Canadians Put Spock On Their Money In Tribute To Leonard Nimoy
When Leonard Nimoy passed away at the age of 83, there were countless tributes and memorials for the beloved actor including words from costar William Shatner and President Barack Obama. These ranged from inventive to genuinely moving, but this one may be our favorite.
It may not be the most obvious tribute to Leonard Nimoy, but it is really funny, and you have to imagine that the beloved Star Trek icon would be amused.
It seems that many Canadians had taken to “Spocking” their $5 bills in tribute to Leonard Nimoy.
The bills in question are adorned with an image of former Prime Minister Sir Wilfred Laurier, who, with a few slight modifications, bears a striking resemblance to Leonard Nimoy. The Canadian Design Resource tweeted to their followers to modify their money in tribute to the actor.
While this is fun, it’s not an entirely new phenomenon. Apparently, Canadians have been performing this feat for years, and not only with Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Professor Severus Snape of Harry Potter fame has also been the subject of such an artistic endeavor.
Defacing money and urging people to do so can be legally dubious. Even if it is Leonard Nimoy on the front of the bill. In the U.S., according to the Department of Treasury, “Whoever mutilates, cuts, disfigures, perforates, unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, Federal Reserve Bank, or Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such item(s) unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.”
That sounds grim, but who among us hasn’t drawn on a dollar bill a time or two? Leonard Nimoy deserves it. Right?
Apparently, it’s not illegal to mark on the bills North of the Border, but one of the concerns is that altering the images in such a manner will interfere with the built-in security features and degrade the lifespan of the bill. A CDR publisher, Todd Falkowsky, explains why this practice is not such a big deal, saying:
People have always played with money this way… love notes, return to sender, birthday greetings and remixing the images. I am not sure if it makes them harder to use but I’ve tried one in a parking garage and it worked no problem.
The Canadian $5 bill changed back in 2013, which makes it much more difficult to make these alterations, but intrepid citizens still find away. This new portrait of Laurier doesn’t resemble Leonard Nimoy as Spock nearly as much as the previous version, but with a little ingenuity, you can still make a decent likeness.
