Copy Machines Forcing U.S. to Alter Currency

The greenback is staying green, but--in the first major currency change in more than 50 years--the Treasury Department announced Tuesday that next year it will add a tiny plastic thread and microscopic printing to U.S. currency in an effort to thwart counterfeiters.

Treasury Secretary James A. Baker III said the changes were being made to protect American money from a growing threat from a new generation of sophisticated copying machines.

The Treasury Department has for several years been studying ways to make U.S. currency more counterfeit-proof.

The main change will be the addition of the clear polyester thread near the portrait on each bill. The thread will be invisible until the money is held up to the light.

Each denomination will bear a different, identifiable pattern printed on the threads.

The other change will involve printing the words “United States of America” repeatedly around the portrait. The words will be visible only when held under a magnifying glass.

The changes will add one-tenth of a cent to production costs, officials said.