US Government Unveils Redesigned $100-Note

Officials from the US Department of the Treasury, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the United States Secret Service unveiled the new design for the $100 note today. Although replete with advanced technology to safeguard against counterfeiting, the newly designed $100 note retains the traditional look of the US currency.

According to the Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner, "As with previous U.S. currency redesigns, this note incorporates the best technology available to ensure we're staying ahead of counterfeiters." Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Ben S Bernanke pointed out that "When the new design $100 note is issued on February 10, 2011, the approximately 6.5 billion older design $100s already in circulation will remain legal tender… US currency users should know they will not have to trade in their older design $100 notes when the new ones begin circulating."

The security features that the new, redesigned $100 note will have are the 3-D Security Ribbon and the Bell in the Inkwell. These features can easily be used by consumers and merchants to authenticate their currency. “The blue 3-D Security Ribbon on the front of the new $100 note contains images of bells and 100s that move and change from one to the other as you tilt the note. The Bell in the Inkwell on the front of the note is another new security feature. The bell changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted, an effect that makes it seem to appear and disappear within the copper inkwell.”

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