At long last, the United States is getting new $100 bills, reports Reuters. Set to be released more than two years behind schedule on Oct. 8, the redesign has been in the works for a decade. Among the additions:
- a blue, 3D security ribbon that's not printed but woven into the bill
- the image of an inkwell ... with the image of a bell inside
- copper colors that shift to green when the bill is tilted
What won't change: Benjamin Franklin's face still graces the front. Production problems such as unwanted creasing forced the bill's delay, reports the LA Times. Once it's out, officials hope the bill will help ease another problem: counterfeiting. It's the denomination that's counterfeited most often outside the US (North Korea is reportedly adept at making fakes). The 8.2 billion (as of 2012) $100 bills currently in circulation will remain just fine to use, but they'll be destroyed as they pass through the Federal Reserve. For more info see the US Currency website. (More $100 bill stories.)