You’ve probably held one. Maybe you’ve even tucked a few away for a rainy day or used one to pay for a big-ticket item at a store that definitely checked it under a UV light first. The "C-note" is the heavyweight champion of American currency. But if you ask the average person who is on the american 100 dollar bill, you’ll often get a confident, yet totally wrong, answer: "Oh, that's one of the presidents."
He wasn't.
Benjamin Franklin is the face of the hundred, and he is one of only two non-presidents currently featured on circulating U.S. paper currency. The other is Alexander Hamilton on the ten. It’s a bit of a trivia trap. People see the gravitas, the shoulder-length hair, and the iconic status, and they just assume he occupied the Oval Office. But Franklin’s contribution to the United States was so massive that he didn't need the title of "Commander in Chief" to earn his spot on the most valuable bill in general circulation.
The Face of the Benjamin: Why Franklin?
The U.S. Treasury didn't just pick Franklin out of a hat. He’s been on the $100 bill since 1914. Before that, the bill featured a rotating cast of characters including Abraham Lincoln (who moved to the five) and even James Monroe. But once Franklin took the spot, he stayed.
Why?
Franklin was basically the Swiss Army Knife of the Founding Fathers. He was a scientist who messed around with lightning to prove it was electricity. He was a diplomat who basically begged the French to help us win the Revolutionary War. He was a printer. An author. A postmaster. Honestly, he was the closest thing 18th-century America had to a rock star.
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When you look at who is on the american 100 dollar bill, you’re looking at the man who founded the first public lending library in America. He also helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. His signature is on almost every major founding document. The Treasury Department chose him because his face represents "American ingenuity." It’s a nod to the idea that in this country, you can start as a runaway apprentice and end up the most famous man in the world.
The 1996 and 2013 Redesigns
If you compare a bill from the 1980s to one printed today, Franklin looks... different. In 1996, they made his head bigger and moved it slightly off-center. This wasn't just a stylistic choice. It was a security move. Moving the portrait away from the center makes it harder to forge because it creates more space for a watermark.
Then came the 2013 redesign. This is the one with the "3D Security Ribbon." If you tilt the bill, you’ll see bells changing into 100s. Franklin’s portrait also lost the oval frame. He’s just floating there now, looking slightly more judgmental of your spending habits than he did in the nineties.
The "Presidential" Misconception
It’s actually kinda funny how many people think Franklin was president. In a 2015 survey, a shocking number of college students identified him as the 6th or 7th president. He wasn't. He was the "President of Pennsylvania" (a title similar to Governor) for a while, but he never held the national office.
The U.S. government actually has a specific set of unofficial rules for who gets on money. While there is no law saying you must be a president, the Secretary of the Treasury has the final say. According to the Department of the Treasury, the people featured on our notes should be "persons whose places in history the American people know well." Franklin fits that better than almost anyone else in history.
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He’s also the only person on modern bills who isn't wearing a wig or a stiff 19th-century collar. He’s got that "I just finished a long day in the lab" look. It makes him feel more human, more accessible.
The Practical Value of a Benji
Beyond the history, the hundred-dollar bill is a logistical beast. It is the most frequent target for counterfeiters outside the U.S. (inside the U.S., the $20 bill is faked more often because people check it less).
Because of this, the bill is packed with "Easter eggs" that prove it’s real:
- The Copper-to-Green Ink: On the bottom right, the number 100 changes color when you tilt it. It’s like a mood ring for your finances.
- Microprinting: If you have a magnifying glass, look at Franklin’s jacket. There are words printed so small they look like a solid line to the naked eye.
- The Watermark: Hold it up to the light. There’s a faint ghost of Franklin hiding in the white space on the right. If he looks like a different guy, you’ve got a fake.
- The Blue Ribbon: That blue stripe isn't printed on the paper. It’s woven into the paper. You can’t just rub it off.
Beyond the Bill: What Franklin Taught Us About Money
Franklin didn't just end up on the money; he wrote the book on it. Literally. One of his most famous works is The Way to Wealth. He’s the guy who gave us "A penny saved is a penny earned." (Though technically, he actually wrote, "A penny saved is two pence clear," but the catchy version stuck).
He understood the psychological power of currency. Franklin was a big proponent of paper money in the colonies when the British were trying to force everyone to use gold and silver. He saw paper money as a way to stimulate the economy. It’s fitting that he ended up on the highest denomination.
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The Global Reach
The $100 bill is the unofficial global currency. In many countries with unstable local economies, the "Benjamin" is the gold standard. People hoard them. They hide them in mattresses. They use them for major black-market transactions and legitimate property buys alike.
According to Federal Reserve data, more than half of all $100 bills circulate outside the United States. When people around the world think of American wealth, they don't think of the $1 bill with George Washington. They think of the guy with the spectacles and the slight smirk.
Is There a $500 Bill?
People often ask if there’s anyone "above" Franklin. There used to be. The U.S. used to print $500, $1,000, $5,000, and even $10,000 bills. William McKinley was on the $500, and Salmon P. Chase (the guy who basically invented the modern IRS) was on the $10,000.
The Fed stopped printing these in 1945 and officially retired them in 1969. Why? Because they were too useful for criminals. It’s a lot easier to carry a million dollars in a briefcase if it’s all $10,000 bills. Today, Franklin is the ceiling. He’s the top of the mountain.
Actionable Tips for Handling $100 Bills
If you’re dealing with "Benjamins" regularly, you need to be smarter than the average person at the cash register.
- Don't rely on the "Pen": Those counterfeit detector pens? They only react to the starch in wood-based paper. Professional counterfeiters "bleach" $5 bills and print $100s on top of them. The pen will say it's real because the paper is real.
- Feel the Paper: U.S. currency isn't actually paper; it’s a 75/25 blend of cotton and linen. It should feel slightly rough, especially on Franklin’s shoulder where there is "raised printing." Run your fingernail across his suit. You should feel a distinct texture.
- Check the Serial Numbers: On a real bill, the serial numbers are perfectly spaced and printed in the same ink as the Treasury Seal. If they look blurry or crooked, give it back.
- Look for the Security Thread: It’s a thin vertical line that glows pink under ultraviolet light. Every denomination glows a different color. If it glows blue or green, it’s not a hundred.
The next time someone asks you who is on the american 100 dollar bill, you can tell them it’s the most famous American who never sat in the Oval Office. He was a scientist, a writer, and a bit of a rebel. It’s only right that his face is the one we use when we want to show someone we mean business.
Knowing the history of the money in your wallet doesn't just make you better at trivia. It makes you more aware of the symbols of power and stability that run the world. Franklin might have been born a poor candle-maker’s son, but he ended up as the face of global trade. That’s a pretty good ROI for a guy who just liked to fly kites in the rain.