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• The new 5 dollar bill officially entered circulation on March 13, 2008 during a ceremony at Abraham Lincoln's newly renovated summer cottage at the Soldiers' Home. Assistant Director Michael J. Lambert of the Federal Reserve Board used the bill to purchase a book of Lincoln's speeches.

  Improved security features make the bills harder to counterfeit and their authenticity easier to verify. The images on the bill remain the same, but are enhanced, and the bill is more colorful than its predecessor to help visually impaired users identify it. Like the redesigned $10, $20 and $50 bills, the new $5 bill features The Great Seal of the United States, an eagle and shield, in the background of the bill's front side.

  The old five dollar bills will retain their current value, and consumers do not have to trade them in for new bills. The old bills will slowly be phased out and replaced with the new as they become unusable.

• Fast Facts:

  1. 212 million new bills released in the first three weeks
  2. Two billion old $5 bills in circulation
  3. Vending machines have been adjusted to take the new bills
  4. Approximately 9% of produced currency are $5 bills
  5. An estimated $61.4 million in counterfeit currency was circulated in 2007

• Security Features:

  1. Watermarks—visible when the bill is held up to a light:
     1. A large number five to the right of Lincoln's portrait, which replaces the previous Lincoln watermark
     2. A column of three fives on the left side of Lincoln's portrait
  2. Security thread: Moved from the left side of the portrait to the right and contains the letters "USA" followed by a number five. The thread will glow blue when held under ultraviolet light.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Federal Reserve | Abraham Lincoln

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