Crankin' Out Franklins

You can view the just-released B-roll from the Bureau of Engraving & Printing right here as they crank out Franklins.


And you can listen to Doug Crane talk about the new $100 and the role the company played in its development here.

Treasury Unveils Design for New $100

The Treasury Department earlier today unveiled the design for the new $100 bill, which will enter circulation on Feb. 10, 2011. The bill, of course, is being printed on paper made by Crane & Co. Here's where you can find out all about the new design and the security features to combat counterfeting.

I issued the following statement from Crane after the official unveiling:

“As the supplier of the paper used to produce the redesigned $100 bill, Crane & Co. worked diligently to provide the Bureau of Engraving & Printing with paper that contains an updated suite of security elements. These features were designed to address the Government’s twin objectives of elevating the security of the world's most recognized banknote, while at the same time enhancing its ease of use – both of which serve to support and extend the public’s confidence in the banknote.” said Douglas Crane, vice president.

“Crane’s Motion micro-optic security technology, in combination with all the other features of the new bill, will present major challenges for potential counterfeiters,” said Crane. Motion technology creates simulated images on the security thread that not only appear to move as the bill is tilted, but also switch from one image to another – from the text “$100” to the Liberty Bell.

“Because Motion is so visually engaging, it will serve to greatly increase public awareness of all the security features of the $100 and will make consumer verification of the authenticity of the bill much easier at the point of transaction,” said Crane.

In addition to Motion, the paper made by Crane contains several other, more traditional anti-counterfeit devices including red and blue scattered fibers, a portrait watermark of Benjamin Franklin, an embedded security thread which can be read using transmitted light and which glows red under UV light, and a series of darker numeral "100" watermarks to the left of the portrait.

“Perhaps most importantly of all, these new security techniques have been added to the paper that retains the important and distinctive feel of United States Currency - an attribute that is often linked to the initial detection of counterfeits,” said Crane. 

The paper for the new $100 bill is being made at Crane’s headquarters in Dalton. Motion and other security devices embedded in the paper itself are manufactured at Crane subsidiaries . 

About Crane & Co., Inc.

Founded in 1801, the company's roots extend to the birth of the nation. It was at Crane's Liberty Mill that paper was made for Paul Revere to engrave colonial currency in 1776. Crane has made the distinctive paper for United States currency since 1879. Crane & Co. has also been the country's leading maker of fine 100 percent cotton stationery for social and business correspondence. Crane’s stationery is sold nationwide through a network of more than 2,000 independent retailers. The company employs 825 people in Berkshire County, and continues to be owned and managed by members of the sixth and seventh generations of the Crane family.

New $100 Design to be Unveiled Wednesday

Here's a link to the official countdown  and information about the unveiling Wednesday morning. This will be fun to follow on social media. Stay tuned. It's been years in the making.

Making Money in Maine - Currency Hot Off the Press

I recently had the great pleasure of attending the 2009 Northeast Kingdom Typography Congress held in Portland, Maine, at Wolfe Editions and at Ascensius Press in South Freeport.

The main theme of the congress was printing money - no not counterfeit money - but artistic impressions in the spirit of money.

Using the extensive collection of presses, type, ornaments, ink and paper at David Wolfe's Pleasant Street studio, here are the results:


















These note are obviously not real. But the one that follows is all-too-real. This $100 Trillion note from Zimbabwe was brought to the Congress by banknote expert Mark Tomasko from his extensive collection. Back in April, you could buy some eggs for breakfast with this.

Sitting Pretty in Vermont with Bills and Coins

A colleague of mine breathlessly buttonholed me one day during the National Stationery Show. "Peter. You've got to see this guy!" Yeah, yeah, sure, sure.

The cover of Johnny Swing's brochure has a photo of a welded sculpture that twists and turns in all sorts of directions. Not sure what's the big deal here until I open the brochure to see Johnny Swing sitting on a large couch made from coins. Still, I'm no fan of coins. I'm rather fond of dollar bills, but this looked interesting. And sure enough....

Johnny Swing was exhibiting some of his creations at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, just below the National Stationery Show at the Javits Center. I went down to visit and learned that he's a fellow Vermonter living about an hour from me and we have mutual friends.

I loved his Nickel Couch, made with 7,000 nickels, and his Half Dollar/Butterfly Chair, which uses 1,500 half dollars.



