As NEWSru reports, the new series of banknotes has retained the previous security features, including watermarks repeating the portrait of President Andrew Jackson, finest stripes that glow under ultraviolet radiation, and microprinting. New dollars are still a rarity. Even on the Internet, photos cannot be found: the American Bureau of Engraving and Printing, responsible for this, still only entices with a banner.
The 20-dollar bill of the new design with enhanced security will be put into circulation in the fall of 2003. The new 50- and 100-dollar bills will appear in 12-18 months. The question of whether the design of the 5 and 10 dollar bills will change has not yet been decided. The 1 and 2 dollar bills will not change.
Last year, counterfeit banknotes worth $47 million were withdrawn from circulation in America alone, and more than a third of them were made using office equipment. To combat counterfeiters, the United States government decided to update treasury bills every 7-10 years.
The last time the design of dollar bills was changed was in 1996. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing added three-dimensional threads that glow under ultraviolet rays, microprint, and color-changing paint to the banknotes.
The US Embassy once again reminded that the new "pink" dollars will circulate on par with current banknotes. "After the issuance of the new banknotes, those dollar bills currently in circulation will remain in circulation. The United States has never devalued or withdrawn its currency from circulation," the embassy emphasized.
The issuance of new dollar bills will be carried out simultaneously around the world. They will be put into circulation through commercial and financial institutions directly on the day of issue.