One of our regular readers, valeriya_golovko, contacted us with a request to publish it on our website Interesting Facts about the dollar. MADE!
The paper dollar was introduced to America in 1690 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Who is depicted on US dollars?
The basic design for most dollar bills was established in 1928. The banknotes feature portraits of US statesmen:
1. The country's first president, George Washington, is depicted on the $1 banknote.
2. 3rd President Thomas Jefferson - on the $2 banknote.
3. 16th President of the United States, winner of the war between North and South, Abraham Lincoln - on the $5 banknote.
4. One of the “Founding Fathers” of the United States and the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, is on the $10 banknote.
5. The seventh President of the United States and one of the creators of the modern dollar, Andrew Jackson, is on the $20 banknote.
6. 18th President of the United States and Civil War hero Ulysses Grant - on the $50 banknote.
7. Scientist, publicist and diplomat Benjamin Franklin - on the $100 banknote.
Many dollar bills, as you have already seen, depict presidents and ministers USA Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, but how does the image Benjamin Franklin got on hundred dollar bill, who has never been a political figure? The inventor of the lightning rod and newspaper editor earned this honor due to the fact that he was among the founders of America and his signature is on the Declaration of Independence. Franklin believed that wealth was the fruit of hard work, and this belief served as the basis for the famous American Dream. He also used his typographic skills to print the first American currency.
Did you know there is a ten thousand dollar bill? In general, today the largest bill is the 100 dollar bill, but previously thousands, five thousand and even ten thousand were issued. They stopped printing in 1969, as there was no particular need for it. Some of these bills still exist and are considered legal means of payment. But most of them are in the hands of collectors.
On rare banknotes:
President William McKinley is on the $500 note.
President Grover Cleveland is on the $1000 bill.
$1000 bill 1918 design The bill features the first Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton.
Head of the Treasury Department during the administration of President Lincoln, and subsequently head Supreme Court USA Salmon Chase - on the $10,000 banknote.
President Woodrow Wilson - on the $100,000 note.
I would like to talk about some features of dollar bills:
Some people are very interested in why there is a pyramid on the back of the one dollar bill.
The answer to this question is the following: the pyramid is part of the America's seal. The pyramid symbolizes strength and power, and the 13 steps are the states of the state. On the $1 bill, the Latin phrase above the pyramid is ANNUIT COEPTIS, meaning “God supports our endeavors.” The Latin below the pyramid on the $1 bill, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means "New World Order." At the base of the pyramid on the $1 bill is the Roman numeral MDCCLXXVI, meaning “1776.” On the $1 bill, an owl can be seen in the upper left corner, and a spider is hidden in the upper right corner.
Number 13 (corresponds to 13 colonies) Quite often used on the $1 bill. The number of digits in 1776 (4) and its Roman equivalent MDCCLXXVI (9) add up to 13
There are 13 stars above the eagle on the dollar
There are 13 rows in the pyramid
13 letters in ANNUIT COEPTIS
E PLURIBUS UNUM contains 13 letters
There are 13 vertical stripes on the shield
There are 13 horizontal stripes at the top of the shield
13 leaves and 13 berries on an olive branch.
Dollar bill contains 13 arrows
The number 172 can be seen on the $5 bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.
Every American banknote, as well as every coin, bears the inscription “In God We Trust.” This inscription first appeared on American coins in 1864. A century later, the US Congress decided to consider these words as the national motto.
And now I’ll tell you about interesting facts about dollars:
1. Every day in the United States, about 35 million banknotes of various denominations are issued for a total value of approximately $635 million. 95% of banknotes printed annually are used to replace worn-out money. In 2005, the cost of producing one banknote was approximately 5.7 cents.
2. All modern dollar bills have the same size, regardless of denomination, 155.956 by 66.294 mm (6.14 by 2.61 inches).
3. The paper on which US dollars are printed is 25 percent linen and 75 percent cotton. It has a neutral color, interspersed throughout the fabric with tiny synthetic fibers of varying lengths in red and blue.
4. The approximate weight of one banknote, regardless of its denomination, is 1 gram. There are 454 grams in a pound. Thus, one pound of notes contains 454 notes.
5. It would take more than 14 million bills to stack a stack of bills one mile high.
6. The most printed banknotes are in denominations of 1 dollar (they make up 45% of the total volume of printed money).
7. When the US government first organized the release in 1861 paper money in large quantities, each bill, in accordance with the law, had to be signed by hand by representatives of the registration department of the Treasury and the treasurer. This difficult undertaking prompted the government to introduce new legislation allowing signatures to be engraved and printed on banknotes. This method is still used today.
