A new study merged physics with archival documents to figure out how the Founding Father’s printing network made counterfeit-proof paper currency.
, paper notes were a relatively new concept in the Colonies when Franklin opened his printing house in 1728. Without traditional gold or silver, paper money’s lack of value meant it was at risk of depreciating. The Colonial period had no standardized bills, so counterfeiters had plenty of opportunities to use fake notes as real ones. “To maintain the notes’ dependability, Franklin had to stay a step ahead of counterfeiters,” said Manukyan.
Khachatur Manukyan and his team employed cutting-edge spectroscopic and imaging instruments to get a closer look than ever at the inks, paper and fibers that made Benjamin Franklin’s bills distinctive and hard to replicate. CREDIT: University of Notre Dame., the team used spectroscopic and imaging instruments to take a closer look at the fibers, inks, and paper that made Franklin’s bills stand out—and made them difficult to replicate.
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