# Money and its faces

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-and-its-faces/236103>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 24, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-and-its-faces/236103 "2004-03-24T07:12:30Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rayman1313](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@Rayman1313](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayman1313)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-and-its-faces/236103/1 "2004-03-24T07:12:30Z")

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Who decides who goes on our currency? What do you have to do to become eligible to go onto our money?

For that matter, why were some of the people placed on specific currency? I can understand why Washington is on the 1 $ bill (him being the 1st prez an all), but why is Lincoln relegated to the 5 or Jackson on th 20?

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-and-its-faces/236103/2 "2004-03-24T07:31:06Z")

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Congress decides who (and what) goes on US currency. The designs are made by the people at the US Mint (for coins) and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (for bills), and the designs are subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury.

To get yourself on currency, you have to be dead and important.

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**Author:** ![Earthling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/90db22/32.png) [@Earthling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthling)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-and-its-faces/236103/3 "2004-03-24T07:35:43Z")

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Assuming you’re talking about American currency, the US [Bureau of Engraving and Printing](http://www.moneyfactory.com/document.cfm/18/118) says:

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> The Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for the selection of the designs, including the portraits, which appear on paper currency.

As to why the Secretary (or his committee) chose the particular individuals who grace our notes (other than that they are famous and familiar):

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> Treasury Department records do not reveal the reason that portraits of these particular statesmen were chosen in preference to those of other persons of equal importance and prominence.