For the fourth time in the history of the United States, Ben Franklin is getting a facelift.
The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced that the long-awaited rollout of its redesigned $100 bill will go into effect on October 8. In addition to looking different than any other U.S. tender you’ve ever seen, the new $100 comes with a litany of new features designed to make replication damn near impossible.
In fact, it’s abundantly clear that security is top-of-mind when it comes to the redesigned bill, and if you’re a counterfeiter … well … good luck.
The new $100 comes with a blue “3-D Security Ribbon” that runs vertically down the center of the bill. Tilt the bill up, and you’ll see a pattern of bells appear on the stripe. Tilt the bill down, and you’ll see a line of several “100”s.
The new Benjamin comes with another spiffy anti-fraud feature as well: the copper bell located in the lower center of the face becomes not so copper when you shift the bell’s position, turning green instead. Get it? It’s because copper rusts.
The bill also comes with a Ben Franklin watermark, a security thread, a color-shifting $100 label and more. Yes, this bill may be entering circulation about two-and-a-half years later than originally expected, but hey: you can’t rush art.
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You can check out the features of the new $100 for yourself at the Federal Reserve’s website here. Be warned, though, that playing with the bill is a bit more fun than you may first think.
And for a more serious look at the bill, check out this video breakdown by Deputy Associate Director Michael Lambert.
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