How the US dollar has changed over time
The evolution of America's iconic currency

Currency chaos

Massachusetts pound coins

First American notes

Colonial currencies

Continental currency

Nova Constellatio

US dollar creation

First US dollar coin

Early coins

All-new coins

Paper money

Free for all

United States Notes

Supersized bills

Gold certificates

First nickel

Silver certificates

First wheat penny

Federal Reserve creation

Federal Reserve Notes

Small-size notes

Six kinds of currency

FDR's gold confiscation

Dead presidents' portraits

So long silver

Big-money notes pulled

Major changes

Other major changes to the dollar occurred in 1971. The US finally abandoned the Gold Standard once and for all, and United States Notes, which had been issued since 1862, ceased to be distributed in general circulation. The ending of silver redemption had made the notes virtually indistinguishable from the far more common Federal Reserve Notes, and more or less obsolete.
Security tweaks

The design of US dollar notes had changed little since the 1920s and had become relatively easy to counterfeit with the sophisticated equipment available from the 1980s onward. The Fed took action in 1991 by introducing microprinting and security threads, and redesigned the $50 and $100 bills in 1996 to include enhanced security features. Redesigned $5, $10 and $20 bills followed, and a new $100 complete with blue security ribbon was issued in 2013.
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Coin makeovers

The $1 bill, which few fraudsters bother to counterfeit on account of its low value, is the only note to retain the old design. The classic eagle design on the reverse of the Washington quarter was canned in 1999. New nickel designs were introduced in 2004 and the cent got a makeover in 2009 to mark Lincoln's 200th birthday.
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Recent developments

In 2011, the Mint stopped producing the much-maligned dollar coin – Americans just won't let go of their $1 bills. Contrary to popular belief, the rare $2 bill remains in circulation though relatively few are printed. Looking ahead, the $20 bill is set for a major 2020 redesign. However, while it was expected to feature abolitionist Harriet Tubman under the Obama administration, this is now uncertain after President Trump expressed a wish to keep President Andrew Jackson on the bill.
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