# The New Five Dollar Bill Looks Less Crappy than the Other New Money!! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 26, 2000, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573 "2000-05-26T03:16:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/1 "2000-05-26T03:16:19Z")
Well, the great monopolization of our paper currency has been completed! The new $10 and $5 bills are out now. However the five dollar bill looks competently designed. It does not look as crappy as the $100, $50, or $20. They have found a _good_ picture of Lincoln, first of all. Second, they finally learned that changing the font drastically makes it look amature. They refrained from going typeface-happy on the front. (The back still has that “vision-impared” 5 graphic on the corner). The portrat is still off-centered, but now it looks deliberate and professional. It fells even and centered. The back could have been done better however. From the graphic, the White House looks a bit cartoony. **C+** [http://www.bep.treas.gov/5.htm](http://www.bep.treas.gov/5.htm) Obviously they did the five dollar bill last, because whatever lesson they learned by the time they redesigned Lincoln, they had no clue of on Hamilton. The $10 looks just as crappy as the other new bills. Hamilton looks incredibly fake, they have that wonderful “color-change” ten that destroys all symmetry (at least use the same typeface). Probably because of that the bill looks off-balanced. The five dollar is based on the same template but manages to feel balanced. And they get rid of the one thing that makes the ten unique: the perspective picture of the Treasure. Instead of viewing it from off the corner, you look straight on. That is a big mistake in my opinion. **D-** [http://www.bep.treas.gov/10.htm](http://www.bep.treas.gov/10.htm) For those of us who have yet to see the new bills here are links to pictures. . . [http://www.bep.treas.gov/20.htm](http://www.bep.treas.gov/20.htm) [http://www.bep.treas.gov/50.htm](http://www.bep.treas.gov/50.htm) [http://www.bep.treas.gov/100.htm](http://www.bep.treas.gov/100.htm) ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/2 "2000-05-26T05:55:07Z")
I have to disagree - I think (no, wait, that’s not the term. Isn’t there some catchphrase I should be using? Oh yes). In My Humbug Opinion, it’s a horrible portrait. I think they chose the least flattering picture of Lincoln they could find. Poor Abe - I’ve seen better likenesses in coloring books. The $20 is the worst of the lot. Jackson looks like one of those dreadful Big-Eyed Child/Kitten pictures popularized by the Keenes in the 50’s. I’m beginning to suspect the people picking these portraits have a grudge against history. I don’t have high hopes of what they’ll do to George. ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/3 "2000-05-26T06:05:06Z")
George is safe. They aren’t redesigning the one dollar bill. Counterfeiters don’t make too many copies of ones they say. Anyway, they got that dollar coin. Anyway, I think Abe looks distinguished. Though they can’t seem to get hair to look right. It looks like they colored the hair in. Also, everybody looks like they get their hair cut with a weed-whacker. Of course they seem to flunk on basic design principles. You have to admit, the five dollar bill looks the best of the sorry bunch. ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/4 "2000-05-26T14:03:03Z")
Actually, I think the new Alexander Hamilton is a hottie. But that’s just me, and yes, I am getting help. ---
**Author:** ![Fleetwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fleetwood/32/271_2.png) [@Fleetwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fleetwood)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/5 "2000-05-26T14:27:29Z")
And I am still wondering why Peter Gammons from ESPN is on the twenty! ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/6 "2000-05-26T14:37:30Z")
The symmetry that you find lacking in the ten is an optical illusion. You noticed that Hamilton is looking to the left and is off-centered on the left hand side. Of course the optical effect will be that he is farther away. They could have had a better effect if they put the picture on the other side and left him facing the same way or even reversed his picture. If that would have happened then it would have made the balance significantly better. The five looks alright because Abe faces towards the greater amount of open space. It is not as satisfying as it was when it was in the center but the angle he looks off to the right is such that it makes the offcenteredness look and feel better. HUGS! Sqrl ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2000, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/7 "2000-05-26T16:23:15Z")
I think the original portrait of Lincoln on the five was the better picture, but what the hey. Hamilton’s new picture is much, MUCH better than the original. At least he no longer looks like a mugging victim. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2000, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/8 "2000-05-27T04:31:34Z")
But doesn’t the $100 note look like Mr. Potato Head?? ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2000, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/9 "2000-05-27T19:10:06Z")
I just got done redesigning all of these bills, and they’ve beat me to it. [My Designs](http://www.geocities.com/attrayant_1/funnymoney/funnymoney.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2000, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/10 "2000-06-02T10:07:19Z")
opus, you’ve got a good eye for design! ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Cyclops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@Commander\_Cyclops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Cyclops)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/11 "2000-06-04T12:51:26Z")
