Follow U.S. Investment Immigration and U.S. Life News: Recently, the partial shutdown of the U.S. government has attracted significant attention, but this has not affected the Federal Reserve's plan to launch the new $100 bill. On the 8th (local time), the new $100 banknotes began circulation, with media cheering that "Benjamin Franklin has a new look!"
The design of the new $100 bill largely retains its long-standing tradition. The obverse still features the portrait of Benjamin Franklin, one of the U.S. Founding Fathers and a primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence, while the reverse still depicts Independence Hall in Philadelphia. However, the new $100 bill features richer colors and incorporates many new anti-counterfeiting marks, including 3D technology. For instance, the new note features the numeral 100 in gold on one corner, and a light brown quill and a copper-colored inkwell next to Franklin’s portrait. The image of the Liberty Bell is housed within the inkwell, and its color shifts from copper to green as the angle of the banknote is tilted. The new bill also includes a vertical blue security ribbon woven into the paper, displaying the number 100 and smaller dark blue images of the Liberty Bell.
Federal Reserve officials stated that the intricate design of the new $100 bill is primarily aimed at combating increasingly sophisticated counterfeiting techniques. While Americans do not use $100 bills frequently in their daily lives, the $100 bill is the most globalized of all U.S. banknotes; one-half to two-thirds of the more than $80 billion in $100 bills in circulation are used outside the United States, making them a primary target for criminal organizations.
The new banknotes were originally scheduled for release in February 2011, but in December 2010, U.S. officials announced a delay to allow more time to address production issues. As the new notes enter circulation, the old notes will remain legal tender.