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13 May 2003

Fact Sheet: U.S. Treasury on New Dollar Notes

(New designs to counter digital techniques used by counterfeiters, it
says) (710)
A new design of the $20 bill is the first in a series U.S. efforts to
counter digital techniques developed by counterfeiters to forge the
U.S. currency, says the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the
Treasury Department, which unveiled the design May 13. Following is
its fact sheet detailing new currency designs:
(begin fact sheet)
Fact Sheet
About The New Color of Money: Safer. Smarter. More Secure.
The New Color of Money will be safer, smarter and more secure. New
money designs will be issued as part of an ongoing effort to stay
ahead of counterfeiting, and to protect the economy and the
hard-earned money of U.S. currency users.
-- The new $20 note design will be issued in late 2003, followed by
the $50 and $100 in 2004 and 2005. (Redesign of the $10 and $5 notes
is under consideration, but a redesign of the $2 and $1 notes is not
planned.)
Continuous improvement in currency design and aggressive law
enforcement protect the integrity of U.S. currency.
-- The combined efforts of public education, law enforcement, and
effective changes in currency design have kept counterfeiting at a low
level. Current estimates put the level of counterfeit notes in
circulation worldwide at between 0.01 and 0.02 percent, or about 1-2
notes in every 10,000.
The new currency designs will help stay ahead of counterfeiters, who
are turning increasingly to digital methods, as advances in technology
make digital counterfeiting easier and cheaper.
-- In 1995, less than 1 percent of counterfeit notes detected in the
U.S. was digitally produced. By 2002, that number had grown to nearly
40 percent.
Some things will be the same:
-- Same value: Both new and older-design notes will maintain their
full face value.
-- American look and feel: The world will recognize the new money as
quintessentially American. The new bills will remain the same size and
will use the same, but enhanced, portraits and historical images.
-- Easy-to-use security features: Consumers can help protect their
hard-earned money by checking their cash. First incorporated in the
1990s, these features make U.S. money easy to check:
1. Watermark: a faint image, similar to the portrait, which is part of
the paper itself and is visible from both sides when held up to the
light.
2. Security thread: also visible from both sides when held up to the
light, this vertical strip of plastic is embedded in the paper and
spells out the denomination in tiny print.
3. Color-shifting ink: the numeral in the lower-right corner on the
face of the note, indicating its denomination, changes color when the
note is tilted. For the new currency, this color shift is more
dramatic. It changes from copper to green, making it even easier for
people to check their money.
The most noticeable difference is color.
-- The new $20 note features subtle background colors of green, peach
and blue on both sides.
-- Different colors will be used for different denominations. This
will help everyone -- particularly those who are visually impaired --
to tell denominations apart.
-- Consumers should not use color to check the authenticity of their
money.
-- However, color makes it more burdensome for potential currency
counterfeiters because it adds complexity to the note and thus makes
counterfeiting more difficult.
Each denomination will feature different symbols of freedom. The $20
note will feature a large blue eagle in the background and a small,
metallic green eagle and shield.
From Wall Street to Fleet Street, from St. Petersburg, Florida, to St.
Petersburg, Russia, a far-reaching public awareness and education
program is underway to ensure the seamless introduction of The New
Color of Money.
-- Security features are more effective if the public knows about
them.
-- To build that awareness, the U.S. government is undertaking a broad
public education program to help ensure people all over the world know
new currency designs are coming, and help them understand and utilize
the security features.
-- Work is already well underway so that ATM [automated teller
machine] and vending machine manufacturers can make their equipment
compatible with the new currency by the time it enters circulation.
(end fact sheet)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)