But what struck me most, being the dollar bill guy, were the pillows and stuffed animals made from - you guessed it - dollar bills.



I don't normally make suggestions to those who create beautiful and functional works of art, but I mentioned that he might be able to get a deal on some dollar coins. There are lots of them just sittin' around....

A Banknotable Anniversary for Crane & Co.

I was wandering through the Crane Museum of Papermaking the other day and just happened to notice part of an exhibit I really hadn't paid much attention to lately. I guess I should be more attentive more often, as I almost let a big anniversary get by me.

The exhibit is about Crane and United States currency paper, which they have proudly made since 1879. Let's see....1879....2009....do the math, Peter! 130 years. And guess what? Here's the original letter from The Ohio Icicle, Treasury Secretary John Sherman:



Yup; that's today.

There's a story behind that letter; a story that can be long or short depending on the talents of the storyteller. I'll do the short version.

W. Murray Crane, then only 26, took up lodgings in Washington, DC, when it was learned that the Treasury Department was dissatisfied with its current supplier of currency paper and was issuing a request for bids. He and a dozen or so other bidders camped out in the capital, with Murray corresponding with his father, Zenas Marshall Crane, almost daily.

May 27, the deadline by which to submit bids, arrived and all the competitors handed in their sealed envelopes well in advance of the final hour.



As the story goes, all believed they had submitted their best and final price, and were gathered in the bar of one of the local hotels, trading stories. Murray must have gotten wind of what was believed to be the lowest bid, and left for his hotel room to prepare another, lower bid.

Once it was discovered that young Crane was about to pull a fast one on the crowd, they locked him in his room and repaired in good spirits to their liquid spirits.

But Murray was a tall, slender New Englander - built like a buggy whip - and managed to climb out through the transom and rush to the Treasury building to submit a second bid only minutes before the close.



That bid - a half-cent per pound cheaper than the next lowest - won the company its first contract to manufacture United States currency paper, 130 years ago today.

Dollar Bills Are Made Biker Tough

My friend Shaun is a biker - not the Harley Hog type - rather the skin-tight-outfit, skinny-tire type. Shaun tells me that every now and again while on a long ride, far away from a place to get a replacement, a tire has been known to fail. Once the tire fails, the inner tube is next, and a good ride is spoiled, because now you're walking.

One of the reasons you rarely ever see anyone walking back home with a flat - assuming one always carries a spare tube - is because the skinny-tire people always carry a $1 bill.

Why? I knew you'd ask.

From Bicycling Life: Sometimes, you will find a long or deep cut in the casing. Very often patching the tube and continuing to use a gashed casing will result in another flat, quite probably in less than a mile. Often you can apply your largest patches to the inside of the tire casing, and thereby get hundreds of more miles out of the tire. Other times, gashed tires are too far gone to be salvaged. To get home, a favorite cyclists trick is to place a dollar bill, folded in half or quarters between the tube and the tire, so that it covers the gash in the tire. Paper money has very high bursting resistance.

For a video describing the process, click here.

Shaun was kind enough to share his latest ride-saver. Despite some wear, it got him home.




Try that with a dollar coin and see what happens!

Sonic Commercial: Money Made from Trees?

Hi Gang:

Just a quick appeal for your assistance. I figure we're less than six degrees of separation from this one.

I heard from two people at Crane today that Sonic Restaurants is running a commercial with a mom and child, where someone says "money is made from trees."

Now, of course, we all know that our nation's currency is made from recovered cotton and flax fibers, not from trees. But if today's reports are true, Sonic's ad agency believes the opposite.

Don't get me wrong, I love these ads. I think they are clever, with lines delivered beautifully by their ensemble of improv artists.

But, but, but. Money may grow on trees, but no trees have been used to make U.S. currency paper. And certainly no tree has ever been sacrificed to purchase a Sonic burger.

So please help me out. Send me a link. Send me a video.

And you shall have some Crane stationery -tree-free, of course!

I thank you in advance.

Peter

Crane CEO Spotlighted in New York Times

Happy weekend, everyone.

I just wanted to let you know that Crane Chairman and CEO Charlie Kittredge is the subject of the Saturday Interview feature in the New York Times.

Here's a link.

Crane Acquires Nanotechnology Firm

You'll be seeing this news in fairly short order, so I thought this would be a good place to break it.

