# US Banknotes... why is the 10 spot next in line? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 2, 2005, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710 "2005-12-02T10:54:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 10:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/1 "2005-12-02T10:54:17Z")
Does anyone know why the sawbuck is getting the new, colored design before Big Ben? [http://www.bep.treas.gov/newmoney/](http://www.bep.treas.gov/newmoney/) I would figure they would have done the $100 first, or second right after the $20 since the $20 is probably the most popular for domestic counterfeiting. Instead they did the 50 second, which is probably the least popular US bill after the 2 in terms of genuine circulation. Now, it seems the 10 is next, which I have never heard of being forged on a large scale. I’ve always heard that the 20 and 100 are the most popular amongst the do it yourself crowd. Franklin seems logical, considering that the US 100 is still very popular with unsavory characters the world over. Furthermore, I’ve heard people say that unscrupulous regimes turn out 100s on presses to devalue the greenback. I don’t necessarily believe these tales, but if true, I would bet Iranian presses are making 100s, not 10s. I would think the C-note should get the pink hue before Hamilton, if reducing wide scale counterfeiting is really the goal. What say you? ---
**Author:** ![Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clock)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/2 "2005-12-02T10:59:12Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > Does anyone know why the sawbuck is getting the new, colored design before Big Ben? > > [http://www.bep.treas.gov/newmoney/](http://www.bep.treas.gov/newmoney/) > > I would figure they would have done the $100 first, or second right after the $20 since the $20 is probably the most popular for domestic counterfeiting. Instead they did the 50 second, which is probably the least popular US bill after the 2 in terms of genuine circulation. > > Now, it seems the 10 is next, which I have never heard of being forged on a large scale. I’ve always heard that the 20 and 100 are the most popular amongst the do it yourself crowd. > > Franklin seems logical, considering that the US 100 is still very popular with unsavory characters the world over. Furthermore, I’ve heard people say that unscrupulous regimes turn out 100s on presses to devalue the greenback. I don’t necessarily believe these tales, but if true, I would bet Iranian presses are making 100s, not 10s. > > I would think the C-note should get the pink hue before Hamilton, if reducing wide scale counterfeiting is really the goal. > > What say you? Slight hi-jack here. I’ve never been able to fathom out why US banknotes are all the same colour…very confusing for us Brits who have nice pretty coloured notes, different colours for £5,£10, and £50s ---
**Author:** ![Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clock)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/3 "2005-12-02T11:00:15Z")
> [@Clock](#): > > Slight hi-jack here. > I’ve never been able to fathom out why US banknotes are all the same colour…very confusing for us Brits who have nice pretty coloured notes, different colours for £5,£10, and £50s …and £20s :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/4 "2005-12-02T11:25:40Z")
I would have guessed that there are more counterfeit tens out there because they’d be easier to pass, but [this report](http://www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2003/200352/200352pap.pdf) (PDF link) indicates otherwise. It seems that the face value of counterfeit $100s detected in circulation is about thirty times that of the counterfeit $10s. If you ignore the face value, of course, the volume of $10s is higher – and I suppose it might be possible to imagine that bogus tens might circulate longer before being detected, because they aren’t as likely to be scrutinized until they hit a bank. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/5 "2005-12-02T11:31:10Z")
I saw an episode of numb3rs recently where they explained that the ‘gang’ in the episode were counterfeiting $10 notes because they are not scrutinized by the person recieving the note as carefully, therefore you are more likely to be successful using it than a counterfeit $100. I know T.V. shouldn’t be used as a source of factual information in most cases but it makes sense to me that a $100 note would be examined far more carefully by a shop or bank employee than a $10 note. ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/6 "2005-12-02T11:32:54Z")
> [@Clock](#): > > Slight hi-jack here. > I’ve never been able to fathom out why US banknotes are all the same colour…very confusing for us Brits who have nice pretty coloured notes, different colours for £5,£10, and £50s Because if they were different colors, they wouldn’t seem like real money to us. Actually, when I first heard the new 20 would be PINK and PEACH, I publicly stated that I would not use them. A greenback is supposed to be green damn it! I backed off when I saw them and realized that “pink and peach” were gross overstatements. They are still green, and all is right with the world. Clock- to hijack my own thread, are 100 pounders widely circulated in the UK as C-notes are here? I’ve suspect that they’re not, because if they were they would be more widely used than US 100s by the suitcase full of cash crowd around the world. I also had a French pal tell me that the only reason Euros are printed in 200 and 500 is because German tourists don’t like credit cards. I’m not sure if these Euro notes have surpassed Ben Franklin in the black market economy, but I am curious. ---
