'Smart' $100 bills prepare for late release after paper-feed glitch: Images

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  • New $100 bills

    New $100 bills

    The Federal Reserve announced this week that the US government on October 8 will begin releasing new $100 bills that contain several new high-tech security features designed to thwart counterfeiting.

    The new bills were originally scheduled to hit the streets on February 11, 2011, but a major glitch caused creases and blank areas in many bills, making them unusable.

    The total cost of printing the bills is estimated at $120 million — not including the re-sorting costs. The damaged money will have to be destroyed. No wonder Ben Franklin isn't smiling.

    Here's a look at the new $100 bills and the security features embedded in them.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Security Strip

    Security Strip

    The first security feature that we'll look at is the blue security strip to the right of Benjamin Franklin. The woven (not printed) strip contains alternating lines of "100" and Liberty Bells. When you move the bill up and down or side to side, the columns will move.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Gold number

    Gold number

    The gold inkwell to the right of the security strip contains another feature. When you tilt the bill, the color of the Liberty Bell inside changes from green to copper. Since the rest of the inkwell is already copper, the Liberty Bell appears to disappear.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • UV light

    UV light

    Here's how the bill looks under ultraviolet light.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Backlight

    Backlight

    Under a backlight, the $100 bill shows many security features including 100 on the left and a faint image of Franklin on the right.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Color change

    Color change

    When you tilt the bill, the 100 in the lower-right corner turns from copper to green.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Micro printing right

    Micro printing right

    Read the small print. The bill has the phrase "ONE HUNDRED USA" along the quill, and "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" appears on Franklin's collar as marked.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Raised printing

    Raised printing

    When you touch Franklin's left shoulder, you can feel it's rough to the touch.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Rear backlight

    Rear backlight

    Here's the back of a bill through a backlight. Notice the faint images of Franklin.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Golden 100

    Golden 100

    On the back, there's a large golden 100 to help those who are visually impaired.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Comparison

    Comparison

    On top is the current $100 bill, and below is the $100 bill used from 1990-96.

    Photo by: Wikipedia

    Caption by: Andy Smith

  • Printing money

    Printing money

    The money-printing process.

    Photo by: Moneyfactory.gov

    Caption by: Andy Smith

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An error with money printing press paper feeds in 2010 cost the government millions of dollars and delayed the debut of $100 bills that contain many innovative, new security features.

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New $100 bills

The Federal Reserve announced this week that the US government on October 8 will begin releasing new $100 bills that contain several new high-tech security features designed to thwart counterfeiting.

The new bills were originally scheduled to hit the streets on February 11, 2011, but a major glitch caused creases and blank areas in many bills, making them unusable.

The total cost of printing the bills is estimated at $120 million — not including the re-sorting costs. The damaged money will have to be destroyed. No wonder Ben Franklin isn't smiling.

Here's a look at the new $100 bills and the security features embedded in them.

Caption by: Andy Smith

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Related Topics:

Government Printers CXO Security Innovation Smart Cities
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