Although two years behind schedule, the U.S. is finally scheduled to release new $100 bills on October 8th. A new look has been in the works for a decade and will include:
- A blue, 3D security ribbon woven into the bill (vs. being printed)
- The image of an inkwell…with a bell inside
- Copper colors that shift to green when the bill is tilted one way or another
- Ben Franklin’s face will remain on the front.
The redesign is an effort to reduce counterfeiting. It’s the primary denomination that’s used fraudulently outside of the U.S.. The 8.2 billion $100 bills that are currently in circulation will remain in use, but will be destroyed as they pass through the Federal Reserve.
Now, how do you make $100 into $1,000? No, there aren’t going to be misprints floating around but the eight-digit serial numbers will hold the key. Currency collectors will pay big money if the serial numbers are “fancy”. This is the collectors’ term for serial numbers that fall within certain categories. The lowest numbers are the most valuable; for example, 00000001 through 00000100.
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