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100 Dollars Federal Reserve Note, small portrait
| Issuer | Federal Reserve System |
|---|---|
| Year | 1963-1988 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 100 Dollars (100 USD) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The central field carries an intaglio vignette of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, rendered in green ink with precise engraved detail showing the building's facade, flanking wings, and surrounding trees. Large guilloched numeral panels bearing the denomination 100 appear at both the left and right margins, enclosed within ornate lathe-work borders. Inscription legends are placed above and below the central vignette. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Embedded polyester security thread inscribed with USA 100, visible when held to light |
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| Comments |
The "small portrait" designation distinguishes this series from the 1996 redesign that shifted to enlarged, off-center portraits across the dollar range. These notes circulated during a period when the hundred-dollar bill was already the dominant denomination for large-cash transactions, illicit or otherwise — by the 1980s, the Federal Reserve estimated a significant share of all $100 notes in existence were held outside the United States, primarily in Latin America and later Eastern Europe.
The embedded security thread — running vertically and readable under UV — was added to the series in 1990 (Series 1990), making pre-thread examples from the earlier part of this date range straightforwardly distinguishable. Notes from 1963–1988 without the thread were legal tender until formally displaced, though the Fed has never officially demonetized any modern Federal Reserve note.