US Polymer Notes?

A few things I have noticed through my readings on US currency changes over the last couple of years. This is all from memory, sorry I don't have any sources to solidify any of this:

The "Meaningful Access" change in currency could have the potential to force a change in our currency. Not sure if this will include polymer or something else. I can't imagine the physical size of the bill would change.

Retrofit kits are being considered to compensate for the "lopsided-ness" should our currency have a texture on one or more areas of the bill.

The BEP is undergoing changes as we speak in their printing methods, 50 note sheets vs. the traditional 32 note sheets. This is no secret, but I wonder if these new changes are designed to accommodate a change in material.

Crane & Co. have traditionally used recycled jeans as a material as an ingredient for their paper. The design in jeans has changed more towards spandex and synthetics in the material, plus traditional jeans aren't as popular as they used to be.

There is also rumor going around (if the facts aren't already out there) that the backing of the lobbyists from a financial standpoint has gone by the wayside. This being the support to combat the dollar coin support. So that doesn't help either.


I honestly don't see polymer notes coming around soon, but if they did I wouldn't be overwhelmed by the news. My guess would be seeing the dollar coin or $2 overtake the $1 bill before we get polymer notes.....and if polymer notes, they wouldn't come in the $1 note.

You are kidding, right? I would hardly call precious metals a stabilizer. Not to mention that there are not enough precious metals to represent the economy of the US, let alone the entire world. The days of a PM backed economy are long behind us.

To add to this is that, the $2 bill will also be redesigned in the Meaningful Access program. There is NOTHING that states this on the BEP or Treasury websites, however, it has been stated to me by three or more BEP officials. As of yet, however, Congress is still blocking the redesign of the $1 bill, due to vending lobbyists, however, if the BEP and or Congress decides to go with a $1 bill redesign, NAMA would be happy to talk with the BEP on how they figure it will effect the vending industry. Someone did say, in the comment section for the article that "Why can the vending industry pay to upgrade for redesigned larger denominations, and raise prices of their mechandise 10c to 50c at a time, yet they can't pay to reprogram for a new redesigned $1 bill" and I agree 100% with that. If we are going to keep the $1 bill, redesign and colorize it, (and the $2 bill) like the other denominations.




Are you talking about the $1 bill lobbyist group "Americans for George"?




I could see a polymer $1 bill, but only if they redesign the denomination and add new security features every so many redesigns of the $1 bill. The reason I could see a polymer $1 bill, is due to the fact that, polymer lasts up to four times as long as our current cotton/linen composition bills, and they can last even longer, if the government forced a polymer $2 bill into circulation along side it, seeing as, the claim a current $1 bill lasts about four years, add on at least two more or so extra years (probably more) with the help the polymer $2 bill, and you would have polymer $1 bills that last for some time over 20 years, and they could all be recycled into redesigned $1 and $2 bills every 7-10 years that the government says that they will redesign our nation's paper (would be plastic) currency, so there would not even be a need for a dollar coin, if $1 and $2 bills lasted for 20+ years each, seeing as they would be taken out of circulation and recycled every 10 years at most, before they even fully wore out. Problem of expensive $1 bills solved.

One thing I notice with polymer notes is that if you get a crease in them it is very hard to straighten out. (Havent tried ironing them to see if that would work).

I agree with sel_169 that varying the size of bills slightly as the denomination increases would be a great idea. Switching to Polymer shouldn't be that big a deal, the tech is certianly there for the vending industry since they are already common in other countries. This would be a good time to eliminate the $1 and $2 bills and maybe even the $50.

Reserve Bank of New Zealand unveils new polymer banknotes

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/personal-...tid=11361725

The NZ banknote is getting a makeover for the first time in 15 years, and although the same well-known faces will remain, security features have been beefed up. They look very interesting

Hi Fox,

I don't believe the backing was by "American's for George", but I could be wrong. This group may be the one supporting the paper bill against the coin. There may have been a lesser known number of groups helping out against the change to polymer.

My thinking in: no $1 polymer would be in favor of other options such as the coin. But it is certainly not out of the possibility. Since the FRB changed out their scanners (causing the problem that would destroy 100% of bills loaded in backwards to the machine) the estimated lifespan of the $1 has increased significantly. Due to support of the vending industry, the law should already be in place that no changes can take place for the design of the $1. I'm not sure how much backing they are getting now if someone were to challenge this.

