United States one-hundred-thousand-dollar bill

One hundred thousand dollars
(United States)
Value$100,000
Width157 mm
Height66 mm
Years of printing1934–1935 (commissioned in 1933)
Estimated value$2,296,932 (1934 to 2023), $2,246,635 (1935 to 2023)[1]
Obverse
DesignA vignette portrait of Woodrow Wilson
Design date1934
Reverse
Design100,000 centered in front of a US dollar sign, golden rays radiating out of the center, orange in color.
Design date1934

The United States one-hundred-thousand-dollar bill (US$100,000) is a former denomination of United States currency issued from 1934 to 1935. The bill, which features President Woodrow Wilson, was created as a large denomination note for gold transactions between Federal Reserve Banks; it never circulated publicly and its private possession is illegal.[2][3]

The $100,000 bill was created by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing under the order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the hoarding of gold during the Great Depression, believed to be slowing economic regrowth. Executive Order 6102, signed by Roosevelt, was ratified by the United States Congress in 1934. Executive Order 6102 prohibited the hoarding of gold certificates, accompanied also by bullion and coins.[4]

Unlike the other denominations of US dollars, the $100,000 bill was never issued as a Federal Reserve Note (aka greenback). It was only issued in the form of a gold certificate.

About 42,000 of the $100,000 bills were printed. Many were destroyed in the years following their commission, with the remaining few in possession of the United States federal government.[5] The $100,000 bill, in possession aside from the federal government, is deemed illegal on account of its large denomination and the regulations declared at its signing.[2][3][6] The bill, outside of the federal government, may only be used for educational purposes, particularly in museums for public viewing.[2] The Smithsonian Institution along with the Federal Reserve System are known to have one hundred-thousand-dollar bills in their ownership.[2]

  1. ^ https://www.officialdata.org/
  2. ^ a b c d "6 Discontinued and Uncommon U.S. Currency Denominations". Investopedia. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  3. ^ a b "$100,000 Bill | Museum of American Finance". www.moaf.org. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  4. ^ "Learn the Facts About Gold Confiscation | U.S. Gold Bureau". www.usgoldbureau.com. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  5. ^ Ganninger, Daniel (2020-06-16). "There Really Was a $100,000 Bill". Knowledge Stew. Retrieved 2023-11-05.
  6. ^ "$100,000 Gold Certificate | Engraving & Printing". www.bep.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-05.