I think they look awful.

When we strayed from green money years ago, there was a lot of negativity. It's so commonplace now, we all like the coloured currencies, but they aren't THAT gaudy! LOL

Our Quarters, $1 coin (Loonie) and $2 coin (Toonies)

Wow they're very bright!!! I like the idea of colour but I think they could tone it down just a bit.

Colour is much nicer to see at a glance what denomination the bills are. I love our Canadian ones. Those are just a tad too bright for me.

For what its worth, I'd like to see the US eliminate the paper dollar bill and use only dollar coins. By the way, Obama can't be on any currency. He has to be DEAD to do that. And I travel to Canada at least once a year. I love their money-so esthetically beautiful and you can't get the coins mixed up.

Great...we are in dire financial straits and they are considering this totally unnecessary and very costly undertaking.

When a politician pledges to "fundamentally transform" the greatest nation on earth, people should realize that when you are the best, turning it upside down takes you out of first place.

It would be nice for those who have problems seeing well.

Thanks for the link, Rose. I liked the one by Sean Flanagan better than any of the others, and also because he utilized only American-designed typefaces and says his design would require at least "three different layers of solid ink, a preemptive strike against counterfeiting."

I don't care for any of those bright colors; looks a little like Lady Gaga.

I was going to say something like what Wanda said "Great...we are in dire financial straits and they are considering this totally unnecessary and very costly undertaking." She said it better than I would have.

Sue

I like the new designs and especially like the vertical one. It only makes sense since that's how bills are used and could eliminate a lot of hassles with facing bills.

Normally I wouldn't be in favor of the expenditure, well actually I would usually be absolutely against it, but I do think it could use some updating, for functional reasons and not simply aesthetic. Tried and true they may be but that doesn't mean the design is not obsolete. It's pretty easy to counterfeit the American dollar and I don't see bright colors equating to gaudy either. I don't like the pink but the bright colors will certainly help reduce cash handling errors. It'd be simple to flip through a stack of bills and see an out of place bill.

And I won't accept $1 coins when they try to pass them off onto me. No way. Trying to carry $10-$20 in slugs? Are you kidding me? Don't like $2 bills either.

Wouldn't the current bills be phased out gradually and the new colored bills be printed on the same schedule as new money is printed now? The cost would probably not be overwhelming.

I think I would like colored money. At least I would not mix up the tens and twenties like I have done a few times.

Honestly, it wouldn't be a huge cost to change something like this. All currency above the one- and two-dollar bill has been re-designed TWICE since 1996 (I think that's the date). First was to add a series-related letter to the serial number and change the other security features, and then starting about 2004, to the colorized bills with even more security features. All the old 'small head' bills are pulled out of circulation and destroyed when they cycle thru a branch of the Federal Reserve.

The proposal in the OP's first post was pretty well shot down about 2006, when it was realized that vending machine businesses would be negatively affected. Except for the negative cost of a switch over to a new currency of different sizes, the actual cost of making the change wouldn't be out of line with the previous currency changes.

We have had the coloured notes for many years - they are made of special plastic - and I like them as it's easy to tell the different denominations. I have been to the US and found the notes quite confusing - they all looked the same to me!! We have coins for $1 and $2 and the smallest denomination coin is the 5c - so when paying cash everything has to been rounded up or down to the nearest 5c - which took a bit of getting used to.

I think the colored currency is pretty neat. Not familiar with Australian but am with Canadian. Like stamps, Canada and Australian those are beautiful. Flowers, scenery and not alot of people.

Hi,Cheryl_Down_Under
I didn't realize you had the dollar and $2 coins as well!
I love them. And of course the coloured money.
There's talk of getting rid of the penny, so like you prices will be rounded up or down, like yours. (I'm in Canada)

I don't get the need for this change - If it ain't broke.....

I think our govt. just tries to make up reasons for spending our money

Cheryl when DD and I visited I loved the Australian banknotes. Easy to read and the the different lengths and the different shapes of the little security would be so helpful to the blind. So are the coins.

I could see expense in a conversion as far as cash machines and self pay items, vending machines and such since there'd be different security measures it would require some modification but then again that would provide some jobs too which people are always harping about too so not sure if anyone would be happy!

The first photo reminds me of brochures. The Canadian money is pretty, but looks so easy to counterfeit.

I think we should leave ours alone. I have no trouble telling the difference between a 1,5,10,20,50,100. And no matter what they try, no one ever likes the dollar coins. Even the gold ones didn't take off, people just seem to be collecting them.