Made-Over Hamilton Enters Circulation

Hoping to thwart digital-age counterfeiters, federal currency officials unveiled a new $10 bill Thursday that has enhanced security features and adds touches of red, orange and yellow to the traditional green.

When the bill is held up to the light, a security thread reading “USA TEN” is visible, as is a small, faint watermark of Alexander Hamilton -- the nation’s first Treasury secretary -- to the right of his large portrait. An oval highlights the watermark. And the ink of the lower right-hand “10” on the face of the note shifts color between copper and green when the bill is tilted.

Another prominent new feature is the phrase “We the People” printed on the bill’s face, an homage to the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, which served as a backdrop to the ceremony unveiling the bill at the National Archives.

Brian K. Nagel, an assistant director of investigations for the U.S. Secret Service, which handles counterfeiting cases, said that by learning to tell the difference between real and fake money, the public “can ensure their currency is genuine and effectively safeguard their hard-earned money.”

Any print money dating back to the 19th century is as valid as newly circulated bills; no exchange of older $10 bills is necessary.

The Federal Reserve began distributing the first of an estimated 140 million of the new $10 notes on Thursday, all printed in Fort Worth, Texas.

The new money will add to the estimated 1.5 billion $10 bills that now circulate around the globe, according to Treasury officials.

Secret Service and Treasury officials spent much of last year working with banks, vending machine companies and casino operators to adapt their machines to accept the new bills.

The new bill is the latest in the Treasury Department’s anti-counterfeiting campaign, which calls for the redesign of some denominations every seven to 10 years. The Federal Reserve estimates that one in every 10,000 $10 bills is counterfeit.

The last redesigns were of the $50 bill in 2004 and the $20 bill in 2003.

Treasury officials say there are no plans to redesign the $5, $2 or $1 bills.