NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The new multi-colored $50 bill will be released Sept. 28, the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday.
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The new $50 front (click to enlarge)
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The new bill, which was unveiled to the public in April, has subtle background colors of blue and red, and images of a waving American flag and a small metallic silver-blue star.
The new bills will be distributed through commercial banks starting on the release date.
It will be the second bill to have colors other than green, following the new $20 bill, which started circulating last October.
The decision to redesign the $50 was made last year, and announced simultaneously with the new $20.
The new bills are meant to make counterfeiting more difficult.
"The enhanced security features in this series of notes help ensure that U.S. currency will continue to represent the trust, value and confidence that people all over the world have grown to rely on and expect," Fed governor Mark Olson said in a statement.
He noted that the new notes will circulate along with the older designs.
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The new $50 back (click to enlarge)
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Although the new colors are the most readily visible difference between the new and old bills, the new designs incorporate other anti-counterfeiting features.
These include an embedded plastic strip, a watermark image engrained into the paper itself, and color-shifting ink, whose appearance changes as you tilt the bill against the light.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing said Wednesday's announcement comes about 90 days before the Sept. 28 rollout, giving makers of ATMs and other machines time to adjust to the new bill.
It also gives businesses time to train employees to prepare to accept the new $50.
Eventually, all currency is expected to be redesigned with new color schemes and anti-counterfeiting features, but the next bill to be redesigned has yet to be announced.
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