8. Since 1866, US legislation has prohibited the use of portraits of living people on banknotes.
9. The most popular bills in the USA are 1 and 20 dollars, and in other countries - 100 dollars.
10. The largest bill ever printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was the 1943 Series $100,000 Gold Certificate. These bills were not issued into mass circulation; they were used only in settlements of transactions between the banks of the Federal Reserve System and the US Treasury.
11. For a US bill to wear out on the fold, it would have to be folded in half more than 4 thousand times.
12. The word “bak” (English buck) (in the plural in Russian it is pronounced baki, and in English -) comes from the English word “bakkin” - the skin of a male deer.
13. The first dollars were silver coins. Later, paper banknotes (banknotes, banknotes) appeared.
14. When the US began issuing new hundred-dollar bills, Americans joked that old Ben Franklin would get a facelift.
15. By 2016, it is planned to completely remove 1 and 2 dollar bills from circulation and replace them with coins of the corresponding denomination.
16. An interesting fact for many may be that a dollar bill can be folded lengthwise and crosswise four thousand times. According to the Federal Reserve, it is known that a dollar bill “lives” for about 22 months, a five-dollar bill lasts 2 years, a ten-dollar bill lasts 3 years, a twenty-dollar bill lasts 4 years, and fifty- and hundred-dollar bills last as long as 9 years. Coins, in turn, are more durable and can be used for about three decades.
17. It is also surprising that several US cities have their own currency. Ithaca is considered the first city to create its own currency. In 1991, Paul Glover and his successors came up with the Ithacan clock. An Ithacan hour was equal to ten dollars. Money is called a clock so that people remember that currency is payment for labor. In addition to Ithaca, the cities of Madison, Corvallis and Traverse City have their own currencies.
18. It is considered strange that more money is issued for playing Monopoly than real money. Although this seems more like a fiction, this fact is absolutely true. The game's makers said $30 billion worth of bills are printed for the game each year. While the Printing and Engraving Bureau released last year real money worth $974 million.
19. Martha Washington is the only woman whose portrait is printed on an American banknote. This was the obverse of the 1886 and 1891 series $1 Silver Certificates, and the reverse of the 1896 $1 Silver Certificate.
Everyone has thought at least once about how money is destroyed and created. The Federal Reserve decides how much money needs to be printed in any given year, and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving handles the issue of banknotes.
20. The image of the elm tree on the back of the $20 bill near the White House represents a real tree in a real location. But, on June 25, 2006, the tree, whose age exceeded 100 years, was broken by a hurricane.
21. In 1963, the $2 bill was redesigned by adding the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” on the reverse side and removing the inscription “Must be paid to bearer on demand” on the front side. Additionally, the pledge on the Federal Reserve Note was changed to its current wording: “THIS NOTE IS LEGAL TENDER FOR ALL DEBTS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE.”
22. The $2 bill was last issued in 2003.
The Fed checks all currency using specialized equipment and decides the future fate of the banknotes. If the inspection reveals unusable banknotes, they are cut in machines and replaced with new ones. The shredded bills are either thrown away or used in souvenirs sold during field trips to reserve banks.
May 19, 2016 37019As law enforcement officers note, dollar bills of high denominations are most often counterfeited. It’s understandable - why bother with the little things, draw a “hundredth” like that! On the other hand, few people keep their savings in “ones” or even “twenties”; the pack turns out to be painfully thick :) How can one determine the authenticity of “grant” and “Franklin”?
Let's begin with banknotes of different types t release not only look different, but also have different security elements.
Now we will highlight peculiarities, which you need to pay attention to when closely examining banknotes in 50 and 100 US dollars.
