History

• In the 1860s during the Civil War, panicked civilians hoarded gold and silver coins. The United States Department of the Treasury responded by printing paper money to finance the war. According to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, these original bills were for values of 1 cent, 5 cents, 25 cents and 50 cents. Coin currency has been around since the late 1700s, with the release of the half-cent coin in 1792.
  
  

Modern Currency

• Modern paper bills include currencies worth $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500, $1000, $5000, $10,000 and $100,000 (never publicly circulated). These paper bills measure 6.14 inches long, 2.61 inches wide and 0.0046 of an inch thick. Modern coins include currencies worth one cent (penny), five cents (nickel), 10 cents (dime), 25 cents (quarter), 50 cents (half-dollar), 1 dollar (Sacajawea dollar).
  
  

Minting

• Creating paper currency at United States mints requires more than 65 separate processes. Metal molds, known as "plates" or "dies," are used to stamp the money with consistency. Paper money is actually not paper at all, but 25 percent linen and 75 percent cotton fabric. Coins are made of copper and zinc. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing mints more than $500 million each year, and 95 percent of the newly printed money is used to replace old bills.
  
  

Damaged Currency Replacement

• The Bureau of Engraving and Printing offers a free currency-redemption service for damaged bills. Due to unforeseen tragedies or natural disasters, fragile paper money can be burned, buried, soaked in water or chemicals, shredded by insects or rodents or even exploded. According to the bureau, special analysis is used to determine if the damaged bills are worthy of redemption, and the bureau awards more than $30 million each year to replace these damaged bills.
  
  

Recent Additions

• The most recent 1-cent addition to United States currency is the 2010 Lincoln One-Cent Coin. Featuring the familiar Lincoln side-profile, "In God We Trust," and the year of minting on the front side, the back now features a Union shield and a banner reading "One Cent." The banner has 13 stripes, each representing the original 13 colonies. The shield also features the word "E Pluribus Unum" across the upper section.
  
  On April 21, 2010, the U.S. Department of the Treasury unveiled the new $100 bill. Featuring even more color than the new bills released in the early 2000s, the new $100 bill features color-shifting ink, a watermark portrait of Benjamin Franklin, a 3-D security ribbon and a hologram of a bell contained within an inkwell.