New $5 Bill Enters Circulation Today
The first new $5 bill was issued by the Federal Reserve today during a commemorative transaction at President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldiers’ Home in Washington, D.C., a historic site used by the former president as a White House summer retreat. Officials from the Federal Reserve Board, US Treasury, Bureau of Engraving & Printing & US Secret Service ushered the new $5 bill into circulation at the Lincoln Cottage gift shop.
“The redesigned $5 bill’s enhanced security features help ensure we stay ahead of counterfeiters and protect your hard-earned money,” Lambert said. “It only takes a few seconds to check the new $5 bill to make sure it’s genuine. If you know how to check its security features, you can easily be confident it’s real.”
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The new $5 bill incorporates state-of-the-art security features that are easy to use by cash handlers and consumers alike. Hold the bill to the light to check for these features:
- Watermarks: There are now two watermarks on the redesigned $5 bill. A large number “5″ watermark is located in a blank space to the right of the portrait replacing the previous watermark portrait of President Lincoln found on the older-design $5 bills. A second watermark – a column of three smaller “5″s – has been added to the new $5 bill design and is positioned to the left of the portrait.
- Security Thread: The embedded security thread runs vertically and is now located to the right of the portrait on the redesigned $5 bill. The letters “USA” followed by the number “5” in an alternating pattern are visible along the thread from both sides of the bill. The thread glows in blue color when held under ultraviolet light.
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As with the redesigned $10, $20 and $50 bills that preceded it, the new $5 bill features an American symbol of freedom printed in the background. The Great Seal of the United States, featuring an eagle & shield, is printed in purple on the front of the bill. Other additional design elements include:
- The large, easy-to-read number “5″ in the lower right corner on the back of the bill, which helps those with visual impairments distinguish the denomination, has been enlarged in the new $5 bill design & is printed in high-contrast purple ink.
- The oval borders around President Lincoln’s portrait on the front & the Lincoln Memorial vignette on the back have been removed. Both engravings have been enhanced.
- Small yellow “05″s are printed to the left of the portrait on the front of the bill and to the right of the Lincoln Memorial vignette on the back.
The new $5 bill most noticeable design difference is the addition of light purple in the center of the bill, which blends into gray near the edges! Because color can be duplicated, consumers and cash-handlers should use the key security features – on the new $5 bill, the watermarks and security thread – not color, to check the authenticity of paper money.
(moneyfactory.gov)
