Originally posted by Alxandro
Why do we need a new form of currency to begin with? What we have now is perfectly fine.
Unless of course Obama knows for sure the dollar as we know it is not coming back because he is intentionally killing the economy yet continues to blame Bush.

This new bill may be a test, but it's more of a symbol than anything else.

The main reason they keep redesigning our currency is to fight counterfeiters. As technology improves, so does the counterfeiters ability to clone the current designs. Increasingly complex designs are needed to slow the fake bills.

The chance they would remove Washington from the dollar bill is zero. They are simply trying to get more people interested in the design choices as others have pointed out.

The top group if bills looks like a freaking bus pass!

Lame!

I'm not from the US so won't comment on what I think should actually be on the notes, however, as someone who has travelled extensively throughout the world for work reasons, three simple things about your currency always struck me as rather odd when using it:

* Notes have the same dimensions

* Material used is rough and doesn't "slide" easily

* Notes are all the same colour

All fairly small things but add up to quite a hindrance when you aren't used to the notes. Different sizing and colouration of the notes (as with the mocked up series in the links) is de rigeur pretty much worldwide. Much easier in everyday use as you make an instant distinction between notes of different values. If it wasn't for an extremely honest barrista I would have mistakenly paid over $50 for a cup of coffee in Oahu airport. Was sandwiched between a couple of dollar bills.

The distinct colours and sizes are also a massive help for people who are partially sighted and many countries use features such as raised watermarks to allow blind people to count money by feel.

The coarseness of the material is probably just a personal preference, but US currency is extremely abrasive compared to most others and notes don't slide across each other easily. Makes counting large amounts a little cumbersome.

On the subject of materials, you should take a look at Australian currency. It is made from a kind of paper/plastic compund that is completely waterproof and very, very difficult to tear by hand. Definitely a favourite of mine.

we should wait till he deserves it, think?

washington on a one? franklin on a 50?

nothing wrong with that since $1 bill are so common.

but why is jfk on a $50,000.00?

A sitting president featured on US Currency?? If I were him I would be creeped out by this proposal. Although, maybe this will give us reason to name our dollar the "Looney"


Obama and FDR would make fine bed fellows. We just need Woodrow Wilson to complete the trifecta.

I say Ronald Reagan on the $1 or the $10.