\u00a9 2023 wikiHow, Inc. All rights reserved. Nevertheless, you can now buy a counterfeit detection pen that has a UV light built into the cap and costs under $10. I followed each step; at the end I realized I had a legitimate. While this is sometimes the case, most of the time its not. (pack Of 100) Pa. $24.95. If you want to know how to report counterfeit bills, read on! The watermark was first added to the $100 bill in 1996. U.S. Currency is made up of 75% cotton and 25% linen, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The smaller banks or banks with untrained tellers might question this bill because it is from 1985 and does not have many of the modern security features. Next, hold your bill up to the light. The images on the front and back of each denomination are listed below. What makes them so unique is before 1934 you were able to take one of these bills to a local bank and exchange it for its equal value in gold at the time. We dont have to pay hundreds of employees like others. Honestly, your best bet, in my opinion, would be going to a handful of banks and asking if theyve received any old currency recently. Since you dont want to alienate loyal customers who happen to have a genuine, yet older bill, you should take the time to learn about the design features and their changes over time. So you happened upon an old $100 bill that looks different than normal its older and youre not sure if its worth more than $100 and youre not even sure if its real! Nevertheless, counterfeiters struggle to reproduce the raised printing, so feeling the bill is a good first step. Raised printing is exactly what it sounds like: printing that is raised. Even if the note has ink on it, if the paper is bad, it will glow like this. Additionally, printing technology has become advanced and ubiquitous enough that many criminals can easily replicate the raised printing feature so that it is almost indistinguishable from genuine raised printing - which is why you also need to perform the next step: The second step is to take a close look at the lines and points that make up the design of the bill to see whether or not they are distinct and unbroken. THE GREAT SEAL is wrapped as text under the left seal and OF THE UNITED STATES is found wrapped as text under the right seal. Dont let that discourage you, though. wikiHow, Inc. is the copyright holder of this image under U.S. and international copyright laws. To be clear, the only security feature that exists on the $1 bill and the $2 bill is raised printing. If you hold the bill up to UV light, then the thread glows pink. However, due to the fact that the engravings used to create pre-1862 currency were neither federally issued nor approved, the existence of raised printing on a bill could not be used to determine the bills authenticity. The fist thing to look for is the security strip. Star notes are replacement bills that the United States Federal Reserve printed. Small sizegold certificatebills are some of my favorite type of notes to collect. Weve made the process extremely simple,contact us todaywed love to chat. It will also match the letter in the circle, so that A corresponds with 1, B. Yes, a $1000 dollar bill exists and is still technically considered legal tender. Step by step instructions on how to tell real from fake: $20 Bills . Method 1 Feeling the Bill Download Article 1 Feel the paper. For denominations $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100, the note position letter and number indicates in which position on a plate a note was printed. Tilt the note back and forth while focusing on the blue ribbon. Verify the Watermark When you hold the bill up at an angle, you should see a portrait of Benjamin Franklin on the right side of the bill where the clear section is. Stay Safe. The $100 bill also has a color-shifting bell in the orange inkwell. Another example would be if the serial number was A00001991A might be important for a person born in 1991. If the signatures of either the Treasurer of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury do not match that of the series year, then the bill is counterfeit. Regular paper, such as computer paper, should glow under UV light. On the reverse of the banknote is an image of Independence Hall. $10 Gold Seal Gold Certificate Notes (1928), $100 Brown Seal National Bank Notes (1929 & 1934), $100 Red Seal Legal Tender Notes (1966 & 1966A), Check out our full $100 value and price guide. The image of the back of the bill should be an event, building, or symbol of historical importance to the United States. You should see small, blue 100s reflected inside of the blue strip. To see this, tilt the note and look at the bell in the "Inkwell" and the large numeral "100" in the lower right corner of the front of the note. None of the above guarantee its worth more but does increase the chance of the bill having more value. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,521,050 times. A 1919 $100 bill would look like this: To a collector it could be worth much more. Store the suspect counterfeit apart from genuine currency and release it as soon as possible to law enforcement authorities. Yes. So it's often deprioritized or seen as something that . As mentioned above, raised printing basically existed as a security feature since 1862, when the Treasury first started issuing paper money. Take a magnifying glass and check the print/paper, Feel the paper if it feels like printer paper, it probably is, Check that the paper of the bill does not glow brightly under UV light, Compare to other bills in similar series, regardless of denomination, 1950 Clark and Snyder, 1950-A Priest and Humphrey, 1950-B Priest and Anderson, 1950-D Granahan and Dillon, 1950-E Granahan and Fowler. TL;DR With an upswing in counterfeit cash in Canada, it's important to know what to look for so you can ensure your bills are always authentic bank notes. The current system of U.S. currency was set up through the Federal Reserve Act which was passed by Congress on December 23, 1913. And so in 1990, starting with the $100 bill, two additional security features were added: a security thread and microprinting. If either a letter that does not appear below exists on the bill or if the letter and the Federal Reserve Bank do not match each other on the bill, then the bill is counterfeit. The signatures of the Treasurer of the United States and the Secretary of the Treasury should match those of the persons who held those positions during the series year found on the front of the bill. ABOUTWe buy Rare U.S. Paper Money from around the Country. These are extremely easy to identify. The words "USA" and "100" should alternate on the thread. Your note appears to be a well-worn, genuine, series 1988 $100 bill from the New York "B" Federal Reserve Bank. Nevertheless, you might have one or more stored at home that you want to check. If you cannot feel the raised printing on the bill, it doesnt necessarily mean the bill is counterfeit - considering old bills may be worn down enough that the raised printing may have become less discernable - but it does mean that you should check all the other design features mentioned on this list. Zillow Group's Move Forward. Check out our 100 bill 1981 selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our coins & money shops. There are exceptions to this answer though. The back place number indicates the particular printing plate that was used to produce the back of the bill and is located near the lower right corner of the back of the bill. There should be two signatures that appear on the front of the bill: the signature of the Treasurer of the United States at the time the bill was issued and the signature of the Secretary of the Treasury at the time the bill was issued. A real $20 bill will feature a portrait. Step three is making sure the paper doesnt glow in UV light. Sometimes these notes can be worth $120, other times theyll be worth thousands. ", "I learned that there are more ways than just simply holding the bill to the light. Or you can do it the easy way and go to eBay.com and search the type of bill youre looking for, the date, the denomination, etc. You can also invest in tools to help make counterfeit detection easier. To jump to our definition of an older banknote, click here; and to jump to the list of how to authenticate older banknotes, click here. The number that corresponds to each Federal Reserve Bank and its letter is listed below. If the bill is smooth like a regular sheet of paper, theres a chance that the note is counterfeit, but sometimes older bills have worn down enough that the raised printing feature is not readily discernable. If you can feel the raised printing on a bill, the bill is likely real, but you should still check for the rest of the design features mentioned on this list, just in case. Raised printing has been around for quite some time, as far back as the time the United States only existed as the thirteen colonies.