13 Facts About Money You Didn't Know

13 Facts About Money You Didn't Know

1. Paper Money

U.S. paper money is not paper, it's cloth. In Ben Franklin’s day, people repaired torn bills with a needle and thread.

2. What Does The Serial Numbers On Your Money Mean?

Serial numbers are not just numbers. They also use letters as part of the alphanumeric code for the 12 Federal Reserve Banks.

3. Ink On Money

The ink used for money is high tech. It has trackable, magnetic, and birefringent (color changing) properties.

4. The U.S. Mint Doesn't Need Armed Guards

The U.S. Mint mutilates coins that are found defective. Culls are run through a “waffling” machine before being sent for recycling, eliminating the need for armed guards.

5. Micro Lenses Located In The Hundred Dollar Bill

The blue ribbon woven through the new hundred dollar bill contains thousands of micro lenses that make the Liberty Bell appear to dance.

6. Four Tons Of Shredded Cash

A farm in Delaware mulches more than four tons of U.S. cash into compost every day. In previous eras, worn out bills were pierced or burned. 

7. The Original Penny

The first U.S. cents were 100 percent copper, while today’s pennies are 95 percent zinc with a copper coating measuring only 1/2000th of an inch (as thin as cellophane tape). 

8. Pennies Used For Gardening

Pennies buried in a garden will repel slugs, which get electric shocks from touching copper and zinc.

9. $7 Million Swiss Super Orlof Printing Presses

U.S. banknotes are made on $7 million Swiss Super Orlof printing presses that exert 60 tons of pressure to force ink into cloth. Prized for their distinctive texture, U.S. banknotes are the finest quality engravings being produced in the world today.

10. Why Is The Money Green?

Each color has its own physical characteristics. Green was selected for U.S. dollars because it’s the most resistant to fading, flaking, and discoloration.

11. Counterfeit Money Can Be Good

Counterfeit dollars can be too good. Fakes are frequently detected because they are more perfect than authentic money. 

12. Infected Money Can Cause Disease

A 2002 study in the U.S. showed disease-causing germs on 94% of bills tested.

13. No Moors On U.S Money

No African Americans (Moors) have appeared on paper money. However, in the 1940s, commemorative coins were created with the images of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, followed by the release of a Jackie Robinson coin. Four African American men have served as Registers of the Treasury and one African American woman served as the Treasurer of the United States. Their signatures appear on paper money.