$100 bill to get face-lift

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Aiming to stay a step ahead of counterfeiters, the government is planning a new design for the $100 bill, which will be unveiled next month, the Treasury Department said Friday.

Wraps will come off the face-lift for Ben Franklin at an April 21 ceremony in the ornate Cash Room at the department, the site of Ulysses S. Grant’s first inaugural ball in 1869. Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will do the honors.

The government says its decisions on redesigning currency are guided by assessments of counterfeiting threats, from digital technology or old-fashioned printing presses.

The C-note — the highest value of all U.S. bills in general circulation — circulates widely around the globe.

The unveiling of the new design is the first step in a global campaign by the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve Board and the Secret Service to inform users of the bill of the changes before it starts circulating, the Treasury Department said in a news release.

Training materials on the new $100 bill for those who handle cash will be available in 25 languages beginning on April 21.

-- Associated Press