New $100 Bill Aims to Thwart Counterfeiters

The casual observer of the new $100 bill -- and let's face it, most of us are casual observers when it comes to a C-note -- would hardly notice any difference. But the government hopes the new bill unveiled Wednesday will stymie counterfeiters with added security features, including watermarks, a 3-D security ribbon, and a color-changing image of a liberty bell in an inkwell just to the right of Ben Franklin's image.

The Franklin portrait is a little larger on the front of the bill, and the flip side shows the rear of Independence Hall instead of the front of the famous building in Philadelphia. The roll-out for the new bill at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing marked the first change in 12 years in the highest value denomination in general circulation -- a widely counterfeited slice of lettuce at that.

The bill goes into circulation next February, but existing $100 bills will remain legal tender.