I’m Kayla, and I run a small coffee stand at weekend markets. Cash still shows up in my tip jar and at my register. So I bought a Dri-Mark counterfeit bill marker pen. Simple idea: draw a line on the bill—if the line stays light, it’s likely real; if it turns dark brown, it’s bad news. If you’re curious where to pick up the exact model I use, Dri-Mark sells it directly on their site. If you’re curious about a full breakdown from someone who pressure-tested the same tool in real life, you can read this step-by-step review.
Sounds easy, right? Mostly. But there’s more to it when you’re busy and the line at your booth is getting long.
Why I grabbed this pen
Holiday season hit, and folks were handing me $50s and $100s for $6 lattes. I needed a quick check I could do with one hand while steaming milk with the other. No big machine, no power cord, just a pen. I tossed two in my apron. For another perspective on choosing a pen that actually stands up to daily use, see my take on the counterfeit currency pen I actually use.
Real-life use at my stand
First Saturday out, I used it about twenty times. Most marks stayed a soft, light yellow. I’d swipe on the blank space by the portrait and move on. It took, what, two seconds? It didn’t slow the line. That mattered. That first outing reminded me a lot of the story in I carry a counterfeit currency marker—here’s how it really went.
One guy handed me a glossy, too-smooth $20. The mark turned dark—like brown tea—right away. I felt my stomach drop. I handed it back, calm voice, “Do you have a different bill?” He shrugged and pulled out a wrinkly $10 that checked fine. The pen paid for itself in that moment.
The one that tricked me
Here’s the part no one likes to say. A week later, at a church bake sale I helped run, I got a very crisp $100. The mark stayed light, so I almost stuffed it in the box. But the paper felt odd—soft but not right. You know what? I held it up to the light and checked for the watermark and the thin strip (the security thread) that says USA. The thread looked off. The portrait watermark didn’t match the face on the bill.
So the pen said “okay,” but the bill was still wrong. Some fakes get made on real currency paper, or on bleached lower bills. The pen can’t catch those. I learned that the hard way, but I didn’t lose money, thanks to that quick light check. If you want to see side-by-side photos of these “bleached” bills and other advanced fakes, check out the gallery at PrettyFakes before your next market. If all that close-up money imagery has your eyes crossing and you’d prefer a completely different kind of photo break, you can hop over to this curated collection of tasteful nude pics where the focus switches to artistic human form rather than watermark threads, giving you a quick mental reset before diving back into cash-checking duty. The limits of the marker are spelled out clearly in how I spot a fake bill and the gear I actually use, which is worth skimming before you rely on a single test.
What worked well
- It’s fast. One swipe and you get a signal.
- It’s cheap. My two-pack cost less than a fancy latte.
- It’s easy to teach. I trained my teen helper in five minutes.
What bugged me
- False comfort. It can miss the better fakes. It’s not a magic wand.
- The tip gets mushy after heavy use. Mine lasted about three months doing two markets a week.
- On damp bills, the mark can look weird. A sweaty $20 gave me a smudge that looked dark at first. I had to test a dry spot to be sure.
Little shop tips I learned the hard way
- Make a small mark on a white space. Don’t scribble. One line is enough.
- Cap it tight. If you leave it open, it dries fast.
- Pair it with one more check on big bills: hold the bill to the light and look for the watermark face and that thin security strip. On $100s, tilt the big “100” in the corner; the color should shift.
- Keep a tiny UV keychain light. At night markets, that light shows the security thread easily.
- Trust your hands. Real bills feel a bit rough and have raised ink. Smooth and slick? Slow down and look.
For a detailed, bank-level checklist of every U.S. bill’s security features, Cornell University provides a free PDF guide you can keep at your register right here.
If you need a crash course in developing that fingertip instinct, check out I learned to spot fake $20 bills the hard way.
A quick story from Friday night football
At the high school game, a dad handed me two $50s for hot cocoa and churros. Pen said they were fine. They also felt right—kind of firm with tiny fibers. I spot-checked one under my UV light. The thread glowed the right color. We laughed about me playing “cash cop,” but he got it. People respect a quick check if you stay friendly.
Who should buy this
If you run a booth, a food truck, a yard sale, or handle cash at a charity table, this pen helps. The same logic applies to cash-based meet-ups arranged through local classifieds—say you’re finalizing a swap you scheduled in Azusa via Backpage Azusa—that guide lays out location-safety pointers and other quick screening tricks so you can trade goods without worrying about bogus bills. But—and this is key—use it with your eyes and your fingers. A two-step check takes maybe five seconds and can save a whole day’s profit. Want a candid look at what happens when you lean on the pen alone? Read I tried a counterfeit bill pen—here’s what happened.
Bottom line
I like the Dri-Mark pen. I keep one in my apron and one in the cash box. Worth it? Yes, for a quick test. But don’t stop there. Pair the pen with a light check and a feel test, especially on $50s and $100s.
It’s a small tool, not a full shield. Use it smart, and it pays for itself before lunch.