2.5 cents

I was surprised when I first encountered Canadian paper money. Growing up in the United States, you get used to feeling a certain texture for money, but the instant you touch foreign currency, you instantly sense it's different. I remember using some U.S. dollars to pay for something in Canada (The place took both US and Canadian currency, and although I don't recall what exactly I was purchasing, but I do remember the look the merchant gave me, which was one of doubt and confusion).

I'm impressed with some of the security features they've built into the Canadian $100 -- the holographic stripe, the UV printing, the light refracting watermarks. What further surprises me is how cheaply these added security features cost. The old Canadian $100 bill was 6.5 cents to produce, and the new one 9 cents. I'm also impressed by the fact that they made Canadian money more user friendly to the vision impaired and blind by adding raised dots.