Newly redesigned $50 notes begin arriving at banks today. The $50 note includes enhanced security features, subtle background colors of blue and red, images of a waving American flag and a small metallic silver-blue star. The new design is part of the U.S. government's ongoing efforts to stay ahead of counterfeiting and protect the integrity of U.S. currency.

"The stability and integrity of U.S. paper currency is something the U.S. government takes very seriously," said Brian Roseboro, Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the Department of the Treasury. "We believe that redesigning the currency regularly and enhancing security features is the way to keep U.S. currency safe and secure from would-be counterfeiters."

"A combination of factors keep currency counterfeiting at low levels," said Paul Johnson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service's Criminal Investigations Division. "Improved worldwide cooperation in law enforcement, improvements in currency design, like those in the new $50 notes that will begin circulating today, and a better-informed public all contribute to our success in the fight against counterfeiting."

The new $50 note is the second denomination in the Series 2004 currency, the most secure series of notes in U.S. history. The first denomination in the series to be redesigned was the $20 note, which began circulating in October 2003.

"The next denomination in the series will be a new $10 note," said Ferguson. "We are currently working on the design and expect to unveil it in the spring of 2005." The $100 note is also slated to be redesigned, but a timetable for its introduction is not yet set. No decision has been reached on any potential design changes to the $5 note, but the $1 and $2 notes will not be redesigned.

The New Color of Money
While consumers should not use color to check the authenticity of their currency (relying instead on user-friendly security features - see below), color does add complexity to the note, making counterfeiting more difficult. Different colors are being used for different denominations, which will help everyone--particularly those who are visually impaired--to tell denominations apart.

Security Features
The new $50 design retains three important security features that were first introduced in the 1990s and are easy for consumers and merchants alike to check:

Watermark: A faint image, similar to the portrait, which is part of the paper itself and is visible from both sides when held up to the light.

Security thread: Also visible from both sides when held up to the light, this vertical strip of plastic is embedded in the paper and spells out the denomination in tiny print.

Color-shifting ink: The numeral in the lower right corner on the face of the note, indicating its denomination, changes color from copper to green when the note is tilted.

Counterfeiting: Increasingly Digital Counterfeiting has been kept at low levels through a combination of improvements in security features, aggressive law enforcement and education efforts to inform the public about how to check their currency. About 1 in 25,000 $50 notes is a counterfeit, according to the Federal Reserve.

However, since 1995, digitally produced counterfeit notes have increased from one percent of all counterfeits detected in the U.S. to 40 percent. To stay ahead of counterfeiters as advances in technology make digital counterfeiting of currency easier and cheaper, the government expects to redesign the currency about every seven to ten years.