motto DEO VINDICE means "God will vindicate us," or something to that effect. This was the motto of the by the Confederate States of America. You will, of course, have noticed the Confederate flag. It seems that someone still carries a grudge about the outcome of the Civil War, given that the stamp was situated to obscure President Lincoln's portrait.

Specimen collected in Kerrville, Texas. Image courtesy of Susan W. and Allen M.

Given the mindnumbingly close 2000 election, the BUSH IS A FRAUD bill was probably inevitable. Specimen collected in San Francisco, 2001.

The IMPEACH BUSH bill is another in the same vein. Specimen collected in San Jose, February 2002.

The ANTI-LORENZO twenty was the first large denomination specimen in my collection.

Which is interesting, because stamping a $20 bill costs the same as stamping a $1 bill. After all, you still get to spend the money. So why do people prefer to stamp $1 bills?

Well, maybe people are stamping twenties and hundreds, but they aren't circulating as quickly as the ones. Or perhaps the stamp activity occurs only sporadically, with whatever cash happens to be on-hand (most of which being ones).

One theory on the message: maybe this is protesting the former airline union-buster Frank Lorenzo.

However, the bill is series 1995, which places the act of stamping at least two years after Lorenzo was kicked out of the airline industry. Needless to say, I am eager to hear other explanations.

This ANTI-WTO bill was discovered in Seattle during the first anniversary of the WTO protests there.

I don't know precisely how or why I'm supposed to STOP STARBUCKS!, but I suppose there's only so much room on a dollar bill.

The FRANCOPHOBE bill is an enigma.

On the one hand, it's perfectly ordinary to hear people belittle the French people, their customs, and their government. The French have been a safe target for mean-spirited humor for many years.

On the other hand, I think this is the first campaign to eject the French from American soil. I have searched for the strings "France no good" and "French go home", but apparently this group has yet to put up their website.

The ROTTEN.COM bill: what I suppose is the only piece of advertising in my collection...

...unless you count religious proselytizing as advertising. If you haven't heard of JOHN 3:16, then you don't watch enough televised sports.

(Not to be nitpicky, but the word "that" is missing from the quotation. If you don't believe me, look for yourself.)

I have been confused by the Crown and Star bill for some time.

I had assumed for awhile that this combination of symbols has a discernible meaning. But now I have given way to the belief that somebody just had a couple of rubber stamps lying around and wanted to know how they would look on US currency.

If you happen to know otherwise, please drop me a line.