LIST OF FEATURES
| Banknotes 1928-1995 | Banknotes 1996 - 2003 |
| portrait in the center | the portrait is enlarged and shifted to the left from the center of the banknote |
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| an imprint of the seal of the Federal Reserve Bank (from 1928 to 1934 the outer edge of the seal is smooth, from 1950 - jagged), in the lower part of which there is the name of the city and state in which the bank is located, and in the center - the control letter of the bank | imprint of the seal of the Federal Reserve (instead of the seal of the Federal Reserve Bank), letterpress printed on all denominations except $100 (intaglio) |
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| bank check digit in the four corners of the banknote | letter and number that indicate the Federal Reserve Bank |
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| scalloped impression of the U.S. Treasury seal depicting a white shield, scales, and key; white fields are filled with round dots; There is a curved ribbon and an image of 13 stars. Text: "THE DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY 1789", before 1966 "THESAUR AMER SEPTENT SIGIL" | |
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| at the beginning and at the end of the serial number there are letters, the first of which corresponds to the control letter | a letter has been added to the serial number |
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| The signatures of the US Secretary of the Treasury and Treasurer are intaglio, except for the 1935, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1963 and 1963A series notes. | |
| The Series inscription is made by intaglio printing, except for banknotes of the 1935, 1950, 1953, 1957, 1963 and 1963A series. | |
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Among the security elements of old banknotes (until 1990 of the year) the following can be distinguished:
- blue and red security fibers
- intaglio printing
- magnetic protection
- letterpress printing
- security thread
- microtext
Security thread
Microtext
- water marks
- elements in paintOVIR
- luminescence in UV light
Water marks
DyeOVIR
| Security element | 1990-1995 | since 1996 | |||
| 50 | 100 | 50 | 100 | ||
| Security thread | text | USA 50 | USA 100 |
USA 50 featuring the US flag with the number 50 | USA 100 |
| location | to the left of the portrait | to the left of the portrait | to the right of the portrait | to the left of the portrait | |
| UV luminescence | - | yellow | - | red | |
| Microtext | text | THE UNITED SATES OF AMERICA | THE UNITED SATES OF AMERICA | THE UNITED SATES OF AMERICA FIFTY |
THE UNITED SATES OF AMERICA USA100 |
| location | to the left and right of the portrait | to the left and right of the portrait | on the left collar of the shirt FIFTY - inside the frame on the left and right |
on the camisole and inside the number 100 | |
Visual cue. Where to look for microtext?
IN 2001 year a new modification of US dollars appeared in circulation "1999 series". These banknotes have infrared tags on the reverse side. They are not visible to the naked eye, but if you have a special scanner, the marks look like this...
Newer dollars
Introduced into circulation from 2003 to 2008 banknote series "FuGen". Banknotes, including 50 dollars became colored.
The new banknotes have the following differences:
- enlarged portrait without frame and reverse side image without oval frame
- image of stars and stripes, like on the US national flag
- increased number of red and blue security fibers And security thread
- microtexts
- OVIR-nominal color changed
- added a background color design on the front and back (for the $50 bill, from purple to light yellow to purple again)
- infrared-sensitive elements appeared on the front side
New banknote in 100 dollars(in circulation since October 8, 2013) has changed its usual gray-green color. The new Franklins received a blue 3D ribbon and copper-colored holograms. The holographic images on this banknote are special - for the first time they are not printed on paper, but are “woven” into it.
Blue banknote
- blue 3D protective tape
- when turned, the bells depicted on it change to the number 100
- “ONE HUNDRED USA” inscription along the gold nib
- to the right of the image of Benjamin Franklin there is a watermark with his image
- on Franklin’s collar there is the inscription “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”
- objects depicted on the bill change colors when rotated (for example, an image of a bell in an inkwell and the number “100” placed next to the portrait of Franklin and the number “100” change color from copper to green when tilted). We hope that if you have any doubts about the authenticity of $50 and $100 bills, this article will help dispel them.
Very often (especially in cheap or old films) you can hear phrases like: “I collect portraits of American presidents” or “I am only interested in pieces of paper with pictures of dead American presidents.” Naturally, you guessed that we're talking about about American paper money, which depicts those same presidents.
Now, about the actual purpose of our short review. Firstly, we are faced with the fact that almost the overwhelming majority of average people (i.e., your ordinary colleagues and your acquaintances) do not know what is depicted on American banknotes. Don't believe me? Check it out. No one will tell you more than Washington and Lincoln. Well, maybe someone will remember Grant at fifty dollars.
Secondly, for some reason everyone thinks that only American presidents are depicted on American banknotes, but this is not so. There are figures who have never been president at all, but they still appear on dollar bills.
Currently, there are paper bills in circulation in denominations from 1 to 100 US dollars. Previously, there were banknotes of higher denominations, but talking about them is not the purpose of this review.
The one dollar bill depicts, of course, George Washington, who is the first American president. By the way, the US capital is also named after him.
The two dollar bill is rarely seen in circulation. Many people believe that it brings happiness. It depicts Thomas Jefferson, who was the third President of the United States.
The five dollar bill features Abraham Lincoln. This is the one that abolished slavery in the USA. If you remember, there were many black slaves in America, which resulted in the war between the north and south.
Ten dollars and the first surprise. This bill does not depict the American president, but the first US Treasury Secretary, Alexander Hamilton.
