New $5 bill to enter circulation March '08

WASHINGTON, D.C. The newly designed $5 bill will enter circulation on March 13, 2008, the Federal Reserve Board and U.S. Treasury announced last week.

Federal Reserve banks will begin distributing the new bills to customer banks on  March 13. The customer banks will then distribute currency to businesses and consumers. The new bills will first begin circulating in the United States and gradually in other countries as international banks place orders for $5 bills from the Federal Reserve. Older-design bills will maintain their full face value and will remain in circulation.

The new $5 bill incorporates new security features, two watermarks and a relocated security thread, both of which can be viewed by holding the bill to the light.