Australian Prop Money: The Complete Buyer's Guide for Film & TV

Start with the camera, not the note

The single biggest mistake productions make is buying prop money rated for eyesight rather than sensors. A note that fools a glance can fall apart in a 4K close-up: banding in gradients, soft microtext, glossy stock throwing highlights. Choose notes that are offset printed on matte stock — that combination is what survives modern cameras.

Fresh or aged?

Fresh full-print notes suit bank scenes, briefcase reveals and anything implying new money. Aged and distressed notes belong anywhere cash is meant to have circulated — wallets, registers, crime scenes, period settings. Most productions order both and dress scenes accordingly.

Stacks, bundles and hero props

Loose notes dress wallets and registers. Banded stacks read as serious money and cut art-department time dramatically. For table spreads and duffel bags, a bundle such as our $100K money stack set gives uniform, camera-matched stacks out of the box. For a single hero shot, a pre-dressed briefcase set is the fastest route to a finished frame.

The compliance check

Before any note reaches set, confirm three things: reduced scale, visible prop markings, and no replicated security features. Compliant notes protect the production and pass legal review without delay. If you are unsure where to start, our film and TV prop money category is organised exactly around these production needs, and our team has supplied Australian features, TVCs and music videos since 2022.