BEHIND THE NAME · BENZ100
Benjamin Franklin: practical innovation, lasting influence
BENZ100 takes its name from Benjamin Franklin, whose portrait appears on the U.S. $100 bill. His work as a printer, inventor, and civic organizer offers a story of ingenuity in service of everyday life.
Currency with a natural signature
Franklin used intricate leaf impressions on colonial paper currency to make notes harder to counterfeit—an inventive answer to a very practical problem.
An early voice for paper money
In his 1729 essay, “A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper Currency,” Franklin argued that an adequate supply of money could support commerce in the colonies.
Innovation for the public good
Franklin declined to patent his inventions, believing useful discoveries should benefit others. He also helped establish the Philadelphia Contributionship in 1752, an enduring example of mutual protection.