The elaborately redesigned $100 bill won't hit the streets until February 2011, but it's already got people talking, both here and abroad. As the most-widely circulated bill in the world, the Benjamin is also the most counterfeited — thus the colorful and technically complex new bells and whistles. Here are some numerical facts and figures about the C-note:
11.8
The cost, in cents, to make each new $100 bill, up from 8 cents currently
650,000
Number of light-shifting "micro lenses" in the new 3-D security thread on each bill
$46 million
Estimated value of the government's contract with Crane & Co., the Mass. company that makes the threads
89
Life span, in months, of the typical $100 bill
1996
The year of the $100 bill's last redesign
1862
The year of the first $100 bill issued by the U.S. government
1914
The year Benjamin Franklin first appeared on the $100 bill
1:10,000
Ratio of counterfeit to legitimate U.S. currency notes in circulation, according a 2006 U.S. Treasury report
1:3
Ratio of counterfeit to legitimate U.S. currency notes in circulation during the Civil War
$45 million
The amount of counterfeit $100 bills, or "supernotes," made by North Korea, according to a 2009 Congressional Research Service report
$200,000
The amount of counterfeit cash passed in New York City each week, according to one expert
6.5 billion
Number of $100 bills in circulation
66
Estimated percentage of C-notes circulating outside U.S. borders
25
Number of languages the Treasury is using to spread information about the new bills
$31.4 billion
Increase in the volume of $100 bills in circulation in 2009
4:10
The time on Independence Hall's clock on the back of the $100 bill
Sources: CNN, New York Times (2), Helium, Wall St. Journal (2), U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, CBS MoneyWatch, NewMoney.gov, Treasury Department, AP
