Fake denominations of United States currency

Fake denominations of United States currency is faux "currency" which makes no assertion of being legal tender created by individuals as promotions, practical jokes, or social statements. It is legal to print so long as it makes no assertion, whether by appearance or statement, of authenticity.

"Fake money" is not to be confused with counterfeit currency or conflated with legitimate currency that has been demonetized.

Nixon Penny

These copper coins were about one-quarter the size of a regular U.S. cent and depicted President Richard M. Nixon on the obverse. The reverse showed the Watergate Hotel. They were issued as novelty items and as political commentary on inflation that occurred under President Nixon. Other types of coins have been similarly miniaturized before and since as souvenirs or collectors' items.

$3

Although various US states printed $3 bills before the unification of the currency, no US$3 bills have ever been printed. However, various fake US$3 bills have been released over time, generally poking fun at politicians or celebrities such as Richard Nixon, Michael Jackson, George W. Bush, both Bill and Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama in reference to the idiomatic expression "queer as a three-dollar bill" or "phony as a three-dollar bill". In the 1960s, Mad printed a $3 bill that featured a portrait of Alfred E. Neuman and read: "This is not legal tender—nor will a tenderizer help it." Mad writer Frank Jacobs said that the magazine ran afoul of the US Secret Service because the $3 bill was accepted by change machines at casinos.