The Anatomy of U.S. Dollars
Comparing Styles, Note Identifiers and Security Features
1929
Note Identifiers
The first major change to affect the appearance of all paper currency occurred in
1929. To lower manufacturing costs, all currency was reduced in size by about 30
percent. Standardized designs were instituted for each denomination across all
classes of currency, decreasing the number of different designs in circulation.
To deter counterfeiting by advanced copiers and printers, the U.S. government
introduced two security features beginning with the Series 1990 $100 bills. By
Series 1993, the features appeared on all denominations except $1 and $2 bills.
First, a clear, inscribed polyester thread that glows green under ultraviolet light was
added. It is embedded in the paper and runs vertically through the clear field to the
left of the Federal Reserve Seal. A denomination identifier is printed on the thread.
Second, a line of microprinting appears on the rim of the portraits, reading
“THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” To the naked eye, the microprinting appears
as a solid line and can only be read using magnification. Microprinting cannot be
accurately reproduced by office machine copiers or printers. Since the samples
below are of the 1988 Series, the microprinting is not present yet.
Denomination
DEN
U.S. currency previously included five larger denominations. Notes in the
denominations of $500, $1,000, $5,000, and $10,000 were printed for general use.
The $100,000 Series 1934 Gold Certificate was issued by the Treasurer of the United
States to Federal Reserve Banks only against an equal amount of gold bullion held by
the Treasury Department.
The face value of a note.
Series
Series
The series year indicates the year production started after the approval of a design.
A new series results from a change in the Secretary of the Treasury, the Treasurer of
the United States, and/or a new currency design. A minor revision in the design is
indicated by the addition of a suffix letter to the series year.
Serial Number
Although they are still technically legal tender, high-denomination bills were last
printed on Dec. 27, 1945 and officially discontinued on July 14, 1969, largely due to
the introduction of the electronic money system and concerns about counterfeiting.
The Federal Reserve began taking high-denomination bills out of circulation in 1969.
As of May 30, 2009, only 336 $10,000 bills were known to exist; 342 remaining
$5,000 bills; and 165,372 remaining $1,000 bills.
S/N
Each note of the same denomination and series has an individual serial number.
Starting with the 1996 Series, serial numbers consist of two prefix letters, eight
numbers and a one-letter suffix. The first letter of the prefix designates the series:
1996
1999
2001
2003
A
B
C
D
2003A 2004 2004A 2006 F
E
G
I
2006A 2009 2009A 2013 K
J
L
M
The second letter of the prefix stands for the Federal Reserve Bank where the note
was issued. The suffix letter identifies the number of times the sequence of serial
numbers was used: A is the first time, B is the second time, etc. When a note
is mutilated during manufacture, it is substituted by a “star note” with an out-ofsequence serial number to ensure a proper count of produced notes.
Series: 1963, 1969, 1969D, 1977, 1981, 1988A,
1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2003A, 2006, 2009
Issued 1963 – present
Large Denominations
DEN
Federal Reserve Bank
Notes of the 1929 style have a regional Federal Reserve Note seal with the name
of the issuing Federal Reserve Bank and the letter designating the Federal Reserve
district. Starting with the 1996 Series, a universal seal represents the entire Federal
Reserve system and the letter and number below the upper left serial number
identify the issuing bank:
QCL Q#
FRB
CL FP
A1Boston
B2 New York City
C3Philadelphia
D4Cleveland
S/N
Series
Check Letter
E5Richmond
F6Atlanta
G7Chicago
H8 St. Louis
I9Minneapolis
J10 Kansas City, MO
K11Dallas
L12 San Francisco
Quadrant Check Letter
CL
QCL
Alphabetical designation to identify the position of the note on a 32-subject engraved
face plate, which includes letters A – H. The check letter appears twice on the face
of the note; the second time it’s referred to as the quadrant check letter.
One-Dollar Bill
The design of the $1 bill remained the same since the
it was issued in 1963. It has the oldest reverse design
of all U.S. currency. Because the $1 bill is infrequently
counterfeited, there are no plans to redesign this note.
In addition, there is a recurring provision in the annual
Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act that prohibits the redesign of the note.
Quadrant Number
BP
Q#
Each printing plate is divided into four identical quadrants. The quadrant number
designates the position of the note on the plate.
Face Plate Number
FP
Back Plate Number
BP
The face plate and back plate numbers identify the particular printing plates used to
print the face and back sides of a note. Notes printed in the Forth Worth facility have
an fw facility mark in front of the check letter and face plate number combination.
Series: 1976, 1995, 2003, 2003A and 2009
Issued 1976 – present
FRB
DEN
QCL Q#
FRB
1996
CL FP
S/N
Series
Two-Dollar Bill
The bill was discontinued in 1966 but was reintroduced
10 years later as a potential cost-saving measure.
Today, it is seldom seen in circulation. Its production
is the lowest of U.S. banknotes: fewer than 1% of all
notes currently produced are $2 bills. This comparative scarcity in circulation, coupled with a lack of public
awareness that the bill is still in circulation, sometimes
creates problems for people trying to use it.
BP
Series: 1988, 1993 and 1995
Issued 1993 – 2000
In the first significant design change in 67 years, the bills were redesigned to
incorporate a series of new counterfeit deterrents. A larger, slightly off-center
portrait now incorporates more detail. The new dollar bills also bear a watermark
depicting the same historical figure as the portrait.
