ENSURE THE MONEY IS TRUSTWORTHY AND DISTINCTIVE. THAT'S THE JOB OF THE GOVERNMENT AGENCY THAT

HAS BEEN PRINTING AMERICAN BANK NOTES FOR MORE THAN 150 YEARS.

VOA'S JULIE TABOH WENT TO THE U.S. BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING TO SEE FIRSTHAND

HOW MONEY IS MADE. SHE TALKED WITH ON ASSIGNMENT'S REBECCA WARD ABOUT WHAT SHE LEARNED.

WE DIDN'T GET TO SEE ALL THE ROOMS BECAUSE SOME OF THE ROOMS WHERE THE BILLS ARE ACTUALLY

INSPECTED ARE OFF LIMITS TO EVERYONE - ESPECIALLY THE OUTSIDE WORLD. BUT WHAT STRUCK ME IMMEDIATELY

UPON GETTING THERE, THE FIRST ROOM WAS KIND OF QUIET AND THERE WERE A FEW MACHINES GOING

SO WAS KIND OF MORE SEDATE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. IT IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY HIGH-SECURITY

AREAS THAT THEY HAVE TO BE IN. THEY'RE HANDLING MONEY PRETTY MUCH EVERY STAGE. BUT EVERYTHING

IS ALSO VERY MECHANIZED, SO EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE SOME ELEMENTS THAT REMAIN FROM YEARS BACK,

150 YEARS OR MORE, A LOT OF THAT OBVIOUSLY NEGATES HAVING TO HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON

THE JOB.

BUREAU DIRECTOR LARRY FELIX SAYS CREATING A UNITED STATES BANK NOTE FROM START TO FINISH

IS A VERY COMPLEX PROCESS.

"IT LOOKS LIKE INK ON PAPER -- AND IT IS INK ON PAPER. BUT THERE ARE AN EXTRAORDINARY AMOUNT

OF SYSTEMS THAT ARE ON THAT BANK NOTE."

DURING THE FIRST STAGE OF PRINTING, THE BACKGROUND COLOR IS APPLIED. NEXT, THE NOTES ARE PRESSED

ONTO INKED, ENGRAVED PLATES. THIS INTAGLIO TECHNIQUE GIVES BILLS THEIR DISTINCTIVE TEXTURE.

WHAT US CURRENCY IS VERY DIFFERENT IS - THAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BANKNOTES AROUND

THE WORLD IS THAT IT HAS THIS DISTINCTIVE FEEL. AND PART OF THAT IS ALSO BECAUSE IT'S

MADE WITH LINEN AND COTTON SO IT MAKES IT A LITTLE MORE NICE TO THE TOUCH THAN SAY IF

IT WAS JUST ALL COTTON. ALSO WITH THE NEW $100 BILL, THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF WHERE THEY'VE

USED NEW TECHNOLOGY TO INCORPORATE SECURITY FEATURES THAT MAKE IT EVEN HARDER FOR COUNTERFEITERS.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL THOUGH BECAUSE TWO YEARS AGO THEY DID CHANGE

LIKE JACKSON IS ALL OF A SUDDEN A LITTLE BIT BIGGER THEN HE USED TO BE ON THE BILL. BUT

THE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL LOOKS REALLY DIFFERENT - IT HAS A YELLOW COLOR WHICH I'VE NEVER SEEN

BEFORE.

YOU KNOW WHAT'S INTERESTING IS AND IN MY CONVERSATION WITH TREASURER RIOS, SHE MENTIONED THAT AT

THE SAME TIME THEY WANT TO KEEP THE BANKNOTES CONSISTENT, THEY WANT TO KEEP IT SO IT'S USER-FRIENDLY

AND THAT PEOPLE IDENTIFY IT RIGHT AWAY. SO CERTAIN FEATURES THEY'VE KEPT, SO BENJAMIN

FRANKLIN IS STILL ON IT. BUT HE'S MORE TO THE SIDE. THERE IS A 3-D RIBBON THAT SHE TALKS

ABOUT, A BLUE 3-D RIBBON. AND WHEN SHE HOLDS IT YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S LIKE A HOLOGRAM BUT

SHE SAYS A FAR, FAR MORE SOPHISTICATED THAN A HOLOGRAM. AND THEN THERE'S A LITTLE INKWELL

IN GOLD AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT-HAND CORNER. AND WHEN YOU MOVE THAT BACK-AND-FORTH YOU SEE

A HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL AND I BELIEVE IT'S A BELL IT GOES BACK-AND-FORTH. BUT ALSO KEEPING

IN MIND THAT THEY'RE ALSO TRYING TO MAKE IT USER FRIENDLY, THERE'S ALSO ON THE BACK THE

DENOMINATION OF THE HUNDRED DOLLARS - THE ACTUAL NUMBER IS BIGGER AND IT'S GOLD, SO

IT'S VERY PROMINENT. AND SO SOMEONE WHO'S VISUALLY IMPAIRED TO TAKE A LOOK AND SEE RIGHT

AWAY THAT IT'S THE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL.

WELL LET'S TALK ABOUT THE HISTORY. FIRST OF ALL I'M CURIOUS - HOW DOES ONE GET ON A US

BANKNOTE?

WILL YOU HAVE TO BE DEAD NOWADAYS. YOU DIDN'T USED TO HAVE TO. OBVIOUSLY ABRAHAM LINCOLN

IS ON THE BANKNOTE AND HE WAS ON IT WHILE HE WAS STILL ALIVE. TREASURER RIOS POINTED

OUT THAT IF YOU WERE TO LOOK THROUGH ALL OUR CURRENCIES FROM THE PAST, IT DOES SORT OF

REFLECT A LITTLE BIT OF US HISTORY.

WHAT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING FACTOID YOU MIGHT'VE LEARNED?

THERE WERE A LOT OF INTERESTING FACTS, BUT I THINK FOR ME THE FACT THAT OVER 60% OR 60%

OF US CURRENCY CIRCULATES OVERSEAS. SO TO THINK THAT AMERICAN BANKNOTES, 60% OF THEM,

ARE CIRCULATING OVERSEAS WAS VERY STRIKING. IT'S OBVIOUSLY A VERY POPULAR CURRENCY AND

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TRUSTING IT AND USING IT- SOMETIMES IN LIEU OF THEIR OWN CURRENCY.

SO THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT EMERGED FROM MY CONVERSATION WITH LARRY FELIX THAT WAS SOMEWHAT

SURPRISING.

AND HOW MANY BILLS, OR WHAT'S THE DENOMINATION I GUESS IN PURE NUMBERS THAT THEY PRINT EVERY

YEAR?

WELL I JUST KNOW THAT THEY PRINT BILLIONS BETWEEN THE TWO BUREAUS. THERE'S THE WASHINGTON

AND ALSO IN TEXAS. TEXAS PRODUCES, PRINTS A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN HALF - SO BETWEEN THE

TWO OF THEM, MILLIONS EVERY DAY BILLIONS EVERY YEAR.

AND OUR THANKS TO VOA'S JULIE TABOH. NOW FUN FACT FOR YOU, IMRAN, AND YOU OUT THERE: THE

LARGEST U.S. NOTE EVER PRINTED WAS THE $100,000 GOLD CERTIFICATE, WHICH WAS ISSUED IN 1934

AND '35. BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO FIND ONE, EVEN IF YOU SEARCH REALLY HARD...

BECAUSE THEY WERE USED ONLY FOR TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN BANKS AND THEY WERE NOT CIRCULATED

AMONG THE GENERAL PUBLIC, WHICH IS TOO BAD.

YOU WON'T FIND THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE WITH ALEX.