U.S. Department of the Treasury

(Archived Content)

FROM THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers, Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow and Secret Service Director Brian L. Stafford on Tuesday unveiled the redesigned $10 and $5 notes that include new and modified security features to deter counterfeiting of U.S. currency.

Incorporating security features similar to those added to the new $100s, $50s and $20s, the new notes have been designed to stay a step ahead of advances in reprographic technology.

The public is our first line of defense against counterfeiting, Secretary Summers said. If everyone checks the money that passes through their hands, it will put counterfeiters out of business. And that is the goal of redesigning our currency.

In addition to unveiling the new notes, the Treasury recognized three retail-store employees with Exceptional Public Service awards for having intercepted counterfeit notes at work. Because of their knowledge of the new features, their detection of the bogus notes resulted in the arrest of a total of seven individuals and the seizure of nearly $90,000 in counterfeit notes by the United States Secret Service. They received their awards during the unveiling ceremony in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the Treasury Department.

The retail employees honored by Secretary Summers are: Zera Frazier-Bey, 17, of Kansas City, MO, who detected counterfeit currency while working at a McDonalds drive-thru window; Burnetta Travis, 41, of Gulfport, MS, who detected counterfeit currency while working at a Wal-Mart cash register; and Kim Welsh, 26, of Fairfax, VA, who detected counterfeit currency while working as an assistant manager at a Sam Goody's store.

The new series 1999 notes will be issued toward the middle of 2000. The Series 1996 $100 note was issued in March 1996, the redesigned $50 note in October 1997 and the $20 note in September 1998. No decision has been made whether to redesign the $1 note.

The new $10 and $5 will replace the older notes gradually. There will be no recall and no devaluation of any U.S. currency. The United States always honors its currency at full face value, no matter how old. More than $500 billion worth of U.S. currency is in circulation around the globe.

Through a comprehensive public education effort, Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the Secret Service and the Bureau of Printing and Engraving expect to provide millions of bank tellers, retailers and other cash handlers with printed informational materials and will offer training videos and CD-Roms. Because the $10 and $5 notes are widely used in many types of vending and other machines that disperse currency, additional emphasis will be placed on working with manufacturers and distributors of these devices to ensure a smooth transition when the new notes are issued. In addition, special seminars will be conducted for cash handlers to learn how they can and should discourage counterfeiting by closely examining all the notes they handle.

Like the other redesigned notes, the new $10 and $5 notes will include a large dark numeral on a light background on the back of the note that will make it easier for people with low vision to identify the denomination. Other features include: a larger slightly off-center portrait; a watermark depicting the same historical figure as the engraved portrait; fine-line printing in the background of the portrait and the picture on the back; and, on the $10 note a color-shifting ink that alternates between green and black when viewed at different angles.

Both notes contain a polymer thread embedded in the paper uniquely positioned for easy authentication. With the $10 note, the thread is to the right of the portrait and will glow white under ultraviolet light. In the $5 bill, the thread is to the left of the portrait and will glow blue when held under an ultraviolet light. In addition, the thread on the $10 note reads USA TEN and a flag can also be seen from both sides when held up to a light source. The number 10 appears in the star field of the flag.

The $5 note contains the words USA FIVE and a flag can be seen from both sides of the note when held up to a bright light. The number 5 appears in the star field of the flag.

Enlarged replicas of both currency notes depicting the face and back will be available for photographs throughout the day. For additional information on the new currency visit the Treasury web site at www.moneyfactory.com.