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The current design was first pressed in 1957.
Although we call it 'paper' money, it is a blend of cotton and linen
with red and blue silk fibers woven through it; 'material' that doesn't
fall
apart when washed. The ink ingredients are State secret.
The
dollar is overprinted with symbols, starched to make it water resistant
and
pressed to give it a crisp look. On front is the United States
Treasury
Seal. On top are scales for a balanced budget. Center is a
carpenter's
T-square for an even cut. Bottom is the Key to the United States
Treasury.
Reverse are two circles that comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin to lead a subcommittee to design the Seal. The took the committee four years to complete the design and Congress another two years to approve it. In the left-hand circle is a Pyramid; the face is lighted and the western side is dark: The country was just beginning and the western frontier had not yet been explored. The Pyramid is uncapped to signify that we are not finished. Inside the capstone is an all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. Franklin believed that with God's help, a group of men could do anything that one man alone could not. IN GOD WE TRUST. Above the pyramid is ANNUIT COEPTIS; “God has favored our undertaking.” Below the pyramid is NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM; “a new order has begun.” At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776. The right-hand circle represents the seal of the President of the United States. The Bald Eagle symbolizes victory because it does not fear a storm and will soar above them. The Eagle wears no crown as we had just divorced the Crown in England. The shield is unsupported: Our nation can stand on its own. On top of the shield is a white bar that signifies Congress, a unifying factor: We were coming together as one nation. In the eagle’s beak reads, “E Pluribus Unum:” One nation from many people. Above the eagle you have thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies with the clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. The Eagle holds an olive branch and arrows in its talons: We want peace and will fight to preserve it. The Eagle faces the olive branch during peacetime, and the arrows during war. For all of the superstition surrounding the number thirteen: There were 13 original colonies, 13 signers of The Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 letters in “E Pluribus Unum,” 13 stars above the eagle, 13 plumes of feathers on each span of the eagle’s wings, 13 bars on the shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, 13 arrows and for minorities: The 13th Amendment. |