The twenty (the most counterfeited bill) bears the portrait of the seventh President of the United States: Andrew Jackson. By the way, at one time he was categorically against paper money, and now he himself flaunts on the banknote.
Fifty dollars and Willis Grant - 18th President of the United States, hero of the Civil War.
And finally, the most “favorite” bill: one hundred dollars or one hundred. It depicts a figure who was also never president of the United States. This is Benjamin Franklin. His signature is on the US Constitution and the US Declaration of Independence. Franklin was a journalist, scientist, politician, but not a president. An interesting fact is that he invented the lightning rod, and also that he was the first foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Below are scans of dollar bills to refresh your memory.
Do you know which US presidents are featured on dollar bills? I don’t know everyone by heart either. Let's see which presidents are depicted on dollars. First, I suggest you look at the new $100 bill, which was supposed to be put into circulation back in 2011.
The $100 bill is the most common and most counterfeited outside the United States. That's why we created new bill, which is very difficult to fake. The old 100 bucks (i.e. production cost) cost 12 cents. New ones are a little more expensive - 14 cents. But counterfeiting a $100 bill will be very difficult or even impossible.
Now let's see who is depicted on the dollars.
The one dollar bill depicts the very first president in the history of the United States of America, George Washington. A man who fought in the Revolutionary War.
The first president of the United States of America, George Washington, is depicted on the one dollar bill.
On the two dollar bill is a photograph of the third President of the United States - Thomas Jefferson. The $2 bill is considered the rarest in the world.
The third President of the United States is on the two dollar bill: Thomas Jefferson.
Abraham Lincoln, who won the North-South War and is the 16th President of the United States, is featured on the $5 bill.
Alexander Hamilton, who once served as Secretary of the Treasury and is considered the "Founding Father" of the United States, is featured on the $10 bill.
Civil War hero Ulysses Grant and a $50 bill. He is the 18th president.
Both the new and old $100 bills depict Benjamin Franklin, who was known as a scientist, publicist, and diplomat. The new $100 bill also has his photo on it.
Rare $500 bills feature a photograph of William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States. He served as president from 1897 to 1901 and is considered the first US president of the twentieth century.
The $500 bills feature a photograph of William McKinley, the 25th President of the United States.
$1,000 (one thousand) – Grover Cleveland. He served as president for two terms and intermittently.
$1,000 (one thousand) – Grover Cleveland
James Madison on $5,000 (five thousand dollars) bill. He was the fourth president.
$10,000 (ten thousand dollars) – Selmon Chase. he was not President of the United States, but was head of the Treasury Department during Lincoln's time. then became the head of the US Supreme Court.
The 28th President of the United States, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, was honored to be depicted on the $100,000 banknote.
And finally $1,000,000 – A million US dollars. This bill is decorated with a photograph of the Statue of Liberty. This banknote has no face value and is not involved in circulation. It's just a matter of pride and a pass to the international club of millionaires.
One million US dollars - this bill is decorated with a photo of the Statue of Liberty
Love money, love dollars, but not more than anything else! If new banknotes become available, we will try to inform you. Good luck!
The first dollar bills appeared in circulation more than one hundred and fifty years ago. During this time, they have repeatedly changed size and design, but still remain the most popular in the world. In circulation you can most often find treasury notes in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 US dollars. Less often - two dollars. But there are also bills of larger denominations: five hundred, one thousand, ten and one hundred thousand. No one saw them in circulation for one simple reason: the government banned their export from the country. Paper money with a face value of $100,000 is used only for settlements between banks.
The $100 bill with Franklin's portrait became widespread around the world. This is why it is loved very much and is often counterfeited by counterfeiters. She changed hers several times appearance. Over the years, it depicted birds, admirals and even the wives of governors. But first things first.
First appearance
The first United States one hundred dollar bill appeared in 1862. Then it was depicted - the national bird of the country. Around the same time, the Southern States began issuing their treasury notes with portraits of two secretaries of defense and the governor's wife, Lucy Pickens.
Further development
In 1863, the banknote depicted Oliver Perry leaving his ship Lawrence. In 1869, the portrait first appeared along with a symbolic image of Reconstruction. The series was called "rainbow" due to the use of bright colors.
Further, portraits of Thomas Benton (1871), James Monroe (1878), and David Furragat (1890) were printed on $100 bills. It is worth noting that portraits of all these figures, in one way or another, appeared on paper money of later issues. The portrait of scientist Benjamin Franklin was first printed on a banknote in 1914.
