portrait engraving

The Standard Electric Engraving Machine and How It Transformed BEP Portrait Work After 1900

June 15, 2026 by

Before electric engraving arrived at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, every portrait on American currency was painstakingly cut by hand, a process measured in months. Discover how the Standard Electric Engraving Machine revolutionized the craft after 1900, reshaped the faces on your notes, and left lasting clues that collectors can still read today.

Engraved Portraits on US Currency: How BEP Artists Transformed Photographs into Steel

June 15, 2026 by

The hand-engraved portraits on American banknotes represent one of the most demanding artistic disciplines ever applied to government printing, with master craftsmen spending thousands of hours cutting a single face into a steel die. Understanding this process, and the artists behind it, gives collectors a deeper appreciation for the notes in their hands and the specific varieties that make certain issues especially desirable.