Multihued money may be coming

By Barbara Hagenbaugh
USA Today

WASHINGTON — Starting next year, green may not be the only color on the bills in your wallet.

The government plans to roll out new currency in mid- to late-2003 as part of a stepped-up effort to combat counterfeiters in an age where computers have made copying money much easier.

Among other changes, the most noticeable will be color. While now all bills feature green and black print on neutral-colored paper, the new money is likely to have "subtle color" in the neutral areas.

Changes won't be radical. "They'll be traditional in their appearance," Bureau of Engraving and Printing spokesman Jim Hagedorn says, noting that size won't change and the same presidents will appear on the same bills.

The new bills will likely be unveiled later this year before going into circulation.

The United States last introduced new currency in 1996, the first redesign since the 1920s. In that change, the government enlarged the presidential portraits and placed them off-center. It also added a watermark that can be seen when held up to the light and a strip on the bill that shows color when put under an ultraviolet lamp.

The new bills will enhance those changes. And as in 1996, the $1 and $2 bills likely will be unchanged because they rarely are faked. Old currency will continue to be accepted when the new money is released.

The government plans to redesign U.S. currency every seven to 10 years to stay ahead of the currency copycats. That's necessary in part because counterfeiting has become much easier because of computers and laser printers.

In the 2001 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, 39 percent of the $47.5 million in counterfeit money that entered into circulation was computer-generated. That's up from 0.5 percent in 1995, according to the Secret Service.