What is this bow and arrow on my 20?

What is a Chop Mark?

A chop mark is a small stamp applied to paper currency by foreign banks, exchange houses, casinos, or money changers.While this practice is incredibly rare within the borders of the United States, it is a daily standard in parts of Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, where U.S. currency is widely circulated but counterfeit bills are far more common.

When a high-volume cash handler—like a casino cashier or a major exchange bank—receives a U.S. banknote, they put it through rigorous authentication tests. Once they are 100% satisfied that the bill is legitimate, they stamp it with their own unique "chop".

• The Purpose: The stamp serves as a physical receipt and a guarantee of authenticity. If that bill ever comes back to their establishment, the cashier instantly recognizes their mark and knows it has already been verified.

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  The Designs: Every money-changing business has its own custom stamp. They can be anything from letters, numbers, and symbols like this bow and arrow, to intricate characters or geometric patterns. They are usually stamped in black, red, or purple ink.

Is it Still Legal Tender?

Yes, absolutely. Finding a chop mark on your money does not devalue the bill or mean it is fake. In fact, it usually means the opposite—it's a sign that someone overseas inspected it carefully and gave it a literal stamp of approval.

Under U.S. law, defacing currency is only illegal if it is done with the intent to render the bill completely unusable, or if it is fraudulently altered to change its face value. Because a tiny chop mark does not obscure the security features, the serial numbers, or the denomination, banks will still accept it and treat it as a perfectly valid twenty-dollar bill.

So, if you find a bow and arrow on your cash, you are holding a piece of history that has likely traveled across continents, passed through international exchange desks, and made its way right back into your pocket!