Let’s talk about money.
This is a $100 bill.
5-year-old me would be incredibly stoked if he knew he would one day get to hold one of
these.
Actually, he’d be confused, because a 100 dollar bill looked quite a bit different when
I was a wee lad.
This particular design was unveiled on April 1, 2010, and entered circulation in the United
States on October 8, 2013.
The C-note gets redesigned about every 6-10 years, which means we’re about due for a
new one.
All of our notes are in need of an update, actually.
United States currency gets a lot of flak for looking sort of dull, featuring nothing
but buildings on the back, and dead presidents on the front - except these two, these two
were actually never elected - but, you get the point: compared to other banknotes worldwide,
ours aren't very flashy.
There are a number of reasons for this.
Tradition plays probably the biggest role, but another important factor is security.
High denomination bills contain several anti-counterfeiting measures, and designing around these makes
it difficult for the bills to look good.
Take this $100 bill, for example.
The designers of this modern version had to find a way to seamlessly blend the classic
design that citizens were familiar with, while mitigating a slew of new security features
that are difficult to incorporate in a way that feels natural.
Not to mention the fact that the bill itself needs a low manufacturing cost so that it
can be produced on a mass scale.
It might surprise you to learn that it costs 12 and a half cents to produce this particular
bill - and while that SEEMS like a small price to pay for $100, when you realize this is
actually a 60% increase over the previous design, (and that the government prints 1
and a half billion of these bills every year) you begin to understand the importance making
every penny count.
So, what does 12 and a half cents buy you in terms of anti-counterfeiting measures?
Let’s take a look.
It starts with the bill’s paper, which, ironically, isn’t actually paper at all,
but rather a fabric, consisting of a linen and cotton blend, which allows the bill to
last longer and endure thousands upon thousands of foldings.
It goes even further than that: embedded inside of the bill’s fabric are tiny red and blue
security fibers that make it extremely difficult to produce a counterfeit material that looks
and feels authentic.
Printed on the back of the bill is a vignette of Independence Hall, and on the front, a
classic portrait of Benjamin Franklin.
This has been the standard imageset of the $100 bill for the past few decades, but the
newest model takes it a step further with some important security improvements.
Place your finger onto Franklin's shoulder on the left side of the bill.
Move it up and down, and you'll feel a rough texture, thanks to an enhanced raised printing
technique.
Genuine C-notes have a distinct surface (different from other denominations) and many a counterfeit
bill has been detected simply because it "didn't feel right".
Next, move your attention to Franklin’s jacket collar.
You might need a magnifying glass to see it, but using a process called microprinting,
the phrase “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” is etched along the collar’s edge.
USA 100 is printed around the blank space containing the portrait watermark, ONE HUNDRED
USA along the golden quill, and small 100 numbers in the bill's border design.
On the back, a large gold 100 has been placed to assist people with vision impairments in
distinguishing between the different denominations.
On the front, some of the classic design choices are retained.
The double seals on either side (one for the Federal Reserve System, and one for the US
Department of Treasury.)
The serial code, a unique combination of eleven numbers and letters, appears twice, and, underneath
the left code is a letter and number that identifies which Federal Reserve Bank distributed
the bill.
But enough of the small stuff.
Let’s get to the big security features!
Probably the most striking thing about the $100 bill is the introduction of a 3D Security
Ribbon that's placed just off-center.
The ribbon is woven into the design, not printed.
If you try and remove it, the bill is essentially destroyed, and becomes worthless.
Tilt the note back and forth, and you'll see the bells displayed on the ribbon change into
100s.
Tilt it side to side, and the embedded images move up and down.
Next, the copper inkwell.
Tilt the note, and you'll see a color-shifting bell inside of it that changes from copper
to green, making it seem as if the bell is disappearing and reappearing.
A similar feature appears on the numeral 100 in the lower right corner.
Tilting the bill will cause it to shift from copper to green, as well.
Next, like most other bills, there's a secondary portrait that appears in watermark on the
side of the note.
Hold the bank note up to a light, and a faint image of Benjamin Franklin can be seen in
the blank space to the right of the portrait.
The image is visible from both sides of the note, and still remains an important part
of quickly identifying fake bills.
Counterfeiters will often attempt to convert smaller denomination bills into larger ones,
but this embedded watermark helps to prevent such tricks.
If you hold a one-hundred up to the light and see a different portrait in the blank
space, you'll know a counterfeiter is attempting to pass a smaller bill off as a larger one.
And finally, a hidden Security thread is embedded on the left side of the bill.
Hold up a light to the note, and you'll see it.
In fact, all denominations, five dollars and up have this feature, all in separate locations
on the bills.
This particular note's thread is imprinted with the letters USA and the numeral 100 in
an alternating pattern.
The security thread glows pink when illuminated by ultraviolet light.
Taken together, the improvements to the $100 bill illustrate a substantial leap forward
not only in printing technology, but the effort that the federal government will go to to
keep funny money out of our pockets.
But, as printing technology like this becomes more and more ubiquitous, they’ll have to
work harder and harder to stay ahead of the curve.
So, what will the next generation of bank notes look like in America?
With the estimated lifespan of many of these bills reaching their conclusion, we won’t
have to wait very long to find out.
Ever come across a counterfeit bill?
Tell me your story in the comments!
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