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Steve Wozniak did not print counterfeit money. He bought genuine $2 notes in uncut sheets, had a printer turn them into perforated tear-off pads, and spent or gave away the notes. The pad—and the fact that people sometimes suspected the real bills were fake—was the prank.
How Wozniak turned $2 bills into tear-off pads
At a June 2001 MacHack conference talk, Wozniak described using perforated $2 bills as currency. Contemporary coverage by Macworld reported that some cashiers unfamiliar with the format thought the notes were counterfeit.
A passage from Wozniak’s blog, reproduced by The E-Sylum in 2015, explains the process: he bought genuine sheets from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, then had a printer gum four-note sheets into pads and perforate the notes so they could be torn off. He recalled using one to tip a waitress. The reproduced passage also says the notes cost him nearly $3 each when bought on sheets—a historical price, not a current one. The E-Sylum account attributes the passage to Wozniak’s blog.
Wozniak retold the story in a 2023 keynote transcript: he ordered $2 notes in sequence, had a printer make them into pads, then tore notes off to pay. The currency came from the government; the printer assembled and perforated it. He liked letting people wonder whether the bills were fake. Civo’s transcript records the later account.
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Are $2 bills still legal tender?
Yes. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) lists the $2 Federal Reserve note as issued from 1976 to the present and says U.S. currency remains legal tender regardless of when it was issued. See the BEP’s $2 Note page.
That does not mean every private business must accept cash. The BEP says federal law does not require private businesses to accept cash, unless applicable state law provides otherwise. A genuine $2 note is legal tender, but a retailer may still have a cash-acceptance policy. The BEP explains this distinction in its FAQs.
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Can you buy uncut sheets of $2 bills?
The BEP says it resumed its public-sales program in October 2023, initially replenishing uncut currency sheets, and directs shoppers to the U.S. Mint online catalog. That establishes an official sales route, not current stock or a current price; check the catalog before buying. The BEP’s Shop page links to the catalog.
An uncut sheet is a different purchase from ordinary circulated $2 notes: it is a display or collecting item that has not been separated into individual bills. Compare the sheet’s current cost with the face value of its notes, and consider how you will store and handle it. Wozniak’s reported nearly-$3-per-note cost is from his historical account and should not be used as today’s price.
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Why people thought the notes were fake
The notes themselves were genuine; their presentation was unusual. A tear-off pad, perforations, and notes arranged in sequence could look unfamiliar at a cash register. Wozniak’s later account says he enjoyed the uncertainty, while the 2001 report notes that some cashiers did suspect counterfeiting. The available accounts do not quantify how often that happened.
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