The latin above and below the bill’s pyramid is all about American exceptionalism.
“Annuit Coeptis” means “He favors our undertaking,” and “Novus ordo seclorum” means “New order of the ages.” People took the Manifest Destiny thing very, very seriously, apparently.
It has the oldest design of any bill in circulation. The $1 bill has—by far—the worst return on investment of any bill you can counterfeit, so it’s not a huge problem for the Federal Reserve and Bureau of Engraving. No new countermeasures mean its design hasn’t really needed to change since 1963.
George wasn’t the only Washington on the $1 bill. His wife Martha graced it in 1886! They also weren’t the first! Salmon P. Chase was the first person on the $1, in 1863. Not only was he alive at the time, he was the incumbent secretary of the Treasury, so he put himself on the bill. Chase’s magnificent hubris ended in 1869 when George Washington bumped him off the bill in a redesign.
What denominations of bills were first printed? The first paper notes were printed in denominations of 1 cent, 5 cents, 25 cents, and 50 cents.
How much does $1 million weigh? That would depend on the denomination of the bills you use. Since there are 490 notes in a pound, if you used $1 bills it would weigh 2,040.8 pounds, but if you used $100 bills it would weigh only 20.4 pounds.
What time is it on the Independence Hall clock on the back of the $100 bill? Though it would be difficult to tell without a magnifying glass, the hands of the clock in the steeple of Independence Hall are set at approximately 4:10. (Ten minutes later would have been much better)
Has an African American ever appeared on U.S. currency? Paper money bears the signatures of four African American men who served as Registers of the Treasury (Blanche K. Bruce, Judson W. Lyons, William T. Vernon, and James C. Napier) and one African American woman who served as Treasurer of the United States (Azie Taylor Morton). No portraits of African Americans have appeared on paper money, but commemorative coins were issued in the 1940s bearing the images of George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, followed more recently by the release of a Jackie Robinson coin.
Has a woman's portrait ever appeared on U.S. paper money? Martha Washington is the only woman whose portrait has appeared on a U.S. currency note. It appeared on the face of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1886 and 1891, and the back of the $1 Silver Certificate of 1896.
Lady Liberty adorned the face of the quarter for over 100 years before being replaced by George Washington in 1932.
The Lincoln penny is the only coin in which the figure faces right.
Weight: 1.58G
Metal: 14k Yellow Gold
Length: 17 mm
Width: 7.5 mm
Feature: Polish
