On March 2008, the newer, safer, smarter, and more secure five dollar bills were produced and put into circulation. These notes is said to be so advanced that its much harder to forge and almost impossible to reproduce. So smart is the new five dollar bill that counterfeiters find it grueling to keep up with its technology. Two of the most important security features, that were first introduced in the 1990’s, are retained on the newly designed five dollar bill, which makes it so much easier to inspect. These features are the tried and tested watermark and the security thread.

The watermarks on the redesigned five dollar bill comprise of a large number five located to the right of the portrait and a column of three smaller fives which is positioned to its left. The large number five watermark actually replaces the previous watermark portrait of President Lincoln found on the older five dollar bills. These two new enhanced watermarks can easily be seen by holding the notes up to the light.

As for the security thread of the new five dollar bills, these have been moved to the right of the portrait, compared to the older version which is located to the left. The number five, as well as the words “USA”, alternates the visible pattern along the threads from either sides of these notes. When held under an ultraviolet light, this embedded security thread will turn a shade of blue glow. Like the watermarks, the security thread can also clearly be seen when held up to a light source.

Newer enhanced portraits and historical images also grace the new five dollar bills. Apart from making counterfeiting more difficult to achieve, these new notes also include other features that aids in telling the different denominations apart, particularly for people who are visually impaired.

New colors have also been added to these notes to make life just that much harder for currency forgers. The most noticeable difference is the addition of a shade of purple around the center of these bills, which slowly blends into a greyer shade when it nears the edges. The numbers “05” is also added to the left of the portrait on the front of the bill, as well as the right of the Lincoln Memorial vignette on its reverse side.

Other prominent changes were also made to the new five dollar bills and these include the Symbol of Freedom on the background of the bills, an altered portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, a redesigned vignette of the Lincoln Memorial, micro-printing of the words “FIVE DOLLARS,” “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” “USA,” and “USA FIVE,” enhanced Federal Reserve indicators, and the relocation of the serial numbers.

Because United States currency is widely circulated and used around the world, public awareness efforts have been initiated by the government to properly introduce these new notes, its sole aim being to educate the public on the various changes, how to properly utilize the security features, and steps that can be taken to further authenticate the bills. Hopefully this exercise will prove effective in ensuring the smooth transition of the new five dollar bills into the financial market. Interestingly, given all these added features and complex designs, the new five dollar bills will continue to be easily recognized globally as essentially American.

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Tags: Five Dollar Bill, President Lincoln, Security Features, Security Thread, US Currency, Watermarks

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 25th, 2008 at 8:55 am and is filed under Dollar Bill Description, Facts, Made. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.