A little reason to celebrate
US Paper Money Day
History ยท March 10
A look at US paper money: what bills are made of, the faces and symbols printed on them, and the security features hidden in plain sight.
US Paper Money Day falls on Wednesday, March 10, 2027. That is 134 days away.
US paper money is the stack of green and gray notes most Americans have folded into a wallet at some point. The bills come in several denominations, each with a portrait on the front and a building or scene on the back.
The material is not really paper in the everyday sense. American notes are printed on a blend of cotton and linen, which is why a bill that survives the washing machine usually comes out limp but whole. Printing paper made from wood pulp would fall apart much sooner.
Look closely at a newer bill and it starts to resemble a puzzle. Hold one up to a light and a faint watermark portrait appears, along with a thin embedded security thread. On some denominations the number in the corner shifts color when you tilt the note. The fine lines and tiny printed words are there to make copying hard, and they reward a slow look.
The day suits curiosity more than spending. People pull a bill from a pocket and read it end to end, check the serial number, or dig out an old note a grandparent kept in a drawer. Collectors look for misprints and unusual serial numbers, like a run of repeating digits, and some value a crisp old bill well above what it says on its face.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces the notes, and each one carries the signatures of the Treasurer and the Secretary of the Treasury in effect when it was printed.
Ways to celebrate
- Hold a bill up to the light and find its watermark.
- Tilt a newer note and watch the color-shifting number change.
- Check your wallet for an interesting or repeating serial number.
- Ask an older relative about bills they remember from childhood.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday, March 10 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, March 10 |
| 2028 | Friday, March 10 |
| 2029 | Saturday, March 10 |
| 2030 | Sunday, March 10 |
Also on March 10
Categories: History days