The Legendary 100 Dollar Bill
Friday, October 24th, 2008
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Loading ...Currently, the largest denomination of all Unites States currency, which remains of legal tender, is the one
hundred dollar bill. These bills have been in full circulation since 1969 following the termination of the larger five hundred dollar, one thousand dollar, five thousand dollar, ten thousand dollar, and one hundred thousand dollar denominations. One hundred dollar bills are said to comprise of up to 7 percent of all United States currency produced today. Delivered by the Federal Reserve Banks in mustard-colored strips, the average life span of the current one hundred dollar bill in circulation, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, is approximately five years or sixty months, before it succumbs to general wear and tear.
The obverse side of the one hundred dollar bill features the famous inventor, diplomat, and U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin. The bill is also one of two of United States legal tender denominations today which does not feature a President of the United States of America. The other note is the ten dollar bill, which depicts the image of Alexander Hamilton, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury.
The reverse side of the one hundred dollar bill is printed with the illustration of the United Sates Independence Hall. Interestingly, the clock on the building appears to show the time of 2:22 or 2:23, although some currency enthusiasts argues that its actually showing 4:10 instead. Another inconsistency is the numeral four on the clock face which is written as “IV”, whereas the real Unites States Independence Hall shows “IIII” instead.
The first one hundred dollar bill was issued in 1862 as a large sized United States Note, and featured the Bald Eagle on the left side of the obverse. Before showcasing Benjamin Franklin on the Federal Reserve Note in 1914, the one hundred dollar bills produced in prior to that year featured other prominent figures such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and even James Monroe.
In 1928, the smaller standardized sized one hundred dollar bills began its circulation. These smaller bills were also made out to be consistent in design, making all variations of the one hundred dollar bills from then on to carry the same portrait of Benjamin Franklin, the exact border designs on the obverse and reverse, and the vignette of the United States Independence Hall.
Some of the many nicknames one hundred dollar bills have been given are a “Benjamin,” a “Benjie,” a “Frank” or “Franklin”, a “C-note”, a “Century Note”, a “bill”, a “Big-face”, a “Large”, a “Charlie”, and even a “Big one”.
Late in 2008, newer and more secure one hundred dollar bills with enhanced designs and features are expected to be released. One of the state-of-the-art fixture that will grace these notes is the new Crane & Company security feature called Motion™, which consist of up to 650 thousand micro-lenses, which are embedded in the notes during the printing process. This will allow for selected images on the one hundred dollar bill to shift when the note is seen at a certain angle, making it almost impossible for counterfeiters to replicate.