**Author:** ![mittu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@mittu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mittu)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/7 "2005-12-02T11:40:46Z")
We don’t have £100 notes in the U.K., the £50 is the highest denomination and even that is rarely seen (I don’t think I have _ever_ seen one). You can see the current U.K. bank notes here: [http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/current/index.htm](http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/current/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clock)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/8 "2005-12-02T11:54:27Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > Because if they were different colors, they wouldn’t seem like real money to us. Actually, when I first heard the new 20 would be PINK and PEACH, I publicly stated that I would not use them. A greenback is supposed to be green damn it! I backed off when I saw them and realized that “pink and peach” were gross overstatements. They are still green, and all is right with the world. > > Clock- to hijack my own thread, are 100 pounders widely circulated in the UK as C-notes are here? I’ve suspect that they’re not, because if they were they would be more widely used than US 100s by the suitcase full of cash crowd around the world. I also had a French pal tell me that the only reason Euros are printed in 200 and 500 is because German tourists don’t like credit cards. I’m not sure if these Euro notes have surpassed Ben Franklin in the black market economy, but I am curious. As Mittu says we don’t have £100 notes at the moment but I think at one time The Bank of Scotland did issue them for a limited period, I could be wrong here tho’ Back to US notes. I once gave a cab driver a $50 as a tip thinking it was $5…admittedly I’d had a few drinks at the time (well OK more than a few) but y’see why it’s confusing for us Brits. Believe it or not the cabbie pointed my error out and for his honesty I gave him $20. This was in Rhode Island…aw bless! lovely state ---
**Author:** ![T\_SQUARE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@T\_SQUARE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T_SQUARE)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/9 "2005-12-02T11:57:03Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > We don’t have £100 notes in the U.K., the £50 is the highest denomination and even that is rarely seen (I don’t think I have _ever_ seen one). > > You can see the current U.K. bank notes here: > > [http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/current/index.htm](http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/current/index.htm) Ah, I see. I guess the 100 pounders I know of are issued by the Bank of Scotland > **[Banknotes of the pound sterling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_banknotes)** > > Sterling banknotes are the banknotes in circulation in the United Kingdom and its related territories, denominated in pounds sterling (symbol: £; ISO 4217 currency code GBP (Great Britain pound)). > Sterling banknotes are official currency in the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Tristan da Cunha. One pound is equivalent to 100 pence. Three British Overseas Territories also have currencies called pou... That’s interesting you don’t even use the 50 that much. Every so often in the US, some old timer will bring a 500 or 1000 US note into a bank to trade for something a little more useful. This is VERY rare however. These notes are still legal tender, even though they were last issued in 1928 and fetch a bit more than face with collectors. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/10 "2005-12-02T12:57:59Z")
> [@mittu](#): > > I saw an episode of numb3rs recently where they explained that the ‘gang’ in the episode were counterfeiting $10 notes because they are not scrutinized by the person recieving the note as carefully, therefore you are more likely to be successful using it than a counterfeit $100. I know T.V. shouldn’t be used as a source of factual information in most cases but it makes sense to me that a $100 note would be examined far more carefully by a shop or bank employee than a $10 note. I had a friend in college that used that logic. He made $5’s and passed them off to the pizza guy and used them at parties. I’ve yet to see a pizza guy check to make sure the money is real. Also, as a side note…I say this every time they come out with new money. How is this going to stop people from making fake money. In fact it shouldn’t even slow them down. Yea, it’s alot harder to copy the new money, which is why they’ll just keep making the old money that they know works just fine. If we’re going to come out with new designs, it seems like we need to recall the old money and make it worthless as quickly as possible or nothing’s going to change. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/11 "2005-12-02T14:43:26Z")
> [@Joey P](#): > > Also, as a side note…I say this every time they come out with new money. How is this going to stop people from making fake money. In fact it shouldn’t even slow them down. Yea, it’s alot harder to copy the new money, which is why they’ll just keep making the old money that they know works just fine. If we’re going to come out with new designs, it seems like we need to recall the old money and make it worthless as quickly as possible or nothing’s going to change. I thought this for a while, too. If you think about it, you’re correct in the short term, but after 5 or 6 years most of the older notes will have been retired from circulation and the all that the clerks and tellers will see on a day-to-day basis will be the new style. If someone tries to pay with an old-style note it will likely be very closely scrutinized, because it will be unusual. ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/12 "2005-12-02T14:57:09Z")
