The new $100 bill design I was talking about yesterday has been unveiled, and the end result is actually something that looks vaguely European. In fact, most of the people I heard talking about it yesterday (an admittedly small sample) were complaining that the new Benjamin Franklin looks way too much like a Euro and almost nothing like a legitimate greenback. Most of that is due to the new bill’s significantly harder to counterfeit design and litany of new security measures, which are detailed in this popup.
In fact, the only thing that seems to be unchanged is the size and location of Ben Franklin’s portrait. Everything else seems to be changing. Using a technology called Motion from printing company Visual Physics, the new C-note features a 3D ribbon that moves when the bill is tilted, color-shifting ink, a Liberty Bell design that appears when the bill is shifted, and Independence Hall will now be showing its back, not its front, on the bill.
Don’t worry, the old bills aren’t being immediately phased out; the new $100 bill won’t hit the market until February 10, 2011. Even after the debut date, the old bills will still be perfectly legal tender, so no need to toss out your old $100s for fresh ones. However, when the new bills do debut, I am going to pick one up, just to see what it looks like in person.
Tags: new 0 bill, Treasury Department, new 0 bill to debut on February 10, 2011, 3D 0 bill, Motion, Visual Physics, anti-counterfeiting technology, money printing, money redesign
