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• The new $10 note was issued on March 2, 2006 and is the latest in the new series for U.S. currency. The new series began with the introduction of the $20 note on October 9, 2003, and continued with the $50 note issued on September 28, 2004.

Continuous improvement in currency design and aggressive law enforcement protect the integrity of U.S. currency.

• The combined efforts of public education, law enforcement, improved security features and public awareness have all kept counterfeiting of U.S. currency at low levels. Current estimates put the rate of counterfeit $10 notes in circulation worldwide at less than one note for every 10,000 genuine $10 notes in circulation.

The new currency designs will help stay ahead of counterfeiters, who are turning increasingly to digital methods, as advances in technology make digital counterfeiting easier and cheaper.

• In the past decade, digital equipment has become more available to the general public, and as a result, the amount of digitally produced counterfeits has risen. Since 1995, digitally produced counterfeit notes have increased from less than 1 percent of all counterfeits detected in the United States to about 52 percent in 2004.

Some things will be the same:

• Same value: Both new and older-design notes will maintain their full face value.
• American look and feel: The world will recognize the new money as quintessentially American. The new notes will remain the same size and will use the same - but enhanced - portraits and historical images as the older notes.
• Easy-to-use security features: Consumers can help protect their hard-earned money by checking their cash. First incorporated in the 1990s, these features make U.S. money easy to check:
  • Color-shifting ink: Look at the numeral in the lower right corner on the face of the note. When you tilt the note up and down the color-shifting ink changes color from copper to green.
  • Watermark: Hold the note up to the light and look for the watermark, or faint image, similar to the large portrait. The watermark is part of the paper itself and it can be seen from both sides of the note.
  • Security thread: Hold the note up to the light and look for the security thread, or plastic strip, that is embedded in the paper and runs vertically on one side of the portrait. The thread is visible from both sides of the note and will glow when held under an ultraviolet light.

The most noticeable difference is The New Color of Money.

• The new $10 note features subtle background colors of orange, yellow and red.
• The words "We the People" have been printed in red in the background to the right of the portrait. Also, small yellow 10s have been printed in the background to the left of the portrait on the face of the note and to the right of the vignette on the back of the note.
• Colors vary by denomination, helping everyone - particularly those who are visually impaired - to tell denominations apart.
• Consumers should not use color to check the authenticity of their money.
• However, color makes it more burdensome for potential currency counterfeiters because it adds complexity to the note and thus makes counterfeiting more difficult.
• Each denomination also features different images of Americana on the face of the notes, also called symbols of freedom. The symbols of freedom on the $10 note are images of the Statue of Liberty's torch.

From Wall Street to Fleet Street, from Lima, Ohio, to Lima, Peru, a far-reaching public awareness and education program is underway to ensure the seamless introduction of The New Color of Money.

• Representatives of major banks credit public education with a smooth introduction of the new $20 and $50 notes.
• Security features are more effective if the public knows about them.
• To build that awareness, the U.S. government has undertaken a public education program to help ensure people all over the world know the new $10 note has arrived, and to help them understand and utilize the security features. Outreach is targeted to audiences that use and handle the $10 note the most, particularly cash handlers in the retail and financial sectors, and also the general public through the news media.
• Work has been underway so that ATM and vending machine manufacturers can make their equipment compatible with the new currency by the time it enters circulation. Outreach has been extended to makers of self-service checkout counters, which are becoming increasingly prevalent at retail locations.