Bureau of Engraving and Printing Issues New US$20

jea6 writes "Hot off the Western Currency Facility presses in Fort Worth! The Bureau of Engraving and Printing is issuing the new US$20 note to banks today. The newly redesigned Series 2004 $20 notes have background colors (so long, greenbacks) and improved security features. Ask your bank to send a few your way. Unlike the U.S Mint's "Golden Dollar", these notes will be issued to replace the Series 2001 note. Look for a redesigned Grant in 2004 and a new Benjamin in 2005. The US Government is spending $53,000,000 over the next 5 years to make sure everybody knows that this is a real note, so go get acquainted with one."

Comments

I don't get it.

[CGP314]

There will be no recall or devaluation of any U.S. currency. Old or new, all U.S. currency always will be honored at full face value.

So, tell me, if I'm a counterfitter, why wouldn't I just copy the older bills and 'age' them in the washing machine?

Re:I Always Liked the Green Bills

[quigonn]

Actually, the colors make sense. When a color marks a certain value, it's easier to distinguish them. With bills all in this greenish color you have to look closely to know which value it has. In fact, this led to a number of tricks to make people believe that they get a US-$ 20 bill, but instead they only got a US-$ 5 bill. So colors do have their advantages. And the Euro proves that colorful bills can look elegant, too.

Re:Euro - when will the usa adopt?

[MoP030]

duh, like e2 is a credible source.
all variations of "thaler","taler" and "dollar" stem from the silver coins produced at the "Joachimstaler Silvermine" (which is named after the village Saint Joachimsthal in the Erzgebirge in what is today Germany) where silver coins are produce since pretty early. You may look that up in your favourite book of etymology.
You may also know that Austrians speak german (or germans speak austrian, by the time the words came up nations like today didnt even exist).
So yes the term doller comes a word that is as much austrian as it is german. Just because some spanish guy used the term "taler" to denote something similar to a taler does not make it a spanish word.

Re:High time

[Galvatron]

I've got to agree with the other people who say "look at the numbers." It's not our fault if your money gets you in the habit of looking at colors instead. As for it looking "odd," that's the entire goddamn point! We're used to it, so your money looks odd to us, and we don't want to switch (after all, we're the ones who have to look at it every day).

One thing that is funny, though: dimes do not state their denomination. Nickels and pennies say "five cents" and "one cent" respectively, and quarters are, of course, a quarter of a dollar. But a dime just says "one dime." How useless is that?