Crane has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Visual Physics, a subsidiary of Nanoventions, based in Atlanta, Ga. The transaction gives Crane exclusive control and management of MOTION® (the micro-optic security technology used in the manufacture of banknotes), and ownership of the entire suite of Unison® anti-counterfeiting technologies.

The Visual Physics acquisition represents a major step for Crane and its Currency Division, adding significantly to the services it offers its global clientele. Crane has made a string of substantial investments in recent years, including the purchase and complete refurbishment of the banknote paper-making facility in Tumba, Sweden in 2001 and the creation of the world’s most modern banknote design and printing facility at the same site in 2007.

“The strategic investment in this standard-setting technology for the future of banknote security is a strong symbol of our long-term commitment to the currency market,” said Charles Kittredge, Crane CEO. “It also demonstrates our determination to become the clear market-leader in banknote quality and innovation.”

Crane Currency pioneered the use of micro-optics in banknotes in 2006 with the introduction of the MOTION technology to create a unique and innovative range of security features. Crane’s research has found that micro-optic security features not only appeal to the public because of their striking and engaging optical effects, they also provide a new standard in counterfeit resistance.

According to Bill Westervelt, division president of Crane Currency, the acquisition of Visual Physics will enable Crane to control key proprietary technology, expertise, materials and intellectual property rights. “This means we can guarantee supply chain integrity and ensure that the range of security features emanating from the Unison and MOTION technologies will be controlled and managed by us,” he said. “By controlling the complete technology and supply chain, we can assure central banks and issuing authorities of absolute process, materials, and feature security and integrity.”

The central banks of the United States, Mexico, Sweden, Denmark and Paraguay have selected MOTION as their primary security feature both for new banknote designs and upgraded banknotes.

Here's how Doug Crane explained the new technology to Bob Siegel in an interview with National Public Radio last year. Doug is vice president and general manager of U.S. currency products, and is a seventh-generation Crane papermaker.

According to Brian Martin, president & CEO of Nanoventions, “Crane & Co., Nanoventions, and Visual Physics have enjoyed a very close working relationship since 2004. Crane’s global presence, combined with a leadership position in the banknote industry, will allow the controlled and strategic introduction of an entire suite of micro-optic and micro-structure technologies. The good news for our employees and the entire community is that Crane will maintain a presence in the Atlanta area. Additionally, the planned acquisition of Visual Physics represents a first step toward the realization of Nanoventions’ Corporate Vision. Nanoventions will continue to develop new technologies for use in other industries such as life sciences, solar, and telecommunications.”

Making Money Via The Voice of America

Through my daily keyword searches, I came across a very cool story about how U.S. currency is made at the Bureau of Engraving & Printing.

The story is told by the Special English program of the Voice of America. This program was begun in 1959 as an experiment to communicate by radio in clear and simple English with people whose native language was not English. I first read the transcript of the broadcast and then listened to the radio version. Two very different experiences. Here's how the Voice of America describes its Special English program:

It has a core vocabulary of 1500 words. Most are simple words that describe objects, actions or emotions. Some words are more difficult. They are used for reporting world events and describing discoveries in medicine and science.

Special English writers use short, simple sentences that contain only one idea. They use active voice. They do not use idioms.

Special English broadcasters read at a slower pace, about two-thirds the speed of standard English. This helps people learning English hear each word clearly. It also helps people who are fluent English speakers understand complex subjects.

Perhaps more of us should try this approach!

Have a look and have a listen.

Crane Currency Paper on TV

I just got a heads-up from the folks who filmed a segment on making United States currency paper for the National Geographic Channel last year. The show, hosted by Marshall Brain, ran three pilot episodes this spring, and because of the tremendous success of the earlier program, they are working on 10 new episodes, with each new episode to include a segment from the first three pilots.

The previous working title of the show was "Who Knew? with Marshall Brain." It has now been officially changed to "Factory Floor with Marshall Brain", and the show will be listed in all television guides under this new name.

The series is set to premiere on Thursday, October 2, at 8 p.m. The first night will feature two episodes back-to-back, and over the following weeks, a new episode of “Factory Floor” will air on Thursdays at 8 p.m. The tentative airdate for the episode featuring Crane is Thursday, October 2 at 9 p.m. This schedule is subject to change, however, so please be sure to check your local television guide for confirmation.

Be sure to tune in. It's fun and informative and you'll actually find out what the heck that thing is at the top of this post. I was there; it blew Marshall away!