Isn’t the Jackson pic on the new 20 the same as the old one, just enlarged and cropped? The new Hamilton is much better. The old one looks like The Joker. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2000, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/12 "2000-06-04T15:48:58Z")
I seem to be the only person in the universe who actually likes the new designs. However, I think the left-facing Hamilton is a big mistake in terms of consistency with the other bills and the fact that he should be facing into the bill, rather than outward. I feel it destroys the balance in the composition. Otherwise, I really like the off-center positioning of the portraits, as the old design was, well, just plain boring and flat. That said, I’m not sure this design will “age” as well as the old one. I’m afraid that as design aesthetics evolve, this design will look horribly dated. ---
**Author:** ![aseymayo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e57/32.png) [@aseymayo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aseymayo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/13 "2000-06-05T05:58:02Z")
After finally seeing one of the new fives in the flesh, I have to admit, it’s not as bad as I thought. (I had only seen it in the newspaper and at the website when I made my original snap judgment.) The new bills are starting to look like real money to me, so I guess I’ll have to stop complaining about them - but I still think the state quarters look cheap and crappy! Looking at the old versions of the $50 on the bureau’s website was rather fun - I didn’t recognize a lot of those portraits - and the evolution of Lady Liberty is revealing - literally. She appears quite matronly and modestly draped in the 1860’s; a few years later, she looks like a young Queen Victoria with a naughtily bare shoulder. Her toga really starts to slip at the turn of the century and by 1918 she’s Venus de Milo with a few added appendages. No wonder great-grampa was such a miser. Opus, I dig your clams. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/14 "2000-06-05T07:53:12Z")
I must be odd because I don’t dislike the fronts of any of the new dollars. They are different, but not bad. The larger protraits seem to be a good thing, better remembering some of the notable people. I think some of the images on the rear of the bills are less detailed and less artistic. That is my only complaint. I agree that I liked the off center drawing of the Treasury. One question I have. They have redone all the bills, and don’t intend to redo the $1. They have begun creating the Sackies, and I believe they are hoped to entirely replace the $1 bill. If that is successful, where does that leave George? Suppose that if sucessful we’ll neither have the first or second presidents of bills in production. Kinda sucks since those men are probably the most prominet in any patriotic discussion you could have. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/15 "2000-06-05T16:40:30Z")
Who can identify all the personalities on my money? The lady on the $20 should be a giveaway but the other three might be a challenge depending on how much of a life you have. ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Cyclops](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@Commander\_Cyclops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Cyclops)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/16 "2000-06-05T18:00:36Z")
Yeah, they should have kept the same Treasury picture, maybe zoom in a little and clear the street. The old cars and the loiterers were starting to look strange. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/17 "2000-06-05T19:31:19Z")
> [@](#): > > originally posted by opus: > Who can identify all the personalities on my money? The lady on the $20 should be a giveaway but the other three might be a challenge depending on how much of a life you have. A brain full of knowledge is the sign of a fulfilled life. One clam - Bob from Bob’s Big Boy. Five clams - The Smurfette (La Schtroumpfette). Twenty clams - Betty Rubble. 100 clams - Grog (from B.C.) ---
**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/18 "2000-06-05T20:17:42Z")
Personally, I think the fifty dollar bill looks the best. ---
**Author:** ![mega\_the\_roo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mega\_the\_roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mega_the_roo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2000, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/19 "2000-06-05T22:14:08Z")
Those bills look like the ones my brother and I used to get from Red Lobster. ---
**Author:** ![SterlingNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8dc957/32.png) [@SterlingNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SterlingNorth)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2000, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573/20 "2000-06-06T14:18:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Isn’t the Jackson pic on the new 20 the same as the old one, just enlarged and cropped? > **Commander Cyclops** > [sub]06-05-2000 02:00 PM ET[/sub] I don’t think so. I’m looking at the both in my hand side-by-side now. It looks like the thing he is wearing (it looks kinda-like a cross between a collar and a cape) is tighter around his neck on the new $20. The darks of his eye look bigger (even accounting for the fact the head is bigger) and darker. And the hair on the new one looks less wig-like. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-five-dollar-bill-looks-less-crappy-than-the-other-new-money/20573.md?page=2)