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Secrets of Making Money
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Program Overview
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NOVA explains the reasons for the redesign of U.S. paper currency
and describes security features that are embedded in the new $100
bill.
The program:
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points out that bills with the original design are easy to
counterfeit, having been around since 1929 and in circulation
worldwide.
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broadly describes the traditional mode of
counterfeiting—from creating a negative to printing the
bill.
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indicates that the Treasury Department is concerned both with
casual counterfeiters—who use color copiers and other
modern reprographic equipment—and with professional
counterfeiters.
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states that while no single feature will make a bill
counterfeit-proof, the Treasury Department hopes that by adding
several new features the bill will be more difficult to
counterfeit.
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reviews the new features, which include a security thread with
numbers on it denoting a bill's value, a watermark, an enlarged
portrait, microprinting and color-shifting ink.
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outlines the Treasury Department's endurance tests for bills,
including simulating exposure to sun, gasoline, washing, drying
and crumpling.
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