Bank of Canada urging people to stop Spocking 5$ bills

[Zontar]

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/03/03/star-trek-fans-told-to-stop-spocking-5-bill

As the title says, the Bank of Canada has urged people to stop "Spocking" 5$ paper bills. The act of spocking a 5$ bill is a simple one: just take a black marker and make Sir Wilfrid Laurier to one of the Canadian Journey Series bills, which are currently being phased out for the Frontier Series. The action has been around as long as the actual bill has been in circulation, but with the death of Leonard Nimoy the number of people doing in has risen dramatically. What do you guys think about this? I honestly think it's funny, and it's not like any real harm will come of it given how the notes have been in the proses of being phased out for over a year now.

 

[Parasondox]

Dear Canada,

Don't ever stop being awesome and funny and kind.

Yours sincerely,

ME.

The banks aren't going to come down had on those who have done this, right? Cause I know some nations would call that treason... or just an illegal act or whatever, I dunno.

 

[Zontar]

The banks aren't going to come down had on those who have done this, right? Cause I know some nations would call that treason... or just an illegal act or whatever, I dunno.

No, the real banks don't care and the Bank of Canada can't make them care. Plus it's a moot point since this has been happening for years now anyway and all that has changed is how many people are doing it, coupled with the fact that when one of these things does reach a bank or buinsess it's taken out of circulation anyway since the note series is being phased out.

On a funny note: Spock isn't the only one Sir Wilfrid Laurier has an uncanny resemblance to.

 

[Albino Boo]

I shall go the nearest bureaux de change and get 4 Canadian $5 bills dollars and immediately spock them. This of course I will do by humming fight the power by public enemy. I shake my fist at you Bank of Canada, its my right to draw spock on bills so get your stinking maple stained hands of my bills and Bill's bills for that matter.

 

[Zontar]

I shall go the nearest bureaux de change and get 4 Canadian $5 bills dollars and immediately spock them. This of course I will do by humming fight the power by public enemy. I shake my fist at you Bank of Canada, its my right to draw spock on bills so get your stinking maple stained hands of my bills and Bill's bills for that matter.

I'm afraid that won't work unless your bureax de change hasn't had its currency updated in over a year. Sad to say, but the current notes don't work since the angle of the image is different, and the plastic that used instead of pulp makes the ink from marker smug and eventually get frictioned off.

 

[Demagogue]

While this is funny, and a nice tribute to a great actor... it is still illegal to deface legal tender in Canada... it is one of the reasons Bank of Canada doesn't like people flatting out coins on the railroad ties (the other being because it risks de-railing a train)

 

[Zontar]

While this is funny, and a nice tribute to a great actor... it is still illegal to deface legal tender in Canada... it is one of the reasons Bank of Canada doesn't like people flatting out coins on the railroad ties (the other being because it risks de-railing a train)

Actually the risk of derailing a train is non-existent if bigger then a small shopping mall playground one, the risk stems from the coin turning into a potentially deadly projectile that can kill someone even if inside a car.

 

[Demagogue]

@Zontar Oh yeah... I forgot about the projectile part of it.

I went hunting for the derailing train part (I'm not talking smooshing pennies, but things like quarters and loonies and such) but haven't been able to find anything other than this: http://www.snopes.com/science/train.asp curse my parents and lying to me!!

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I've yet to see my bills defaced like that. Last bill I saw that had been messed with had been written all over by an angsty teenager who was judging everyone 'on the grid' because we were a slave 'to a piece of paper'.

#tooedgyforme

 

[Thaluikhain]

@Zontar Oh yeah... I forgot about the projectile part of it.

I went hunting for the derailing train part (I'm not talking smooshing pennies, but things like quarters and loonies and such) but haven't been able to find anything other than this: http://www.snopes.com/science/train.asp curse my parents and lying to me!!

Huh, apparently bricks can cause derails. Though, few places accept bricks as legal tender.

