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Wired Magazine -- June 12, 1997: Trying to Stay One Jump Ahead of the Counterfeiters
A new $50 bill, designed to be easier to read but harder to counterfeit, is announced by the U.S. Treasury Department. This will be the final revamping of the old-style currency before the Treasury completely redesigns its larger denominations during the early 2000s.
The fifty became the second new-style denomination, entering circulation in September 2004. The twenty made its debut in October 2003.
Watermarking, a security thread and color-shifting ink are all features of the new treasury bills. The color schemes vary: The fifty, for example, features shades of red, white and blue, while the twenty uses peach, blue and yellow.
The watermark is a faint image visible on both sides of the bill. On the fifty, it's the flag, on the twenty an eagle, on the ten Liberty's torch. The security thread is a thin vertical strip, visible when held up to the light, denoting the billâs denomination.
As part of the redesign, the portraits on the front of the bill -- Ulysses S. Grant, in the case of the fifty -- were increased in size, earning the new denominations the nickname "Big Face" bills.
While it's more difficult to forge the newer bills, counterfeiting has by no means vanished. Counterfeiting techniques have improved, too, and thwarting a counterfeiter still requires someone -- usually a small merchant -- being able to spot a phony bill.
A new $50 bill, designed to be easier to read but harder to counterfeit, is announced by the U.S. Treasury Department. This will be the final revamping of the old-style currency before the Treasury completely redesigns its larger denominations during the early 2000s.
The fifty became the second new-style denomination, entering circulation in September 2004. The twenty made its debut in October 2003.
Watermarking, a security thread and color-shifting ink are all features of the new treasury bills. The color schemes vary: The fifty, for example, features shades of red, white and blue, while the twenty uses peach, blue and yellow.
The watermark is a faint image visible on both sides of the bill. On the fifty, it's the flag, on the twenty an eagle, on the ten Liberty's torch. The security thread is a thin vertical strip, visible when held up to the light, denoting the billâs denomination.
As part of the redesign, the portraits on the front of the bill -- Ulysses S. Grant, in the case of the fifty -- were increased in size, earning the new denominations the nickname "Big Face" bills.
While it's more difficult to forge the newer bills, counterfeiting has by no means vanished. Counterfeiting techniques have improved, too, and thwarting a counterfeiter still requires someone -- usually a small merchant -- being able to spot a phony bill.
