Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “In Dog We Trust”
Summary
"In Dog We Trust" is a hand-altered real US five-dollar bill in which D*Face transforms Lincoln's portrait into a grinning skull crowned with the rounded ears of his signature D*Dog, swaps the engraved "Lincoln" nameplate for his own "D*Face" logo, and adds a "PEACE" tag at lower left while leaving the Federal Reserve note otherwise intact. It is a direct, literal expression of D*Face's career-long preoccupation with money, mortality and branded power, here applied to the currency itself rather than a printed surrogate.
Why It Matters
Defacing actual legal tender collapses the gap between D*Face's subject and his medium: the work IS the consumer object it critiques. By turning Lincoln, a national icon of authority, into a skull with cartoon dog ears and rebranding the "In God We Trust" motto into "In Dog We Trust," he stages the artist's worship of money and fame as a kind of false religion. It sits squarely in the lineage of currency-based protest art and pop appropriation, while keeping D*Face's instantly legible vocabulary of skulls and the D*Dog. As an object made on a found banknote rather than printed in quantity, it foregrounds the hand of the artist and the irreverence of using "spendable" money as a canvas.
Collector Perspective
Hand-altered banknotes are among the more desirable formats in D*Face's output precisely because they are one-off or very small-run interventions on a found object, which pushes them toward the unique end of the spectrum rather than open-edition prints. The motif checks two of his most marketable boxes at once, the D*Dog ears and the grinning skull, on a universally recognizable American $5 note, which broadens its appeal beyond core street-art buyers. Edition size and medium are unconfirmed here, so a buyer should verify whether this is a genuine hand-finished note versus a printed multiple, and confirm signing/numbering, as that distinction drives value sharply. Money is real but liquidity for this specific format is thinner than for his standard screen prints, so pricing depends heavily on provenance and condition.
Historical Context
Made in 2016, during D*Face's Established Era, the piece belongs to a tradition of artists altering currency to attack the systems money represents. The imagery riffs on the US one-cent and banknote motto "In God We Trust," rewritten as "In Dog We Trust" to enthrone his D*Dog, while the skull-Lincoln nods to memento mori and to D*Face's recurring theme that fame and wealth are death-haunted. The choice of a Series 2013 Federal Reserve note grounds the gesture in real, contemporary money rather than a printed reproduction, sharpening its commentary on consumerism and branded authority.
FAQ
What does this piece actually depict?
A genuine US five-dollar bill that D*Face has altered: Lincoln's portrait is reworked into a grinning skull with the rounded ears of his D*Dog character, the engraved 'Lincoln' nameplate is replaced with the 'D*Face' logo, and a 'PEACE' tag is added at lower left. The rest of the Federal Reserve note, including serial number and 'Series 2013' markings, is left intact.
Is it signed and numbered?
This has not been confirmed for this specific work. D*Face limited editions are typically hand-signed and numbered, but currency-based and hand-finished pieces vary, so a buyer should verify signing, numbering and any certificate of authenticity directly.
What is the medium and edition size?
Both are unconfirmed for this work. It presents as a hand-altered real banknote, which would make it a unique or very small-run object rather than a standard open-edition print, but the exact medium and edition size should be verified before purchase.
Why is it called 'In Dog We Trust'?
The title plays on the US motto 'In God We Trust,' swapping 'God' for D*Face's D*Dog character to satirize the worship of money, fame and consumer branding, a central theme across his work.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic-book, advertising and celebrity imagery, his winged-eyed D*Dog and grinning-skull motifs, and for co-founding the StolenSpace gallery in London.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.