(Or explosive devices, which is the traditional way to do it)

 

[Lilani]

I wish something that epic would take the US by storm...all I really see is a bill every now and then with that "WheresGeorge.com" site or whatever, where you're supposed to register and track the bill as a sort of social experiment to see how far money travels. I don't really have anything against the idea, I'm just never too concerned about my money when I'm in a situation where I can sit down and do that.

 

[Demagogue]

Huh, apparently bricks can cause derails. Though, few places accept bricks as legal tender.

(Or explosive devices, which is the traditional way to do it)

I was reading the Mythbuster's site info on this stuff too and my favorite was "throwing a girl named Penny can sometimes cause derailments as well when the conductor tries to stop in time, or the hero doesn't get there."

 

[Namehere]

In the interest of clarification; it is illegal to deface an image of the Queen. This makes it illegal - since she's on all our money, even the long gone penny - to 'destroy' Canadian currency. Defacing our founding fathers is fine though. And frankly they seemed like mostly okay people who'd probably - if alive today and aware of Spock - find the whole thing hilarious, maybe even flattering. So it isn't criminal and it is pretty funny. I wonder, is Spocking a bill a way to make a bill go from a 5$ to a 6$ bill though?

 

[Starbird]

http://www.torontosun.com/2015/03/03/star-trek-fans-told-to-stop-spocking-5-bill

As the title says, the Bank of Canada has urged people to stop "Spocking" 5$ paper bills. The act of spocking a 5$ bill is a simple one: just take a black marker and make Sir Wilfrid Laurier to one of the Canadian Journey Series bills, which are currently being phased out for the Frontier Series. The action has been around as long as the actual bill has been in circulation, but with the death of Leonard Nimoy the number of people doing in has risen dramatically. What do you guys think about this? I honestly think it's funny, and it's not like any real harm will come of it given how the notes have been in the proses of being phased out for over a year now.

I'm sorry, I know it's technically vandalism but holy crap did I burst out laughing when I saw that.

Canada, that is awesome. More please.

 

[Recusant]

In the interest of clarification; it is illegal to deface an image of the Queen. This makes it illegal - since she's on all our money, even the long gone penny - to 'destroy' Canadian currency. Defacing our founding fathers is fine though. And frankly they seemed like mostly okay people who'd probably - if alive today and aware of Spock - find the whole thing hilarious, maybe even flattering. So it isn't criminal and it is pretty funny. I wonder, is Spocking a bill a way to make a bill go from a 5$ to a 6$ bill though?

You know, of all the countries in the world that might still have lese-majeste laws on the books, Canada is probably the last I would've expected.

 

[Zontar]

You know, of all the countries in the world that might still have lese-majeste laws on the books, Canada is probably the last I would've expected.

I don't see why, outside of the UK we take it seriously here (to gain citizenship or join the military you swear an oath to the Queen). Something to remember is that what separates Canadians from Northern State Americans is, other then French, that we are monarchists. Hell, I know a lot of people who joke that a Canadian Republican is called an American. Hell, I personally lament the fact our official name is 'just' Canada instead of "The Kingdom of Canada" since we are a kingdom (this was the fault of the British, who thought that our fair Dominion would be better off without the title after our independence as they believed it would possibly offend the Americans).

TD;DR, we take "for queen and country" seriously.

 

[thewatergamer]

As a proud citizen of canada....

First AHAHAHAHAHAHA THAT'S AWESOME

Second I don't care about "defaced" money as long as it's not offensive or inappropriate and neither does my local bank so... yeah

 

[Vivi22]

it is still illegal to deface legal tender in Canada...

It's not actually. It mentions it right in the article the OP linked in fact.

 

[JustAnotherAardvark]

I think it's more 'refacing' than 'defacing'.
Had face before; had face after.

 

[Westaway]

It's not illegal so "urge" is really the only thing they can do.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/spocking-laurier-on-5-not-illegal-says-bank-of-canada-1.2978860