Found this informative website on the new currency we're about to get: http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney/# If you get a chance, take the interactive tour - very interesting.

Fun stuff. Just call us "Canada". The loonie and twonie can't be far behind.

I don't mind messing with the color of the dough, but the presidential portraits have gotten a bit... idealized?? I mean, the gent who adorns the $20 bill was, make no mistake about it, a ROUGH GUY. It was believed that he would hang people at the slightest provocation; his rages were so great that they CHOKED HIM INTO SILENCE, and Calhoun, his VP, literally became pale and shaken when he heard that Jackson had gotten wise to his intriguing. Not for nothing was Andy called "Old Hickory."

His waxen image on the present 20, however, seems at best a rather gaunt, ex-hippie sociology professor, perhaps at Columbia or Bard College... a bit wizened, perhaps, but still ready to smoke a joint at the slightest pretext, or hop up to Woodstock to buy tie-dyed goodies on the weekend.

What are they doing to our precious national heritage?

And has anyone noticed that Lincoln is suddenly getting better-looking?

Have I got to get rid of my green stuff that I keep just in case I visit the US again?

Yes, Sue. Please send all of it to me, and I'll dispose of it properly.

Seriously Linda, are they removing the other stuff from circulation, will it remain legal tender - if the answer is no then I will send it to you rather than throw it away, I only have a few dollars.

It's all going to remain legal tender. (Sorry Linda

They're going to do what they did when the newly-designed bills came out in the late 90s - just take out of circulation the ones that are falling apart. Every year the US Printing and Engraving prints new notes/coins and takes ones out of circulation that have deteriorated to the point where they can barely be used (that's how you can get those nice pens with the shredded bills in them ... With the new colors ones, I imagine, they'll print a little more than usual so they can be a little pickier with the quality of the bills in circulation than usual.

Sorry - thought you were joking, Sue (although, should you wish to send me whatever you have..... )

They're doing this because of counterfeiting. It's one more measure to prevent people from duplicating our money. LadyM is correct about the procedure they're using. Much like our "new" $20s a while back.

Deadly serious, I would rather send my two dollars to you than throw them away.

I am loath to admit that I found the euros quite useful, I had a supply of them in my safe as it doesn't matter where I go for a holiday in Europe they would be valid currency. When I suddenly decided to 'go for lunch' at the weekend I had plenty of money available without having to visit a bureau de change. They are pretty colours.

Sue, I bet that universal currency IS nice! Wish it were possible to have a world-wide one. Recently someone from Canada sent me a Canadian five-dollar bill for some seeds I'd sent her. At the current exchange rate, it's worth $4.93 American---and my bank charges a $5.00 exchange fee! Guess I'll just carry my Canadian bill around and hope I get a chance to visit Canada.

I will go kicking and screaming all the way if they make us convert to euros too, we have pounds but our money is different to that of the UK, they can use their money here, we cannot use our money there. If the UK goes to the euro I suppose we will have to also change.

One of the fun things in going on holiday was having 'funny' money and not having any idea what anything cost without doing all sorts of maths to work it out. Then coming home with a small quantity of foreign money, not enough to take to the bank for changing, they won't take coins anyway. Gone are the days of children collecting foreign coins, the euro still has value for when you next go on holiday, you won't be giving them to the children.

There is no real indication of what the new notes will be made of, but I would guess paper. Australia has been using notes made from a plastic polymer that is practically indestructible. It was 'tested' by being buried for months, it is waterproof, and does not tear.

This site explains more.

Another major difference is that the actual size of the notes are all different- this is a boon for the elderly and sight-impaired.