You’ve held it a thousand times. Maybe you’ve even done that little nervous snap of the paper to make sure it’s real before tucking it into a wallet. But honestly, most people never really look at the 100 dollar bill the back design for more than a split second. They’re looking for the gold "100" or checking the 3D security ribbon on the front.
That’s a mistake.
The back of the "Benjamin" is actually a masterpiece of engraving and anti-counterfeiting tech. It’s also one of the few places where American history is literally etched into copper plates with microscopic precision. Since the massive redesign in 2013, the back of the bill has become a battlefield between the U.S. Treasury and high-tech counterfeiters.
What is actually on the back of the hundred?
If you flip the note over, the centerpiece is Independence Hall in Philadelphia. It’s been there since 1928, but the 2013 Series 100 dollar bill changed the perspective entirely. Instead of seeing the building from the front—the way a tourist would stand on Chestnut Street—we now see the rear of the building.
Why? Because the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP) wanted to make it harder to fake.
The detail is staggering. You can see the clock tower clearly. Interestingly, the time on that clock has sparked decades of conspiracy theories and urban legends. For years, people swore the clock was set to 4:10, which some claimed was a secret code or a reference to a specific Bible verse.
The truth is much more mundane. According to the U.S. Currency Education Program, the clock on the older notes was set to roughly 4:10. On the newer "Big Ben" notes—the ones with the blue ribbon—the time is actually 10:30. There isn't a secret Illuminati reason for this. It’s simply the time the engraver chose to represent a typical day in Philadelphia.
The massive "100" and why it looks so weird
The first thing that hits you when looking at a modern 100 dollar bill the back is that giant, vertical gold "100" on the right side. It looks almost out of place. It’s huge. It’s shiny. It feels a bit like someone forgot to scale down the font size before hitting print.
There’s a very specific, practical reason for this "ugly" design choice. It helps people with visual impairments.
The BEP faces constant pressure to make currency more accessible. While other countries use different sized notes for different denominations, the U.S. sticks to a uniform size. To compensate, they used high-contrast, oversized numerals. This allows someone with low vision to quickly identify the bill's value without needing a specialized reader. It also serves as a security feature; that gold ink is "color-shifting." If you tilt the bill, it changes hue, a feat that is surprisingly difficult for a standard home inkjet printer to replicate.
Let’s talk about the paper (which isn't paper)
If you’re trying to understand why the back of the bill feels the way it does, you have to realize you aren't touching wood pulp. You're touching a blend of 75% cotton and 25% linen.
That’s why a hundred-dollar bill survives the washing machine when your grocery store receipt turns into a clump of white mush.
Engravers use a process called intaglio printing. They etch the design into metal plates. The ink is pushed into those grooves under massive pressure—tons of it. When the paper is pressed against the plate, it actually sucks the ink out of the grooves. This creates a raised texture.
If you run your fingernail across the back of the Independence Hall image, it should feel rough. Vibrating, almost. If it’s smooth as a photograph, you’re holding a fake. Counterfeiters often use "offset" printing, which lays the ink flat on top of the paper. They can’t replicate that physical "ridge" of the building’s brickwork without incredibly expensive, heavy machinery.
The hidden "ghost" features
Most people know about the watermark on the front, but did you know it’s visible from the back too?
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Hold the bill up to a bright light. You’ll see a faint image of Benjamin Franklin in the blank space to the right of Independence Hall. This isn't printed on the surface. It’s actually part of the paper fibers themselves. It’s created by varying the thickness of the cotton-linen blend during the papermaking process.
Because it’s embedded in the paper, it should look the same from either side. If the watermark looks like it was drawn on with a marker or only appears on one side, that’s a red flag.
Why the back of the 100 dollar bill is a nightmare for forgers
The "Supernote" is the stuff of Treasury Department nightmares. For decades, highly skilled state-sponsored forgers—specifically in North Korea—produced near-perfect replicas of the old 100 dollar bills. They used the same Swiss-made presses the U.S. used.
The 2013 redesign was the "nuclear option" response to the Supernote.
On the 100 dollar bill the back, the complexity of the fine-line work is meant to trigger "moiré patterns" in digital scanners. If you try to scan a hundred-dollar bill on a high-end Xerox machine, the software recognizes the specific patterns in the engraving and will actually refuse to print. Or, it will print a distorted, blurry mess.
The detail in the bricks of Independence Hall is so fine that a digital sensor struggles to "read" the gaps between the lines. It creates a digital interference that ruins the copy.
Small details you’ve never noticed
Take a magnifying glass to the back. Seriously. Look at the very edges of the building or the borders of the note.
You’ll find "microprinting."
There are lines that look like solid ink to the naked eye but are actually tiny, repeating words like "USA 100" or "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA."
Then there’s the "EURion constellation." It sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s actually a pattern of small circles. On many world currencies, these circles are arranged in a specific way that tells photocopiers: "Stop. This is money. Don't copy this." While more prominent on the front, the back incorporates these geometric safeguards into the very fabric of the architectural drawing.
The evolution of the design
The back hasn't always looked like this. Before 1928, the $100 bill featured sketches of allegorical figures or historical scenes that looked more like classical paintings.
- Series 1928-1990: Small portrait on the front, classic Independence Hall on the back. Very little security.
- Series 1996: The "Big Head" bills. The portrait got bigger, and the back got a slightly more detailed engraving, but no blue ribbon yet.
- Series 2004 (The "Colored" Notes): Subtle hues of orange and pink were added to the background to make it harder to photograph in black and white.
- Series 2013-Present: The current version. This is the one with the massive gold 100 and the rear-view of Independence Hall.
It’s worth noting that the U.S. government never devalues old currency. If you find a 100 dollar bill from 1950 in your attic, it’s still worth exactly 100 dollars. However, the back of that bill will look vastly different—simpler, darker, and lacking the high-contrast features of the modern note.
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Common misconceptions about the back
I've heard people say that if you fold the bill a certain way, you can see hidden messages. Most of that is just "pareidolia"—the human brain's tendency to see patterns where they don't exist.
Another big one: "The ink is magnetic."
Actually, that's true. But it’s mostly on the front. The back uses "non-magnetic" ink in most areas, though some of the black ink used in the printing process contains iron oxide. This allows vending machines and high-speed counting machines to "read" the bill's signature by its magnetic properties. If the magnetic signature doesn't match the visual image, the machine spits it back out.
Actionable steps for checking your bills
Next time someone hands you a hundred, don't just look for the blue ribbon. Do these three things to the back of the note:
- Feel the Bricks: Run your thumb over the engraving of Independence Hall. It should feel like a texture, not a flat image.
- Check the Gold 100: Tilt the bill. Does the gold color shift or stay dull? It should have a metallic luster that changes as the light hits it.
- Back-light the Portrait: Hold it up to a light source. The watermark of Franklin should be visible from the back, located in the empty space on the right (which corresponds to the left on the front).
The 100 dollar bill the back is more than just a picture of an old building. It’s a sophisticated piece of technology that we carry in our pockets every day. Knowing how it’s built doesn't just make you a trivia expert—it protects your money. If you ever find a note where the back feels "waxy" or the fine lines of the clock tower look blurry, it’s time to take it to a bank. Real U.S. currency is crisp, sharp, and physically layered in a way that standard printers simply cannot match.