The Anatomy of U.S. Dollars - SEI Digital Library · PDF fileThe notes also incorporate large, borderless portraits and the five-dollar bill ... The Anatomy of U.S. Dollars Comparing

1996In the first significant design change in 67 years, the bills were redesigned to incorporate a series of new counterfeit deterrents. A larger, slightly off-center portrait now incorporates more detail. The new dollar bills also bear a watermark depicting the same historical figure as the portrait.

Two previous security features, the security thread indicating the bill’s denomination and the microprinting, are now located in a different position on each denomination, making it easier to identify bleached notes. Furthermore, a universal Federal Reserve Seal is incorporated instead of individual seals for each Federal Reserve Bank.

To continue to stay ahead of currency counterfeiters, the Federal Reserve Board announced new designs to be issued. For the first time since the Series 1905 $20 Gold Certificate, the dollar bills feature subtle background colors. Different colors are used for different denominations, helping everyone—particularly those with visual impairments—to tell denominations apart. Various symbols of freedom were added into the note background.

The notes also incorporate large, borderless portraits and the five-dollar bill features revised watermarks. The security threads now glow different colors on each denomination.

2004

BP

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

QCL Q#

Series: 1999, 2001, 2003, 2003A and 2006Issued 2000 – 2008

Security ThreadUSA FIVE A

Glows Blue

MicroprintingFIVE DOLLARS

MicroprintingTHE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA

WatermarkLincoln

BP

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FPQCL Q#

Series: 1996, 1999 and 2001Issued 1998 – 2003

Security ThreadUSA TWENTY A Glows Green

MicroprintingUSA20


OF AMERICA

WatermarkJackson

Color-Shifting InkGreen to Black

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

QCL Q#

BP


Security ThreadUSA TEN A Glows Orange

MicroprintingTEN

MicroprintingTHE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

WatermarkHamilton


BP

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

QCL Q#

Series: 1996, 1999 and 2001Issued 2003 – present

Security ThreadUSA TWENTY AGlows Green

MicroprintingUSA20

MicroprintingTHE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 20 USA 20

WatermarkJackson

Color-Shifting InkCopper to Green

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

BP

QCL Q#

CL FP

Series: 2004A, 2006 and 2009Issued 2006 – present

Security ThreadUSA TEN A

Glows Orange

MicroprintingUSA10

MicroprintingTHE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TEN DOLLARS

WatermarkHamilton


DEN

S/N

FRB

BP

QCL Q#

CL FP

Series: 2006, 2009 and 2013Issued 2008 – present

MicroprintingFIVE DOLLARS

MicroprintingUSA FIVE

Security ThreadUSA 5Glows Blue

MicroprintingE PLURIBUS UNUMUSA

Series

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FPQCL Q#

BP

Series: 2004, 2004A, 2006 and 2009Issued 2004 – present

WatermarkGrant


Security ThreadUSA 50 AGlows Yellow

MicroprintingUSA 50 USA FIFTY

MicroprintingFIFTY


DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

BP

QCL Q#

Series: 1996 and 2001Issued 1997 – 2004

WatermarkGrant


Security ThreadUSA 50 A

Glows Yellow

MicroprintingFIFTY


OF AMERICA

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

BP

QCL Q#

Series: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2003A, 2006 and 2006AIssued 1996 – 2013

Security ThreadUSA 100 Glows Pink

WatermarkFranklin


MicroprintingUSA100


BP

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

QCL Q#

Series: 2009 and 2009AIssued 2013 – present

Security ThreadUSA 100 Glows Pink

WatermarkFrankin



OF AMERICA

MicroprintingUSA ONE HUNDREDUSA 100

3-D Security RibbonBells shift to 100

The first major change to affect the appearance of all paper currency occurred in 1929. To lower manufacturing costs, all currency was reduced in size by about 30 percent. Standardized designs were instituted for each denomination across all classes of currency, decreasing the number of different designs in circulation.

To deter counterfeiting by advanced copiers and printers, the U.S. government introduced two security features beginning with the Series 1990 $100 bills. By Series 1993, the features appeared on all denominations except $1 and $2 bills.

First, a clear, inscribed polyester thread that glows green under ultraviolet light was added. It is embedded in the paper and runs vertically through the clear field to the left of the Federal Reserve Seal. A denomination identifier is printed on the thread.

Second, a line of microprinting appears on the rim of the portraits, reading “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” To the naked eye, the microprinting appears as a solid line and can only be read using magnification. Microprinting cannot be accurately reproduced by office machine copiers or printers. Since the samples below are of the 1988 Series, the microprinting is not present yet.

1929

BP

DEN

SeriesS/N

FRB

CL FP

QCL Q#

Issued 1993 – 2000 Series: 1988, 1993 and 1995

Security ThreadUSA FIVE Glows Green


DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

QCL Q#

BP

Series: 1988A, 1990, 1993 and 1995Issued 1990 – 1998


Security ThreadUSA TWENTYGlows Green

DEN

SeriesS/N

FRB

QCL Q#

CL FP

BP



Security ThreadUSA 50 Glows Green

BP

DEN

SeriesS/N

FRB

QCL Q#

CL FP



Security ThreadUSA 100Glows Green

DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

CL FP

QCL Q#

BP

Series: 1988A, 1990, 1993 and 1995Issued 1990 – 2000

Security ThreadUSA TEN Glows Green


DEN

Series

S/N

FRB

QCL Q#

CL FP

BP

Issued 1963 – presentSeries: 1963, 1969, 1969D, 1977, 1981, 1988A,

1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2003A, 2006, 2009

One-Dollar BillThe design of the $1 bill remained the same since the it was issued in 1963. It has the oldest reverse design of all U.S. currency. Because the $1 bill is infrequently counterfeited, there are no plans to redesign this note. In addition, there is a recurring provision in the annual Financial Services and General Government Appropria-tions Act that prohibits the redesign of the note.

