U.S. Treasury Secretary unveils currency with new signature

U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Monday unveiled the first paper currency with his signature, which he signed on his first day in office in July.

The secretary toured the final stages of the printing process with employees of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP)'s printing facilities in Washington, D.C.

The BEP began preparing for production of Paulson's signature on his first day in office in July. The bureau's engravers transferred his signature to the steel plates that are used to print all new paper currency.

Since the introduction of the smaller-size notes in 1929, the signatures of 25 Treasury Secretaries and 16 Treasurers, including Secretary Paulson and Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral have appeared on U.S. paper currency.

The new 20 dollars Series 2006 Paulson-Cabral notes are expected to be sent to the Federal Reserve for distribution as needed.

Each business day, the BEP produces roughly 38 million notes with a face value of approximately 696 million dollars. An estimated 761 billion dollars in U.S. paper currency is currently in circulation worldwide.

Source: Xinhua