Hold the bill up to the light. No, not a blacklight—just a regular lamp or the sun. You’re looking for a watermark.
You should see a faint, ghostly face of Andrew Jackson on the side. It’s not printed on the surface. It’s inside the paper.
Fakes often have a face printed with gray ink. It’s too dark, too obvious, or just a smudge. The real one looks like a spirit whispering, “I’m legit.”
The “Hair” is a Tell
Look at the tiny red and blue fibers scattered in the paper. These aren’t drawn on. They’re actual threads woven into the bill.
Fakes try to copy them with a printer. So you’ll see tiny red and blue dots instead of threads. It’s the difference between real hair on your head and glitter glued on a bald man.
