Well, slowly, information on that makeover is coming to light.

Some background:

Our nation’s currency paper is supplied by just one firm – Crane & Co. of Dalton, Mass. That manufacturer several years ago, purchased the printing and paper company AB Tumba Bruk in Sweden.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing – the sole printer for US Currency, located in Washington D.C. and Fort Worth, Texas, had a most unsuccessful attempt at introducing web fed technology for bank note production in the late 1980s. It has continued with sheet fed production with presses that currently handle 32 subjects per sheet. They have recently purchased new presses that will handle 50 subject sheets. (One new press already in use still prints notes on 32 subject sheets, the change to 50 subject sheets will not take place until most of the new presses are operational.)

The new security feature that Crane has developed is called Motion™. One the Crane sample note at right, the item is visible as the wide security strip vertically near the center of the note. The feature has recently been introduced on the new circulating Swedish 1000 Krone note issued this year. You may view it at the Rigsbank website: http://www.riksbank.com/templates/Page.aspx?id=20647

The Motion™ technology can be found at the Crane AB website: http://www.crane.se/site.aspx?id=570

We think that the Benjamin Franklin and Independence Hall designs will remain on the 100, but what will be the emblem of freedom, or the object in the Motion™ security device…that is not public information yet…