Until 5 years ago I used to be in the vending/ amusement business. In some cases it was easier to buy a newer bill accepter with the updated designs for less than $100 per accepter than to try and update the older accepters with new software. Being older devices they would need to be rebuilt anyhow. 10 years ago, installing a credit card machine on a soft drink or candy machine would be insane. Now they are installed on every machine on college campus or shopping malls in larger towns. Even though I'm only 26 years old, I'll never be one of those who uses a credit card for a purchase so small. I'll use the small paper (or polymer if that day comes) as long as possible.

Seeing a redesign of the $2 bill makes sense legally, but not logically. Yes, it will happen since the Access law says all bills require this update and the only bill that is blocked from this is the $1. As for the lifespan of the $2 I don't think it has been possible to measure yet. Depending on where you live, you can get lucky and still find series 1995 and maybe series 1976 bills stuck together in sequence. Of course, who knows if thats from circulation or a grandkid digging in sock drawers and spending them. It will be funny to watch the slow change of the stacks of new bills taking over the current design given how long they last.

Until then, all eyes on the $10 bill in ~5 years.

Hi ejs54,

You seem to be pretty interested in the Meaningful Access program that the Treasury and BEP are launching, starting in 2020 (possibly 2019 even, I think) just as I am.

Anyway, redesigning both, the $1 and $2 bills does make sense logically, due to the fact that, if a counterfeiter wanted, they could bleach a current $1 or $2 bill, and print a pre-1990 series $5-$100 bill on the genuine currency paper and say they got it from their grandparent's stash, as no pre-1990 U.S. Federal Reserve note (or other U.S. banknote, I doubt) had any security features on them. I believe that the post-1990 $50 and $100 bills featured micro-printing and in the Series 1995 was when they started putting security threads in $5-$100 FRNs and there were even talks in a Coin World magazine I read when I was a kid, where they were discussing just where, they were going to locate the security thread in the $1 bill, if they decided to add one (not sure if they were considering a security thread in the $2 bill as well, as the $2 was not mentioned) But anyway, a bleached $1 or $2 bill with a printed over $100 bill, would also evade the pen test. Therefore, I believe that the $1 bill should get at least, a watermark of some type, a security thread, and a tint of background color, if no redesign, as long as this did not mess with the vending machine acceptance, and the $2 bill should get the complete redesign, due to the fact that the current $1 and $2 bill look a lot alike and can be confusing in dark areas, if you are carrying a few $1s and $2s on you. A unique $2 bill, with the same amount of security features, I believe, is a good idea.

As for the average lifespan of the $2 bill, I had a bank quote me "34 years" and I can believe it, due to the $2 bill's lack of circulation.

One more thing (and I'm probably going to get creamed for this by other members here, but) since you were in the vending industry, do you have any idea on if vending machines can be retooled to accept half dollar coins? I mean, were vending machines made to recognize halves as an acceptable denomination, or, was the half dollar denomination left out of the vending machines' programming? (Speaking of which, when they were first talking about making the new golden dollar coins, they almost wanted them to have a different magnetic signature from the half and the Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, to prevent people from somehow, cutting down halves into dollar coin size and using them as such. But then, I also heard that a cut down half would not weigh properly like a dollar coin, so it would not work, so I don't know what's true. But anyway, I have had people on these boards, and a couple coin mechanism companies "claim" that all machines are capable of accepting halves, but the vending industry would not go through the expense, for a coin that is rarely used. However, if machines, such as self checkouts at stores dispensed halves, dollar coins and $2 bills, they would circulate. I have been told by a manager at a local Meijer store near me that they will be needing new self checkouts soon, so I told him to make sure it was the type of machine that accepts halves, because their current machines do not. I am thinking that all newer self checkouts will be the ones that accept halves, like the newer machines at my local Walmart, but that is just my guess, and I would hope that, if they have to go through the trouble of retooling their new self checkouts to dispense dollar coins (and possibly $2 bills) when or if the $1 bill is eliminated from circulation that they would also take the time to make the adjustment to the machines so they would dispense halves as well, to get halves into the hands of consumers. Then, maybe the vending industry will retool for halves, and maybe soon after the $1 bill goes, I hope every machine is also adjusted for a new U.S. $2 coin. Besides, isn't it about time in this day and age, we start worrying about large denomination coins like the quarter, half, $1 and possibly a $2 coin?