Five-spot is slang that was used for the five-dollar bill in the 1930s. Click here to check out the new look!Close

The US Mint is going crazy! Have you seen the new quarters, nickels, golden dollar coins, and rainbow-colored bills?

A golden dollar coin!

A Golden Dollar Coin!

The US Mint says we need a new golden coin for the dollar because:

• It lasts longer—coins don't rip like paper money;
• It's easier—people can buy things from machines;
• No one liked the old one—the new golden coin replaces the Susan B. Anthony coin, which never was popular.
  
  The coin isn't really gold. It just looks gold because it's made of copper, zinc, manganese, and nickel.

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• Nickels with a new look have been released since April 2003, to remember the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Westward Journey Nickel series ended in January, 2006.

• Have you been watching your quarters? Fifty new state quarters were issued over a 10-year time span, ending in 2008.

• We have several new dollar coins. One, a golden dollar coin, shows an American Indian woman named Sacagawea, carrying her baby on her back.

• You can't miss the new colorful bills. All the new bills have rainbow colors and are hard to copy.

New color for the new $10

When you visit your credit union, ask to see a new $10 bill. This and the other new bills are safer, smarter, and more secure.

Safer, Smarter, and More Secure

The Federal Reserve says the new bills are better because they're:

• Safer—they're harder to fake and easier to check;
• Smarter—they're one step ahead of people who want to make fake money;
• More secure—they protect US currency.

The large "10" in the lower right corner of the back of the bill is easier to read.

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Look at the different background colors on the new $10 bill. They must have had a fashion designer pick them: orange, yellow and red!

These colors make the new bill harder for dishonest people to counterfeit, or make fake money with the intent to use it.

Did you miss the large number "10" on the lower right corner on the back of each bill?

You still will easily be able to tell the difference between a new $10 and a new $20—the background colors for the $20 are peach and green.