Before the introduction of the euro, the Central Bank of Ireland issued £100 (i.e. 100 punt) notes, the last of which bore a rather fetching portrait of [Charles Parnell](http://www.irishpapermoney.com/c/00denomc/vwr100c/c100sc01.html). The highest denomination euro note is the bizarre €500 - US$589-ish - which I believe was only printed because the Germans wanted one: Gawd alone knows what they needed such a huge note for; probably something to do with really old German blokes remembering the hyperinflation after The Great War. I’ve never seen one, let alone tried to forge one. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/13 "2005-12-02T15:09:19Z")
> [@Clock](#): > > Slight hi-jack here. > I’ve never been able to fathom out why US banknotes are all the same colour…very confusing for us Brits who have nice pretty coloured notes, different colours for £5,£10, and £50s And different SIZES too! Weird! 🙂 Ours are different colours but all the same size. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/14 "2005-12-02T15:14:16Z")
I would think there are two main types of counterfeit US currency: high-quality bills carefully made by pros to be as close as possible, and notes that were scanned and printed by teenagers on their home computer. Does anyone have an idea of how prevalent the two are? There are “counterfeit detector pens” available on the market which have an ink that reacts with the starch that’s typically in copier/printer paper. These will detect the “teenager” type of counterfeits, but not the high-quality ones. I can tell you from first-hand experience that a little spray starch sprayed on a genuine bill will cause the same reaction, and hilarity ensues when an unsuspecting clerk uses his pen on one of these bills. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/15 "2005-12-02T15:15:31Z")
By the way, I am jealous of UK currency for one reason, and it’s not the pretty colors - you have a note with Charles Darwin on it! ---
**Author:** ![ombre3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@ombre3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ombre3)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/16 "2005-12-02T15:32:50Z")
> [@T\_SQUARE](#): > > Ah, I see. I guess the 100 pounders I know of are issued by the Bank of Scotland > > [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British\_banknotes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_banknotes) > > That’s interesting you don’t even use the 50 that much. Every so often in the US, some old timer will bring a 500 or 1000 US note into a bank to trade for something a little more useful. This is VERY rare however. These notes are still legal tender, even though they were last issued in 1928 and fetch a bit more than face with collectors. Just curious– For what purpose was a $500 or $1000 US note printed in 1928? In today’s value that would probably be over $10,000. What would it have been used for? What were they thinking? ---
**Author:** ![Angels\_Flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6bbea6/32.png) [@Angels\_Flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angels_Flight)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/17 "2005-12-02T16:05:34Z")
> [@ombre3](#): > > Just curious– > > For what purpose was a $500 or $1000 US note printed in 1928? In today’s value that would probably be over $10,000. What would it have been used for? > > What were they thinking? I wonder why they don’t declare all large bills void, and make people turn them in to the banks as deposits. Since big bills only seem to be used by the underworld for transactions they don’t want reported by banks. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/18 "2005-12-02T16:09:58Z")
> [@ombre3](#): > > Just curious– > > For what purpose was a $500 or $1000 US note printed in 1928? In today’s value that would probably be over $10,000. What would it have been used for? > > What were they thinking? Well, remember they didn’t have credit/debit cards back then to handle large transactions, so it was either checks or cash. And IIRC, banks did a lot more physical transfers of money, while today banks can simply electronically credit/debit there accounts with each other. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/19 "2005-12-02T16:12:51Z")
> [@ombre3](#): > > Just curious– > > For what purpose was a $500 or $1000 US note printed in 1928? In today’s value that would probably be over $10,000. What would it have been used for? > > What were they thinking? Well this was before you could easily transfer money electronically. This was money for bankers not the hoi polloi. ---
**Author:** ![Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19adc/32.png) [@Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clock)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710/20 "2005-12-02T17:09:53Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > By the way, I am jealous of UK currency for one reason, and it’s not the pretty colors - you have a note with Charles Darwin on it! Yes but how long will he reign ? We have a habit of naffing off current flavours and giving some other bod a chance, God knows why when the ones in circulation do the job just fine. 😕 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-banknotes-why-is-the-10-spot-next-in-line/333710.md?page=2)