Ever stared at a ten-dollar bill and wondered why that guy looks so intense? Or maybe you've had a heated bar debate about whether Ben Franklin was actually a president. (Spoiler: he definitely wasn't, but we'll get to that.) Most of us handle cash every single day without really looking at the faces looking back at us. It’s kinda weird when you think about it. We’re carrying around a tiny, portable art gallery of dead guys in wigs.
If you’ve ever found yourself asking what presidents are on the money, you aren't just looking for a list. You’re looking at a snapshot of who the U.S. government thinks is "important" enough to represent the value of our labor. It's a high-stakes popularity contest where the losers get replaced by better security features or new historical icons.
The Paper Trail: Who’s on Your Bills Right Now?
Let’s just get the basic lineup out of the way first. If you pull out your wallet, you're likely seeing a mix of these guys.
- The $1 Bill: George Washington. He’s the OG. He’s been on the dollar since 1869, though the version we see today—based on Gilbert Stuart's famous painting—has been the standard since 1963.
- The $2 Bill: Thomas Jefferson. You don’t see these often, but they’re still being printed. Jefferson is the face of the deuce, and honestly, most people just hoard them thinking they're rare. They aren't.
- The $5 Bill: Abraham Lincoln. Honest Abe has a permanent spot here. His face was first slapped on the five in 1914.
- The $20 Bill: Andrew Jackson. This is the one everyone talks about. Jackson replaced Grover Cleveland back in 1929, which is ironic because Jackson actually hated paper money and preferred gold.
- The $50 Bill: Ulysses S. Grant. The Civil War general and 18th president. He’s been holding down the fifty since 1914.
Now, here is where it gets tricky. There are two very famous faces on our paper money that were never president.
Alexander Hamilton sits on the $10 bill. He was the first Secretary of the Treasury, which basically means he’s the reason the money exists in the first place. Then you have Benjamin Franklin on the $100. He was a scientist, an inventor, and a diplomat, but he never held the top office. People constantly mistake them for presidents because they’re surrounded by them. It’s guilt by association, basically.
The Change in Your Pocket: Presidents on Coins
Coins are a bit more varied because the U.S. Mint loves a good commemorative series. But for the "bread and butter" coins you find in a couch cushion, the lineup is pretty solid.
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- The Penny: Abraham Lincoln (since 1909).
- The Nickel: Thomas Jefferson (since 1938).
- The Dime: Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was added in 1946, right after he died, specifically to honor his work with the March of Dimes and the fight against polio.
- The Quarter: George Washington.
- The Half-Dollar: John F. Kennedy. This coin was rushed into production just weeks after his assassination in 1963.
You might also see the gold-colored dollar coins. Most of these feature Sacagawea or Susan B. Anthony, but there was a massive "Presidential $1 Coin" series that ran for years. It featured every deceased president in order. If you have a buck with James K. Polk or Millard Fillmore on it, you’ve got one of those.
The Big Bills You (Probably) Won't Ever See
Believe it or not, the $100 isn't the biggest bill the U.S. ever made. Back in the day, when banks needed to move massive amounts of cash before digital transfers were a thing, they used "High-Denomination" notes.
Grover Cleveland (the only guy to serve two non-consecutive terms) was on the $1,000 bill. William McKinley was on the $500. James Madison had the $5,000. And the absolute unit of currency, the $100,000 gold certificate, featured Woodrow Wilson.
The government stopped printing these in 1945 and officially retired them in 1969 because, honestly, only mobsters and bank robbers were using them for anything "useful" by then. If you find one in your grandma's attic, don't spend it at a gas station. They are worth way more than their face value to collectors now.
Why Do These Specific People Get Picked?
There isn't actually a set of "rules" that says a president has to be on the money. In fact, by law, the Secretary of the Treasury is the one who decides. The only hard-and-fast legal requirement is that the person must be deceased. No living person can appear on U.S. currency. This is a big deal because it keeps current politicians from putting their own faces on the money as a weird ego trip.
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Usually, the person chosen has to have a "permanent" place in American history. Washington and Lincoln are no-brainers. They represent the founding and the preservation of the country.
But sometimes it's about the timing. FDR ended up on the dime because the public was devastated by his death and his work for public health was legendary. JFK ended up on the half-dollar because the nation was in mourning.
The Harriet Tubman $20 Controversy
If you’ve been following the news over the last decade, you know the $20 bill is scheduled for a makeover. The plan is to put Harriet Tubman on the front and move Andrew Jackson to the back.
This has been a "coming soon" project for a long time. It was first announced in 2016 by Secretary Jack Lew. Then it got delayed. Then it got back on track. As of now, the Treasury Department is aiming for a 2030 release for the new $20 note.
The delay isn't just politics; it’s tech. Redesigning a bill is a nightmare of anti-counterfeiting measures. You’ve got to deal with color-shifting ink, 3D security ribbons, and watermarks that can't be faked. The $10 is actually next in line for a redesign (scheduled for 2026), followed by the $5 in 2028. The $20 is the big one everyone is waiting for, though.
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What Most People Get Wrong
People think the money has always looked like this. Nope. For a long time, U.S. money featured "Lady Liberty" or generic Native American figures. We didn't really start the "Dead Presidents" trend until the early 20th century.
Also, despite what you might hear, the $2 bill is not discontinued. You can go to almost any bank right now and ask for a stack of them. They might look at you funny, but they’ll give them to you.
Another common myth is that the portraits are "random." Every single image is chosen from a specific, famous historical work. The Lincoln on the $5 bill is based on an 1864 photograph by Anthony Berger. The Hamilton on the $10 is based on an 1805 painting by John Trumbull. There is a ton of intentionality behind every line on their faces.
Actionable Insights for Your Wallet
Now that you're an expert on what presidents are on the money, here is how to actually use this knowledge:
- Check your $50s and $100s: Look for the "color-shifting ink" on the bottom right corner. If you tilt the bill, the number should change from copper to green. If it doesn't, it's fake.
- Don't hoard $2 bills: They aren't worth more than two bucks unless they have a rare printing error or a "star" in the serial number. Spend them! They’re great for tipping.
- Watch the 2026 redesign: Keep an eye out for the new $10 bill in 2026. It will be the first major update in the new cycle of currency security.
- Look at your quarters: The U.S. Mint is currently running the "American Women Quarters" program. You'll see figures like Maya Angelou and Sally Ride on the back, while Washington stays on the front. These are fun to collect and actually teach you something new.