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New, high-tech $100 bill coming in October

The new $100 bill: Same old face, with some high-tech tweaks meant to thwart counterfeiters.

After a three-year hiatus due to production delays, Americans will finally be getting the new $100 bill in their ATMs and bank accounts on October 8, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.

The new bill will have several features the Fed says will make life difficult for counterfeiters, but should help retailers identify fakes.

They include a blue, 3-D security ribbon embedded with images of bells that change to the number 100 when you tilt the note back and forth. If you tilt it side to side, those images move up and down.

There also will be a Liberty Bell embedded in an inkwell on the face of the note. Both are copper colored until you tilt the note. Then, the bell will change from copper to green.

The Fed spells out all the cool features on its website. The $100 bill, the most widely-counterfeited U.S. note, was last redesigned in 1996. The Fed says you will not need to trade in your old $100 notes for the new ones.

One thing that isn't changing: Benjamin Franklin's visage will still be staring out at you as you help the U.S. economy by handing him over to a cashier. But he won't be winking.