Well, if you live inside the United States, by now you've seen a poster for it, a TV commercial for it, a newspaper ad for it or perhaps even one in your wallet or purse.
The question is, how do you feel about The New $20?
Personally, if I want colored money, I will play either a game of
Monopoly or else cash in some of my
Euros.
As a kid growing up in various foreign countries, I liked the look of some colored currency (particular British pounds) but I always found them to be slightly...well, toy-like.
In places such as Romania today, all the currency bills you will get are plastic. It feels slightly strange at first but it's nearly impossible to duplicate and they last a longer longer than paper bills.
That new $20 is getting a LOT of media attention, yet again reminding me where all my tax money is going.
Of course, nothing is quite as indestructible as a US bill, which can survive a hot load in the washing machine among other things.
Here's the official government website on the new $20:
http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney/
Here's an interesting site from How Stuff Works:
http://money.howstuffworks.com/new-twenty1.htm
In Europe, paper money is regularly tested at the cash register by using a small UV fluorescent device (costs $25 US) or else by a "money pen" which is more common in the US (costs $3.50 US). Is the new bill the answer to counterfeiting? Or would more analysis devices like the pen and UV machine be more effective?
Do you care if your money becomes rainbow colored or is the fact that American money is all the same size and all the same green seem somehow important?
Well I just got my first new $20 yesterday at the bank and right now, my opinion is that I hate it.
It has a funny blue tint, an extremely large and scary portrait of Andrew Jackson and it has little mustard writing randomly sprinkled all over the back.
But that's just my opinion.. what's yours?