Franklin's statement
In the 20s of the twentieth century, the size of the banknote was reduced by 30% in order to reduce production costs. Since 1923, Benjamin Franklin has finally settled on paper money in denominations of 100 dollars. The photo below confirms that its design was becoming more and more modern.
In 1969, President Nixon banned the issuance of bills with denominations greater than $100. Now they are considered collector's items and are worth more than their face value. As its popularity grew, the hundred dollar bill was often counterfeited. Therefore, in 1991, it was marked additional elements protections such as microprinting and metal security thread. In 1996, Franklin's portrait received a watermark and the serial number received an additional letter.
Latest update of 100 dollar bill
In April 2010 they announced the launch new series paper money, which was developed in 2009. It was planned to be released in 2011, but the United States government announced a defect during production, so their release was delayed by two years.
On October 8 last year, the United States introduced a new 100 dollar into circulation. The banknote received an additional level of protection. New ones are printed on it and there is also an additional thread and a three-dimensional protective film that is woven into the bill. Another innovation: when turned, the bells transform into the number one hundred, and the one located to the right of the portrait of Benjamin Franklin changes color to copper or green. The new security levels affected the cost of producing the $100 bill. It went up three cents.
Dollar sign
The word "dollar" appeared much earlier than currency unit. There are many versions as to what language it was taken from. Some scientists claim that the word comes from the name "joachimsthaler" - the end of the 16th century. Others believe that the Americans borrowed the name of their currency from the Danes, who called thalers “dallers.” Be that as it may, the United States is the first country to use this word to denote a monetary unit.
The history of the dollar symbol is no less interesting. According to the official version, it owes its appearance to the Spanish peso. The coin was engraved with two columns - symbols of the Pillars of Gibraltar. This is a prototype of two vertical sticks in the sign. The second version of the appearance of the symbol says that the sign was formed from the American abbreviation of the United States (U and S). The lower part of the letter U disappeared - this is how two vertical sticks appeared. Over the next centuries, other versions about the origin of the symbol appeared.
- “Germanic”: on the obverse of the coin there was an image of the crucified Jesus, and on the reverse - a snake entwining a cross.
- "Portuguese": the dollar sign comes from a symbol very similar to it - "cifao" (digital), which denotes a period or comma separating whole parts from fractional parts.
Main elements of a banknote
The inscription has constantly appeared on banknotes since 1963. It was first minted by Salmon Chase on two-cent coins back in 1864. At the same time, the American government passed a law that prohibited the depiction of portraits of living people on banknotes. The reason was a scandal. Spencer Clark, who headed the currency bureau, put his own portrait on the five-dollar bill. The experiment would have gone unnoticed if Clark had not entered into a sexual relationship with one of his subordinates. This quickly became known to the public. To protect the dollar from shame, the government made an appropriate decision.
The main symbols of the country are placed on the reverse side of the banknote:
- - for 5 $;
- The Ministry of Finance and the White House - for 10 and 20 $;
- Capitol - $50;
- Independence Hall is on the $100 bill.
Portraits of the signatories are placed on the two-dollar bill.
Most Memorable Elements
Above the eagle’s head in the first series of treasury notes was the Latin inscription “One of Many,” the meaning of which is still unclear. One of the banknotes depicted a pyramid, which symbolizes the growth and pursuit of excellence of the United States, and the “All-Seeing Eye” at the top of the pyramid - divine power. The inscriptions above and below symbolized the new era. All these elements first appeared on money of the 18th century. They were proposed to be used by the typographer, publicist, diplomat, scientist and inventor Benjamin Franklin.
Printing on banknotes lasted only a few decades and then disappeared until 1930. Franklin Roosevelt brought it back. He viewed this element as a symbol of the power of the American people. Despite reports of Masonic symbolism, Roosevelt left the seal on the bill.
The color green on treasury notes first appeared in 1929. This paint was quite cheap, and the shade evoked confidence and optimism. Recently, new tones have appeared on banknotes - yellow and pink.
Design of banknotes
All banknotes are provided with a facsimile signature of the officials who were responsible for finance. Initially, there were signatures of real-life officials, until in 1776 the separatists decided to create their own currency - the “continental”. Hundreds of different respected but little-known people signed the banknotes. In 1863, the signatures were replaced by facsimiles.
The banknote is made by metallographic method with intaglio printing. The color scheme and location of the main elements approximately coincide with the colors and position of the elements on paper money of lower denominations. The series is listed at the bottom left. The only banknote on which a full-width portrait of a celebrity is depicted and the denomination is indicated in numbers is $100. The size of the treasury note is 156 x 67 mm.