New $100 note goes hi-tech

·8 Oct 2013

The US Federal Reserve has issued a new hi-tech $100 banknote, following a decade of research and development into its new security features.

The new note will go into circulation on Tuesday (8 October), and incorporates two new public security features in an attempt to stay ahead of any new threats.

According to Michael Lambert, a deputy associate director at the Federal Reserve Board, the new note is difficult for counterfeiters to replicate.

The new features include a 3D security blue ribbon on the front of the note, as well as a color-shifting bell, inside a copper-colored inkwell.

The note retains older security features from previous designs, including a portrait watermark, and the embedded security thread that glows pink under ultraviolet light.

Lambert said that the design for the new note was first unveiled in 2010, but issuance was delayed due to “unexpected production challenges” relating to printing and engraving.

New 100 dollar front and back

The 3D security ribbon

The Federal Reserve noted that if you tilt the note back and forth while focusing on the blue ribbon, the the bells change to 100s as they move.

“When you tilt the note back and forth, the bells and 100s move side to side. If you tilt it side to side, they move up and down. The ribbon is woven into the paper, not printed on it.”

Bell in the inkwell

The Reserve said to look for an image of a color-shifting bell, inside a copper-colored inkwell, on the front of the new $100 note.

“Tilt it to see the bell change from copper to green, an effect which makes the bell seem to appear and disappear within the inkwell.”

The note also includes raised “intaglio” printing which provides the note with a distinctive feel.