​Benjamin Franklin was one of many printers who printed continental and early American currency before, during and after the Revolution.  John Peter Zenger of New York, John Dunlop of Philadelphia, Benjamin Edes, John Gill and Paul Revere from Boston,  were craftsman and printers whom successfully printed currency and engravers printing plates in early America. 
In 1728 early in the startup phase of their new printing business Ben Franklin and Hugh Meredith, under contract to his financially strapped old boss Samuel Keimer, printed 50,000 New Jersey bills in nine denominations over the course of three months.  
Recalling the New Jersey printing job, in Ben’s autobiography he wrote, “I contrived a copperplate press for it, the first that had been seen in the country: I cut several ornaments and checks for the bills. We went together to Burlington (NJ), where I executed the whole to satisfaction; and he (Keimer) received so large a sum for the work as to be enabled thereby to keep his head much longer above water” 
​That successful printing job secured numerous currency printing contracts throughout Franklin’s career and into his retirement.  Ben turned over the printshop to his partner David Hall after his retirement in 1750. Hall continued to use Franklin’s anti-counterfeiting techniques and printing currency for years. 

Natures Fingerprint
Nature Printing is a process that uses leaf casts and a copper plate press to make direct reproductions  of natural objects. Ben Franklin adapted natural printing techniques in the printing of paper currency to thwart counterfeiters. In 1730 Ben worked with his friend, Philadelphia naturist Joseph Brentnall to make contact nature prints directly from inked leaves.   Each leave has a distinct pattern making them ideal for printing a unique paper bills. 

​Paper money, whole bills and “Fractional Currency” were very popular in the Mid-18th century. This One-Sixth of a Dollar was printed by Hall in 1776. The design used on this bill and the Fujio coin below were clearly Franklin’s; on the obverse he used the word "Fujio", Latin for "I Flee" and ”Mind Your Business” with a sun dial, and on the reverse the 13 rings encircling the "We Are One Congress.  The obverse design represent the virtue of frugality, where Ben encourages us to mind our business earnings because time flies and on the reverse the “We Are One Congress” surrounded by 13 State rings, linked together around one central government. Ben was the first to call for Colonies to unite, when  way back in 1754 he developed the Albany Plan proposing the Colonies unit for their mutual benefit of defense against common enemies. 

Boogie Ben's $Money Collection

Inspired by Ben’s involvement with Coin and Currency, Philly Town T-Shirt created the Boogie Ben’s $Money Collection.

Currently the Collection consisted of the following 5 Designs available:
- I Love Philly, B. Franklin (front print)
- We Are One, Hoodie & Tee, Ben's call for Unity (front print)
- Franklin Cent- (front print obverse and back print reverse)
- $100 Bill - (front print obverse and back print reverse)
- Franklin Half - (front print)

Look for more paper currency designs in the summer of '22