Two previous security features, the security thread indicating the bill’s
denomination and the microprinting, are now located in a different position on each
denomination, making it easier to identify bleached notes. Furthermore, a universal
Federal Reserve Seal is incorporated instead of individual seals for each Federal
Reserve Bank.
Series: 1999, 2001, 2003, 2003A and 2006
Issued 2000 – 2008
2004
To continue to stay ahead of currency counterfeiters, the Federal Reserve Board
announced new designs to be issued. For the first time since the Series 1905 $20
Gold Certificate, the dollar bills feature subtle background colors. Different colors
are used for different denominations, helping everyone—particularly those with
visual impairments—to tell denominations apart. Various symbols of freedom were
added into the note background.
The notes also incorporate large, borderless portraits and the five-dollar bill
features revised watermarks. The security threads now glow different colors on
each denomination.
Series: 2006, 2009 and 2013
Issued 2008 – present
DEN
DEN
QCL Q#
S/N
S/N
FRB
QCL Q#
FRB
FRB
S/N
Series
CL FP
Series
CL FP
Series
CL FP
QCL Q#
Security Thread
Microprinting
USA FIVE
Glows Green
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Security Thread
Microprinting
USA FIVE A
Glows Blue
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Watermark
Microprinting
Lincoln
FIVE DOLLARS
Series: 1988A, 1990, 1993 and 1995
Microprinting
Security Thread
FIVE DOLLARS
E PLURIBUS UNUM
USA
USA 5
Glows Blue
Microprinting
USA FIVE
BP
BP
BP
Issued 1990 – 2000
Microprinting
Series: 1999, 2001 and 2003
Issued 2000 – 2006
DEN
DEN
DEN
Series: 2004A, 2006 and 2009
Issued 2006 – present
S/N
S/N
CL FP
CL FP
FRB
FRB
QCL Q#
FRB
CL FP
S/N
Series
Series
QCL Q#
Series
QCL Q#
Security Thread
Microprinting
USA TEN
Glows Green
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Microprinting
TEN
Color-Shifting Ink
Security Thread
Microprinting
USA TEN A
Glows Orange
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Green to Black
Watermark
Hamilton
Security Thread
Microprinting
USA TEN A
Glows Orange
USA10
Microprinting
Color-Shifting Ink Watermark
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA TEN DOLLARS
Copper to Green
Hamilton
BP
BP
BP
Series: 1988A, 1990, 1993 and 1995
Issued 1990 – 1998
Series: 1996, 1999 and 2001
Issued 1998 – 2003
DEN
DEN
DEN
QCL Q#
Series: 1996, 1999 and 2001
Issued 2003 – present
S/N
S/N
FRB
FRB
CL FP
FRB
CL FP
S/N
Series
Series
QCL Q#
Security Thread
Microprinting
USA TWENTY
Glows Green
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
QCL Q#
CL FP
Microprinting
Security Thread
Microprinting
Color-Shifting Ink
USA20
USA TWENTY A
Glows Green
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Green to Black
Series
Watermark
Security Thread
Microprinting
Jackson
USA TWENTY A
Glows Green
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA 20 USA 20
Microprinting
Color-Shifting Ink
USA20
Copper to Green
Watermark
Jackson
BP
BP
BP
Series: 1988, 1990 and 1993
Issued 1990 – 1997
Series: 1996 and 2001
Issued 1997 – 2004
DEN
DEN
DEN
Series: 2004, 2004A, 2006 and 2009
Issued 2004 – present
QCL Q#
QCL Q#
S/N
S/N
QCL Q#
CL FP
FRB
FRB
FRB
S/N
Series
Series
Series
CL FP
CL FP
Security Thread
Microprinting
Microprinting
USA 50
Glows Green
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
FIFTY
Microprinting
Security Thread
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
USA 50 A
Glows Yellow
Color-Shifting Ink
Green to Black
Watermark
Grant
Microprinting
Microprinting
Microprinting
Security Thread
FIFTY
USA 50
USA FIFTY
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
USA 50 A
Glows Yellow
Color-Shifting Ink
Copper to Green
BP
Watermark
Grant
BP
BP
Series: 1988, 1990 and 1993
Issued 1990 – 1996
Series: 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2003A, 2006 and 2006A
Issued 1996 – 2013
Series: 2009 and 2009A
Issued 2013 – present
DEN
DEN
CL FP
DEN
QCL Q#
S/N
S/N
FRB
FRB
QCL Q#
FRB
S/N
Series
QCL Q#
Series
CL FP
Series
CL FP
Security Thread
Microprinting
USA 100
Glows Green
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Microprinting
USA100
Security Thread
USA 100
Glows Pink
Microprinting
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Color-Shifting Ink
Green to Black
Watermark
Security Thread
Franklin
USA 100
Glows Pink
Microprinting
3-D Security Ribbon
THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA
Bells shift to 100
Microprinting
USA ONE HUNDRED
USA 100
Color-Shifting Ink Watermark
Copper to Green Frankin
BP
BP
BP
This material has been approved for public release and unlimited distribution.
Information Sources: United States Secret Service, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Engraving and Printing,
newmoney.gov, onedollarbill.org
All currency illustrations are reproduced under the conditions specified by the federal law. 18 U.S.C. § 504(1), 31 CFR § 411.1.
© 2014 Carnegie Mellon University. Carnegie Mellon® and CERT® are registered marks of Carnegie Mellon University. Revised February 11, 2014.
DM-0001053
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