New $50 Bill Unveiled

Following up on its redesigned $20 bill, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has just unveiled the new $50 bill destined for circulation.

While not as common as the $20 bill, the $50 bill is still an important element of the banking system. In fact, there are approximately 1.2 billion $50 notes currently in circulation.

The new bill still features Ulysses S. Grant, who has taken his place on the $50 since 1913. Grant's portrait has been modified slightly, including the removal of the large oval surrounding his picture.

When the $20 bill was unveiled in 2003, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing also announced that a new $50 bill would be on its way. The $50 follows the same color scheme as the new $20, with light blue, green and peach hues augmenting the green and black inks.

On the back of the bill, the numbers "50" are represented in the four corners of the bill in some new fonts, with a large "50" in the lower right corner to help sight-impaired users.

The major redesign of the bill is designed to keep up with counterfeiters, who have increasingly used digital technology to reproduce the bills. For starters, the bill features color-shifting ink. When you tilt the $50 bill up and down, the number "50" on the front changes color from copper to green.

Other anti-counterfeiting measures are also included. The paper features a watermark, similar to the portrait, which is part of the paper itself and harder to counterfeit. The new fifty also includes a special security thread, that is wider than previous versions of the bill, running vertically through the bill itself. This thread glows yellow when the $50 bill is held underneath an ultraviolet lamp.

The front of the bill features the stars and stripes in the background. And microprinting has also been incorporated into the bill. The words "FIFTY," "USA," and the number "50" can all be found in tow of the blue stars to the left of the portrait. And hidden in the collar of President Grant, you can even find the words "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" in small letters, designed to foil digital scanners.

With digital technology improving every year, the Treasury has a difficult task keeping ahead of increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters. The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing estimates the rate of counterfeit $50 notes in circulation worldwide at less than 1 note for every 25,000 genuine $50 notes in circulation. Current plans at the U.S. Treasury call for all bills to be redesigned every 7-10 years to keep pace.

The launch of the new $50 bill will be much more low-key than that of the $20. When the twenty dollar bill was introduced, the U.S. Treasury launched a massive public awareness campaign. This was due to the widespread use of the $20, especially among consumers. However, with the unveiling of the $50, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing plans on expanding awareness primarily to businesses and industry.

The new fifties will start circulating in late September of early October. And don't worry if you still have older $50 bills, since those old fifties are still legal tender. In fact, the United States has never recalled its circulation.

With the unveiling of the new $50, the Treasury Department confirmed that the $50 note will be followed later by a new $100 note. Treasury is also reviewing designs for the $5 and $10 notes. However, the U.S. Treasury has no plans to change the $1 and $2 notes, as they are the least popular notes among counterfeiters.

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