---
title: "What is on United States's banknotes?"
description: "The US dollar: who is on each denomination, what was withdrawn and why, what the notes are printed on, and whether the sizes differ."
url: https://atoneplace.net/banknote/united-states/
site: "At One Place"
---

# What is on the money in United States?

**The money in United States: US dollar (USD, $)**

7 denominations in issue · Cotton and linen, not wood pulp

US notes are not paper. They are 75 per cent cotton and 25 per cent linen, which is why they survive a wash and why they tear rather than dissolve. Every denomination is the same size and, until the 2003 redesigns added faint colour, effectively the same colour — which a federal court ruled in 2008 discriminated against blind Americans, in a case the Treasury lost and appealed and lost again. Two decades on, no tactile feature or size variation has been introduced. Hamilton and Franklin are the only two on current notes who were never president.

## Who and what is on each note

| Note | Who or what is on it |
| --- | --- |
| $1 | George Washington |
| $2 | Thomas Jefferson |
| $5 | Abraham Lincoln |
| $10 | Alexander Hamilton |
| $20 | Andrew Jackson |
| $50 | Ulysses S. Grant |
| $100 | Benjamin Franklin |

## The unusual part

The only major currency where every denomination is identical in size. Replacing Jackson with Harriet Tubman on the $20 has been announced by two administrations and has still not happened.

## Notes that were withdrawn

| Note | When | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 | 1969 | Withdrawn from circulation on the grounds that their main remaining use was moving money anonymously. They remain legal tender and are worth far more than face value to collectors. |
| $100,000 | 1934 | A gold certificate never issued to the public — it was only ever used for transfers between Federal Reserve banks. |

## The practical facts

- **Currency:** US dollar — ISO code USD, symbol $
- **Printed on:** Cotton and linen, not wood pulp
- **Survives a wash?:** Usually. Cotton and linen notes tear rather than dissolve, and generally survive a wash.
- **Can a blind person tell them apart?:** Not by size. Every denomination is the same size, so it depends on whatever tactile feature the issuer has added.
- **Highest note in issue:** $100 — Benjamin Franklin

> This page describes the notes rather than showing them. Reproducing a banknote image is restricted in most jurisdictions, and the restrictions differ between them.

## Common questions

### Who is on the money in United States?

$1: George Washington. $2: Thomas Jefferson. $5: Abraham Lincoln. $10: Alexander Hamilton. $20: Andrew Jackson. $50: Ulysses S. Grant. $100: Benjamin Franklin.

### Are United States's banknotes polymer or paper?

Cotton and linen, not wood pulp.

### Why was the $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 withdrawn?

Withdrawn from circulation on the grounds that their main remaining use was moving money anonymously. They remain legal tender and are worth far more than face value to collectors. (1969.)

## Related pages

- [United States](https://atoneplace.net/country/united-states/)
- [The flag of United States](https://atoneplace.net/flag/united-states/)
- [The money in Eurozone](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/eurozone/)
- [The money in United Kingdom](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/united-kingdom/)
- [The money in India](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/india/)
- [The money in Japan](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/japan/)
- [The money in Zimbabwe](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/zimbabwe/)
- [The money in Australia](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/australia/)
- [The money in Canada](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/canada/)
- [The money in China](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/china/)
- [The money in Switzerland](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/switzerland/)
- [The money in South Africa](https://atoneplace.net/banknote/south-africa/)

## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)