• As of 2022, it cost about 1.5 cents to make a single penny in the United States.
• The most counterfeited bill in the world is the $20 bill.
• The U.S. tracks every bill it prints with a unique serial number.
• The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing doesn’t just discard damaged money. Instead, they recycle it.
• Most coins are made from an alloy of metals. The nickel 5-cent coin is actually 75% copper and only 25% nickel.
• Paper money isn’t actually paper. It’s made of a blend of cotton and linen fibers.
• Martha Washington was the first woman on currency, the $1 Silver Certificate in the late 1800s.
• The $10 bill has Treasury Building on the back.
• It costs the U.S. Mint about 3.7 cents to produce and distribute a single penny.
• The Lincoln penny has undergone the fewest design changes.
• In 1934, the $100,000 Gold Certificate became the highest denomination ever issued.
• Approximately 8% of the world's currency is physical cash; the rest is digital, existing only on computer servers.
• Studies indicate that up to 94% of paper money carries bacteria or viruses.
• The word money originates from the Roman goddess Juno Moneta, as her temple was used as a mint.
• The U.S. Secret Service was not initially established for protection, but rather to combat widespread counterfeiting.
• Alexander Hamilton’s is the only portrait on contemporary paper money that faces right.
• The motto “In God We Trust” first appeared on the two-cent coin in 1864.
• Five-cent coins were originally called half-dimes and were made of silver.
• As of 2024 year, it costs approximately 13.8 cents to produce and distribute a single U.S. nickel.
• Studies have shown that approximately 90% of U.S. dollar bills contain traces of cocaine.
• The United States officially adopts the dollar sign in 1785.
• Coins stay in circulation for about 20 to 30 years, which is when they become too worn to use.
• Dollar bills weren’t always green. Colonial money for example, was tan with black or red ink.