Warehouse 13 Artifact Database Wiki
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Warehouse 13 Artifact Database Wiki
Emerich Juettner’s Counterfeit Dollar Bill
Dollar bill fake

Origin

Emerich Juettner

Type

Dollar Bill

Effects

Generates and repairs damaged paper currency

Downsides

Invalidates an equal amount of usable money

Activation

Flattening

Collected by

Warehouse 13

Section

Cheque-832J

Aisle

396571-7137

Shelf

538681-4263-217

Date of Collection

March 20, 1975

[Source]


Origin[]

Known to the Secret Service as Edward Mueller or Mister 880, Emerich Juettner was a ghost. A footstep disappearing in snow. A total nobody. Which is why it surprised command how a 73-year old trash collector evaded their counterfeiting expertise.

Juettner’s limited knowledge in metal engraving and photography was not at a professional level. Reported bills in the NYC area during the Great Depression were sad imitations of the stately currency. They were printed on cheap paper, had blurry serial numbers and had a face that resembled a blob. The oddness of seeing such a small amount of spending money done so poorly, and being unable to trace its origin, was taken as a jest by agents. Worse, they appeared regularly but never in the same place twice. Juettner’s job allowed him to traverse the entire breadth of the city without suspicion, and he was meticulous in making sure he spaced out his spending. (He was also a considerate swindler and made sure no single person he bamboozled lost more than $1).

His scheme continued for a decade, giving investigators oodles of frustration. The only reason he was discovered was ironically, someone dug through his trash. A fire torched his home and all the possessions inside, so the firefighters chucked random junk out to make way. A few weeks passed and several boys reported finding the plates and a bunch of funny looking “Wahsingtons” buried in the snow. Juettner admitted happily to his machinations when officers arrived. He was charged with a year and day of prison but reduced to four months for his cooperation and sterling attitude. In 1950, his escapades were made into a film which profited him 10 times more than his entire counterfeiting career.

Effects[]

Flattening causes volumes of soiled, ripped and over-washed bills to spew forth for a maximum period of 88 minutes, requiring that many more hours until next use. The money is always currently accepted bills in damaged condition, meaning older circulation series and newer polymer blends appear alongside another. It’s thought most of the change is just those abandoned bits floating around seedy bars and federal reserve incinerators.

Touching the original bill again clears major rips or stains to lightly used status. For each piece mended, another out in the economy or private funds becomes damaged. Ink shifts that make the serial numbers illegible or portraits incorrect seem to be a common report, never seen in concentrated groups.

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