The U.S. Department of Treasury unveiled a new $100 bill today, equipped with several changes that are meant to enhance security and reduce counterfeiting.
According to Larry Felix, the director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the changes are meant to be “very obvious and visible.” The bill is pretty high-tech and has three major security changes.
The first is the blue 3-D security ribbon that runs down the bill lengthwise, right beside Franklin’s face. When you tilt the bill from side to side, the tiny images on the ribbon switch from bells to the number ‘100’.
The second is the inkwell at the bottom of the bill, just to the right of the blue ribbon. It’s engraved with an image of a bell, and changes color from copper to green when you tilt the bill back and forth.
Lastly, there is a giant metallic ‘100’ on the back of the bill and on the front in the bottom right corner. The metallic material is harder to counterfeit and it also changes color when the bill is tilted. That security feature is already on bills in other countries, such as Canada.
The $100 is the most counterfeited in America. As it’s the largest bill available for public use, the Department of Treasury said it felt the need to “protect the integrity” of U.S. money and overhaul its security features.
Click here for an interactive view of the new bill.
Click here if you want to see all of the American $100 bill designs, starting from 1862. The 1862 one is seriously awesome.
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