Why is mdcclxxvi on the dollar bill

On the front of the dollar bill, a one- or two-digit number appears four times. This number refers to the Federal Reserve Bank that printed the bill. The combination refers to the position the note laid on the plate when it was printed. For example, A1 is the top left position, and H4 is the bottom right. So there you have it. The next time you reach for a dollar bill, you may want to study it before you buy that coffee assuming a dollar can buy a coffee any more.

You enter the serial number of your bill and the site tracks it. To date, there have been more than million bills entered. According to the U. State Department, it took six years for Congress to agree on and approve the design of the Great Seal of the U.

On the Great Seal, 13 stripes are present to denote the original 13 colonies. Franklin and Thomas Jefferson wanted the seal to include an Egyptian pharaoh, too. That is the symbol for , which is the date of the Declaration of Independence.

On your dollar bill, there are serial numbers with two letters and eight numbers. The first letter — which will be between A and L — indicates which bank issued the bill. The bottom contains the Roman numerals for The Bald Eagle on the back is grasping in its talons arrows and olive branches.

This is signifying war and peace. The dollar bill actually has had no value tied to it! My Favorite Class: Strategy. What is CAMP? What you see in the two round areas is the back and front of the national seal, originally designed by a committee including Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams in the s. First there is the unfinished pyramid. If you look at it closely, it has 13 rows of blocks representing the 13 states of the union, but the pyramid is unfinished at the top in the expectation that more states would be added.

Above the pyramid is the Eye of Providence, which dates back to the Egyptians. The number 13 appears three times around the eagle, echoing the 13 rows in the pyramid. The arrows represent the power of war. The olive branch in the other talon represents the power of peace.

The dollar bill that you are holding typically lasts about a year and a half to two years. As it gets worn it is taken out of circulation and replaced.