Strangely enough, photography was not allowed during the tour of the area where paper money is printed……but the tour guide was very informative and gave us details on the paper used (85% cotton, 15% linen, with a special mix of colored fibers), the amount of ink used (55 gallons on average per day), the serial number (did you know that there are currently six identical serial numbers for any given bill? The difference is the Series Letter. So, for Series XX, there is only one serial number AAA, but there are currently six different Series, so each Series will have a serial AAA), and how much money is in the building at any given time (500-600 million dollars).
We were able to follow the printing procedure from catwalks above the operation from start to finish, and let me tell you, it was fascinating! Twenty four hours a day, thousands of sheets of bills flash across the printing heads, get checked, and are snipped, stacked, and shrink-wrapped for shipment to the Federal Reserve. Until the Reserve accepts the bills, they are not considered real money. But they are still guarded as if they were real money!
Lunch today was at the New York Cafe. A buffet style sandwich, hot dish, and salad bar kind of place, it has lots of room inside to be comfortable, as well as outside seating to enjoy the nice weather and people watching. We enjoyed a couple of sandwiches, some onion rings, and a salad.
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