NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - More redesigned American money went into circulation Tuesday, when government officials became the first to spend a new $50 bill during a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

The new $50 front (click to enlarge)

The first purchase: an American flag, bought from Alamo Flags, a retailer in Union Station, the capital city's transportation and shopping hub.

The new $50 was first displayed in April at a ceremony at a printing plant in Fort Worth, Tex., where about 140 million of the notes have been produced.

The government also confirmed that a redesign of the $10 bill is in the works.

"The next denomination in the series will be a new $10 note," said Bureau of Engraving and Printing director Thomas Ferguson, in a statement. "We are currently working on the design and expect to unveil it in the spring of 2005."

Generally speaking, the $50 bills follow the aesthetic guidelines set out by the $20, which came out last year. The new $10 will also likely embrace a multi-hued approach.

On the new $50, pastel tones augment the old green and black color scheme, even more vibrantly than on the new $20. Ulysses S. Grant continues to be pictured, but his face appears more prominently, as Andrew Jackson's does on the $20.

The new $50 back (click to enlarge)

The number 50 is presented in a variety of newly introduced fonts. On the back, the engraving of the Capitol Building has been altered slightly as well.

As they have in the past, government officials stress that the changes are intended to thwart increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters.

"This $50 note is beautifully designed and includes important anti-counterfeiting features," said Federal Reserve Board governor Mark Olson, in a speech made at the unveiling ceremony back in April.

Among those features:an embedded plastic strip running vertically; a watermark image engrained into the paper itself; and color-shifting ink, whose appearance changes as you tilt the bill against light.

Most noticeably, of course, the bills now feature all the colors of an Easter egg.