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Red, yellow, orange are the new green

Splashes of color and a new visage of Alexander Hamilton grace the newly designed $10 bill.

WASHINGTON - Hooray for the red, yellow and orange! Those are the colors featured on the newly redesigned $10 bill, the third currency denomination to add splashes of color to the traditional green of U.S. currency.

Some 800-million of the new bills will be put into circulation starting early next year in the government's latest effort to stay ahead of tech-savvy counterfeiters.

"The craftsmanship that goes into our currency is unmatched anywhere in the world. So is our commitment to safeguarding that currency," said Treasury Secretary John Snow, who participated in an unveiling ceremony on Ellis Island in New York.

The location was selected to highlight one of the bill's new features - a red image of the Statue of Liberty's torch beside a revised portrait of Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury, who is shown without the traditional oval frame around his portrait.

Also highlighted in red is the phrase from the Constitution "We the People."

The bill overall has a subtle orange background. The yellow is seen in small 10s around the torch on the front of the bill. There are also small yellow 10s to the right of the U.S. Treasury building, which remains on the back of the bill.

The makeover of the $10 bill follows similar colorization of the $20 bill in 2003 and the $50 bill last year.

[Last modified September 29, 2005, 01:20:09]