New US $20 bills Released, Colors & Layout Change 1051
JayBonci writes "CNN is running a story with the newest advances in the original copy-protection arms race, a new US $20 dollar bill. From the article, specifically color and different number arrangements as an improvement over 1996's "Big Face" dollar bills." Little off the norm for Slashdot, but it's interesting since computers have vastly simplified forgery.
Better pics (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Counterfitting measures updated. (Score:3, Informative)
Rumanian Lei (Score:4, Informative)
Some of the Rumanian lei-bills (at least the 10000 bill) are quite difficult to counterfeit (with a standard pc). They have a hole covered with transparent plastic (which also has some kind of watermarking). I don't see why anyone would counterfeit lei though, since the 10000 bill was worth 50 cents or less when I visited Bucharest.
Re:One change we won't likely see (Score:5, Informative)
Re:One change we won't likely see (Score:4, Informative)
Definately not likely [treas.gov].
Re:What about size? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:The new $20 bill ... (Score:2, Informative)
Blockquoth the poster:
Look at the "20" in the bottom-right corner on the current $20 bill.
Look closely...
Re:One change we won't likely see (Score:1, Informative)
Cut the corner off an old one and give it to the blind guy, asking him for change for a "hundred". Or use a toothpick to poke out "100" in braille.
The markings and raised letterings wear off and become confusing as well, and it causes quite a problem for blind folks back in Canada, as I have a couple blind friends back there.
I dont think the solution is in the currency itself, perhaps some piece of handheld tech, like a miniaturized version of the scanners that vending machines use, maybe built into a wallet that says "20" as you stick the bills in.
Counterfeiting and Terrorism (Score:3, Informative)
Re:7-10 years?!? (Score:1, Informative)
Specifically, banknotes in England and Wales are issued by the Bank of England. [Which is more or less equivalent to the federal reserve.] The notes change every few years as extra anti-forgery features get introduced - the most recent change was the new £5 note, which is about a year old.
In Scotland, notes are issued by the Bank of Scotland and the Royal Bank of Scotland. Apart from issuing notes, those are normal banks. The notes from each bank look slightly different, but have the same size and colour, so it's obvious what denomination it is. The Clydesdale bank also issues notes, but they're not as common.
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/ has details of the English notes, and http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/design.htm the Scottish ones.
You can use English notes in Scotland, and Scottish ones in England, although merchants tend to retain them so they don't generally circulate.
Pedants may wish to know that English banknotes are Legal Tender in England and Wales, but not in Scotland. Scottish banknotes aren't Legal Tender anywhere - the only legal tender in Scotland for unlimited amounts are the £1 and £2 coins. Pedants may also wish to know that legal tender has a very narrow definition, and isn't really very useful in most cases...
US $2 Bill Fact Sheet/Pictures (Score:5, Informative)
Pictures [treas.gov]
The President on the $2 bill is Thomas Jefferson.
Re:One change we won't likely see (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, it was a 200$ bill, not a 3$ bill (Score:3, Informative)
www.moneyfactory.com hosting service (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Have old bills? (Score:2, Informative)
AFAIK, they melt down old coins and re-use them (they're mostly just raw scrap anyway), and they burn the bills (which are just colored cotton & paper anyway.)
pics of money around the globe (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Hmmm (Score:5, Informative)
So, basically, in order to keep our currency the choice of the (under)world, we refuse to expire it.
Re:7-10 years?!? (Score:4, Informative)
Re:7-10 years?!? (Score:3, Informative)
yes, rarely and yes but here's some facts from the Federal Reserve courtesy of moneyfactory.com:
# The following information regarding the average life of a Federal Reserve Note was provided by the Federal Reserve System - please note that the life of a note depends on its denomination:
$ 1
$ 5
$ 10................ 3 Years
$ 20
$ 50
$100
Re:Here's how it works (Score:3, Informative)
Sorry, that is not the case. It's a matter of law that this can't happen.
From the federalreserve.gov site:
National bank notes were issued from 1863 to 1935. Any national bank notes remaining in circulation are legal tender at face value as a matter of law. They would most likely be worth more than face value to currency collectors, however, because they are very rare.
Link to above [federalreserve.gov]
So that means even old notes like this one [dtcc.edu] are still legal currency.
Re:The most ridiculous thing I've read... (Score:5, Informative)
Doesn't matter, the old design is still (il)legal tender.
