Rumor has it that the US is going to plastic also but only on the $1 note. The reason is long-term cost. The $1 dollar bill only lasts about 18 months in circulation (others last longer as the circulation pressure is less). First, as most other countries do, they go to 'Hard Currency' or coinage, which lasts forever compared to paper. They tried it with the Susan B. Anthony dollar and people were turned off with it because it was always being confused with a quarter. Next they tried the Sacagawea dollar changing the color and not reeding the edge, people were still put off by these. Plus merchants did not have a compartment for them in the cash resister so they found themselves not being re-circulated. The USA has redesigned all of our currency except the $1. The reason is as rumor has it, is that we may be going to plastic.

Note 1: The BEP prints 1.4 billion dollars per year 75~80% are replacement $1 bills. The costs of each note are 4¢ to produce compounded every 18 months is a huge cost. The plastic notes cost over double that but tests in Australia and Romania have proven that they last up to 10 years which would save the US a tremendous amount of time and costs, needless to say the added security and enhance sorting and dispensing at banks and ATM's.

One thing... the US is very slow to change the appearance our money because it is one of (but not the only one) the most sought after stable currencies of the world. The BEP recognizes that and resist any major changes, hence we went 100 years with only slight changes and our money has always EASILY recognizable.

Note 2: WE are so comfortable with our money it is easily counterfeited - NOT because it is easy to duplicate but because WE DON'T LOOK. Many counterfeits have been only ONE sided. Exercise: Next time give a merchant your money all stacked neatly face up and oriented the same way and notice that it is counted and put in the resister- the backs are NEVER looked at. Only when you give them jumbled notes do they look at them and then ONLY to sort them prior to putting them in the register. ($100's and $50's are exempt from this experiment as many merchants have policies of checking these with markers)