Wow.  I think this is the smoothest marketing video I have ever seen… for a federal reserve note.  Check this out:

Moneyfactory.gov: The New $5 Bill

Here is the press release.  Here is a list of the new security features.  Here is the website for the new bill.  Here is a glossy PDF of the front of the bill and the back of the bill.

The new $5 bill incorporates state-of-the-art security features that are easy to use by cash handlers and consumers alike. Hold the bill to the light to check for these features:

• Watermarks: There are now two watermarks on the redesigned $5 bill. A large number “5” watermark is located in a blank space to the right of the portrait replacing the previous watermark portrait of President Lincoln found on the older-design $5 bills. A second watermark – a column of three smaller “5”s – has been added to the new $5 bill design and is positioned to the left of the portrait.
• Security Thread: The embedded security thread runs vertically and is now located to the right of the portrait on the redesigned $5 bill. The letters “USA” followed by the number “5” in an alternating pattern are visible along the thread from both sides of the bill. The thread glows blue when held under ultraviolet light.

No big surprises here, really.  These are all features we’ve seen on the new $50, $20, $10, $5.  They aren’t redoing the $1, so next up is the $100, which will feature 650,000 micro-lenses.

Interestingly, my blog post on the $100 redesign has now become part of wikipedia, generating regular traffic to this blog (at least a few hits each day).

Would love to see a $500 Bill and $1000 Bill, to match the 500 Euro note.  But I doubt we’ll see it soon.