2. A new design takes time to counterfeit.
Exactly, so they'll keep using the old ones (see #1). However, their are the "king of the mountain" counterfeiters that are just in it for the accomplishment of gettting away with a phony bill, but they also do not typically do large runs of their bills.
3. New designs incorporate tougher security measures.
See #2 and #1.
4. New note designs promote consumer vigilance.
I guess, but if I have only explicitly checked my money for fun to see the different things added to the new bills. I don't really care if I have a phony bill, if it was good enough to be given to me, its good enough to spend.
5. New bank notes are successfully introduced and old ones replaced every day.
No, the old ones are not replaced, they are still valid money, and every 20years is hardly every day. Plus the note in question has been replaced in 1996 so the new one would be 7 years.
Re:One change we won't likely see (Score:3, Informative)
Here's a link [nap.edu] to a detailed list of features that can be used to make currency more accessible to the visually impaired. There's a discussion of pros and cons for each. (For example--Braille or other raised markings seem like a good idea, but they can wear off. Also, when stacking large amounts of currency, raised markings can cause trouble.)
The Appendix [nap.edu] to the report also has a list of features that were rejected outright for practical reasons. These include (among many) microencapsulated odorants (different denominations smell different) and acoustic effects from the edge of the bill (different denominations sound different when you blow across their edges.)
Re:Hmmm (Score:2, Informative)
Re:What about the older bills? (Score:1, Informative)
Re:Here's how it works (Score:3, Informative)
Here's the text:
Section 102 of the Coinage Act of 1965 (Title 31 United States Code, Section 392) provides in part:
" All coins and currencies of the United States, regardless of when coined or issued, shall be legal tender for all debts, public and private, public charges, taxes, duties and dues."
This statute means that you have made a valid and legal offer of payment of your debt when you tender United States currency to your creditor. However, there is no Federal statute which mandates that private businesses must accept cash as a form of payment. Private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash unless there is a State law which says otherwise.
Re:Are they brazilian looking? (Score:2, Informative)
It was not eliminated [ustreas.gov].
Re:The Treasury Dept. is the Chief Counterfeiter! (Score:3, Informative)
Re:2 bucks? (Score:2, Informative)
1996 (series 1995) [moneyfactory.com]
Re:Are they brazilian looking? (Score:3, Informative)
Just to point out that most (if not all) of the European countries used diffrent truely multi-coloured notes (ie not just different coloured notes, but lots of colours on a single note) YEARS before the Euro (or ECU) came into being.
Re:There's nothing appealing about Denise Richarar (Score:4, Informative)
There are lots of appealing things about Denise Richards - her tits, her ass, and her "mouth hanging open 90% of the time."
If you need convincing, you can check out her tits:
- Here [worldsbestpickupline.com] and
- Here [worldsbestpickupline.com]
You can rest assured that I have check the links thoroughly. I will consider the site to be slashdotted in advance. If this post isn't a "+5, Informative" then nothing is.
GF.
Er, what? (Score:3, Informative)
Lastly, I think that in retrospect, the deportation of the Cherokee (and the thousands of deaths incurred during the process), despite a Supreme Court Ruling in their favor, slides down that hill from "controversial" to plain out and out "wrong"
-Zipwow
Re:Rumanian Lei (Score:3, Informative)
And BTW, the country is called Romania not "Rumania". Romania has a lot more to do with the Romans then it has to do with rum.
Re:Are they brazilian looking? (Score:3, Informative)
- The BEP printed up a series of $2 bills around 1995
- The bills are distributed to banks to be inserted into circulation
- But the banks generally don't hand out $2 unless they're specifically asked for
- Nobody gets $2 bills from the bank
- Nobody puts $2 bills into actual circulation
- The banks are sitting on gobs and gobs of $2 bills
- The banks never run out of $2 bills
- The banks never ask the Federal Reserve to replenish their stock of $2 bills
- The BEP doesn't print any new $2 bills
Despite their artificial rarity (they're "in circulation," just not really in circulation), US $2 bills aren't collector's items. They're worth $2.00. If you want some, go in to any bank and ask to change a larger bill. Just remember that, like with the $1 and $0.50 coins, you'll get reactions ranging from funny looks to outright anger* if you try to pay for anything with these.*(I swear to God a former roommate of mine would go ballistic whenever I tried to repay a debt to him with dollar coins)