BP

DEN

SeriesS/N

FRBQCL Q#

CL FP

Issued 1976 – present Series: 1976, 1995, 2003, 2003A and 2009

Two-Dollar BillThe bill was discontinued in 1966 but was reintroduced 10 years later as a potential cost-saving measure. Today, it is seldom seen in circulation. Its production is the lowest of U.S. banknotes: fewer than 1% of all notes currently produced are $2 bills. This compara-tive scarcity in circulation, coupled with a lack of public awareness that the bill is still in circulation, sometimes creates problems for people trying to use it.

Note IdentifiersDenomination DEN

The face value of a note.

Series Series

The series year indicates the year production started after the approval of a design. A new series results from a change in the Secretary of the Treasury, the Treasurer of the United States, and/or a new currency design. A minor revision in the design is indicated by the addition of a suffix letter to the series year.

Serial Number S/N

Each note of the same denomination and series has an individual serial number. Starting with the 1996 Series, serial numbers consist of two prefix letters, eight numbers and a one-letter suffix. The first letter of the prefix designates the series:

1996 A1999 B2001 C2003 D

2003A F2004 E2004A G2006 I

2006A K2009 J2009A L2013 M

The second letter of the prefix stands for the Federal Reserve Bank where the note was issued. The suffix letter identifies the number of times the sequence of serial numbers was used: A is the first time, B is the second time, etc. When a note is mutilated during manufacture, it is substituted by a “star note” with an out-of-sequence serial number to ensure a proper count of produced notes.

Federal Reserve Bank FRB

Notes of the 1929 style have a regional Federal Reserve Note seal with the name of the issuing Federal Reserve Bank and the letter designating the Federal Reserve district. Starting with the 1996 Series, a universal seal represents the entire Federal Reserve system and the letter and number below the upper left serial number identify the issuing bank:

A1 BostonB2 New York CityC3 PhiladelphiaD4 Cleveland

E5 RichmondF6 AtlantaG7 ChicagoH8 St. Louis

I9 MinneapolisJ10 Kansas City, MOK11 DallasL12 San Francisco

Check Letter CL Quadrant Check Letter QCL Alphabetical designation to identify the position of the note on a 32-subject engraved face plate, which includes letters A – H. The check letter appears twice on the face of the note; the second time it’s referred to as the quadrant check letter.

Quadrant Number Q# Each printing plate is divided into four identical quadrants. The quadrant number designates the position of the note on the plate.

Face Plate Number FP Back Plate Number BP

The face plate and back plate numbers identify the particular printing plates used to print the face and back sides of a note. Notes printed in the Forth Worth facility have an fw facility mark in front of the check letter and face plate number combination.

The Anatomy of U.S. DollarsComparing Styles, Note Identifiers and Security Features

Large Denominations U.S. currency previously included five larger denominations. Notes in the denominations of $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 were printed for general use. The $100,000 Series 1934 Gold Certificate was issued by the Treasurer of the United States to Federal Reserve Banks only against an equal amount of gold bullion held by the Treasury Department.

Although they are still technically legal tender, high-denomination bills were last printed on Dec. 27, 1945 and officially discontinued on July 14, 1969, largely due to the introduction of the electronic money system and concerns about counterfeiting. The Federal Reserve began taking high-denomination bills out of circulation in 1969. As of May 30, 2009, only 336 $10,000 bills were known to exist; 342 remaining $5,000 bills; and 165,372 remaining $1,000 bills.

This material is based upon work funded and supported by United States Secret Service under Contract No. FA8721-05-C-0003 with Carnegie Mellon University for the operation of the Software Engineering Institute, a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the United States Department of Defense.

Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of United States Secret Service or the United States Department of Defense.

NO WARRANTY. THIS CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY AND SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE MATERIAL IS FURNISHED ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY MAKES NO WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AS TO ANY MATTER INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR PURPOSE OR MERCHANTABILITY, EXCLUSIVITY, OR RESULTS OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE MATERIAL. CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY DOES NOT MAKE ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO FREEDOM FROM PATENT, TRADEMARK, OR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT.

This material has been approved for public release and unlimited distribution.

Information Sources: United States Secret Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, newmoney.gov, onedollarbill.org

All currency illustrations are reproduced under the conditions specified by the federal law. 18 U.S.C. § 504(1), 31 CFR § 411.1.

© 2014 Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon® and CERT® are registered marks of Carnegie Mellon University. Revised February 11, 2014.

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The Anatomy of U.S. Dollars - SEI Digital Library · PDF fileThe notes also incorporate large, borderless portraits and the five-dollar bill ... The Anatomy of U.S. Dollars Comparing