In Ace's case, a photocopy of marked bills used in a buy-bust operation is admitted. Which statement is true?

• A. It is documentary evidence and admissible.
• B. It is object evidence and admissible; best evidence does not apply to object evidence.
• C. It is not admissible because photocopies are not real.
• D. It is admissible only if the original is missing.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how evidence is categorized and when the Best Evidence Rule applies. A photocopy of marked bills is a copy of a tangible, physical object, so it falls under object (real) evidence rather than documentary evidence. The Best Evidence Rule is about proving the contents of writings, not about proving the existence or identity of a physical object. Therefore, a photocopy of the bills can be admitted as object evidence if it is properly identified and authenticated. It isn’t about proving what the document says; it’s about proving the existence or representation of the real money used in the operation. The idea that photocopies are not allowed or that the original is required to be missing is not correct for object evidence; those concerns apply to documentary evidence, not to tangible objects.