BEP monthy report for October 2014

http://www.moneyfactory.gov/images/MPR_OctoberFY2015.pdf

First of the 2014-2015 fiscal year

Series 2013 got up to blockletter H with L FRB $20s. Also a run of 2009 $1s and several runs of 2013 $5s at DC, but nothing else stands out.

Many 2013 $1/$10/$20/$50 at FW, lots of block rollovers. $1s got to C, as well as $10s and $50s to B, for the 1st time. More 2009A $100s. Yet the big deal is a small run of 2013 $100 stars, the first of that series.

Thanks for posting - I didn't get to this the other day when it arrived.

Can someone 'splain to me why they are STILL printing new 2009 $1 bills?

We have a new series, a new Secretary of the Treasury - and we are still printing notes with Geithner's signature on them??

I do not really understand the logic...or lack thereof.

Kalisiin wrote:Can someone 'splain to me why they are STILL printing new 2009 $1 bills?

We have a new series, a new Secretary of the Treasury - and we are still printing notes with Geithner's signature on them??

I do not really understand the logic...or lack thereof.

There is always a lag every time there is a change in Sec. Tres. or Tres. of US. The printing plates are VERY expensive to manufacture, so the BEP tries to get every ounce of wear out of each set. I have seen other series that would go dormant for months on end and suddenly they re-appear. Example: Series 2003A for Ones where 5 months went by before a final printing of Stars.

Seems to me that the way to reduce expense would be to make certain parts of the plates removable/replaceable - so that you would not NEED to make a whole new plate...you'd just snap in the new elements, and off you go!

I mean....how do they currently put the Serial Numbers on bills?  Obviously they don't make a plate for every single bill...so that is an element that is changeable.  So how would they do it so that other elements could be changed, while still keeping the same basic plate in use....thus reducing expense?

For example, the Secretary's signature could be a snap-in item, as could the other signature on bills.  The Series could be as well.

You'd just have the basic bill design being the plate....with items that could be removed/replaced/exchanged as needed.

Well, one would think so ... however

It has taken the BEP about 30 years worth of planning and execution to upgrade some of their presses from 36 notes to 50 notes per sheet. The Fort Worth facility is (I believe) completely changed over to the 50 note process, the DC facility still has upgrades to do before finalizing. DC is definitely still using the 36 note process for their Ones.

A One Dollar Bill has THREE print runs -- the back, the front in black ink (including signatures) and the front in green ink (serial numbers and treasury seal). I suspect the modern Five through Hundred may require more than 3 runs, with those backgrounds and holographic ink involved.

To date, it is "easier" for them to make 5 note by 10 note sheets (each of the 50 spots with the correct signatures) than it would be to make the signatures part of the "third run".

Security improvements have trumped whatever process improvements may be gained by moving signatures to a later print run.

Well, I can understand security procedures on higher-denomination notes, but what kind of asshole would counterfeit ONES??

Seriously...the penalty is the same no matter what, so why would you do ones? That just makes almost no sense whatsoever.

I have had this thought before when my marked ones have been looked at askance by doubtful cashiers.

Seriously, I have never even heard of counterfeits of anything lower than a $10....we had a problem in our area of PA a few years ago with counterfeit tens, supposedly, but I never saw one - at least not that I ever knew about.

Honestly, I would think counterfeiting might be a bigger problem internationally rather than domestically....since the majority of large-denomination bills end up overseas.

Still, I am not too familiar with the process the BEP uses to produce bills...and your post gives me some insight, Tim. I still do not see why the plates could not be made with specific parts that could be replaced....instead of replacing the whole plate...at least for lower-denomination bills that don't have security features.

The only counterfeit I ever saw in my life, which I KNEW was counterfeit....well, I never even saw the actual bill...just a photocopy of it.

I was working at a grocery store at the time, and a photo of a bill that had been accepted at our store went up on the bulletin board with a question: What's wrong with this Twenty Dollar Bill?

I spotted it immediately....Washington's picture was on it!!

Apparently somebody had pasted the corners of four different twenty dollar bills over the number 1's in the corners on the bill, and then passed it off as a twenty.

This is why I like the holo strips in all bills $5 and up. I can hold the bill up to the light and see if the strip is right.

Isn't bureaucracy fun?

The sheets of 50 are replacing sheets of 32, not 36.

DC is doing sheets of 32 2009's. FW is doing sheets of 50 2013's. I figure the BEP is avoiding doing sheets of 50 2009's or 32 2013's.

dctim wrote:Thanks for posting - I didn't get to this the other day when it arrived.

Yeah, since you hadn't posted about it yet, I went ahead and did so myself.