Canadian fifty-dollar bill
Encyclopedia
The Canadian $50 bill is a banknote of the Canadian dollar. It is sometimes dispensed by ATMs
, but not as commonly as the $20 bill
.
The current 50-dollar
bill is predominantly red in colour. The front features a portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King
, the coat of arms
, and a picture of the Peace Tower
of the Parliament buildings
. Security features visible from the front include a hologram strip along the left side, depicting the number 50 alternated with maple
leaves; a watermark
of King's portrait; and a broken-up number 50, which resolves itself when backlit. The reverse side depicts themes in Canadian human rights
history, such as the Famous Five celebrating the Persons case, and a volunteer medal commemorating Thérèse Casgrain
; it also has a quotation from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
. The reverse also has a visible security feature: an interleaved metallic strip, reading '50 CAN' repeatedly along its length. Yellow dots representing the EURion constellation
can be found on both sides (and on all 2001 series notes). As well as textured printing, this new 2004 design incorporates a special tactile feature
similar to Braille
dots for the blind
indicating the denomination.
Notes from the Birds of Canada (1988) series, are still in circulation. It features, on the front, a portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King
, the coat of arms
, and a picture of the Centre Block of Parliament
. On the reverse side is a wilderness scene with a Snowy Owl
. It also had a holographic sticker showing the amount in the top left side, which changes from gold to green when tilted. The front has a wavy background of extremely small but still clear numeral 50s. This "micro-printed" background is very hard to copy. Some of the printing is textured, and the raised ink can be felt.
All Canadian banknotes underwent a major redesign, beginning in 1986, partially to incorporate some of the latest anti-forgery
methods. Bills continue to be improved, with the latest design placed into circulation on November 17, 2004. Notes are printed on paper composed of pure cotton at two Ottawa
companies contracted for the purpose. They are the Canadian Bank Note Company and BA International Inc., a part of the Giesecke & Devrient GmbH group of companies.
Each $50 banknote in the 1988 series was sprinkled with special green ink dots that glow when exposed to ultraviolet
light. The ink can be scraped off, so worn bills tend to have fewer, if any, glowing dots. These were replaced with more permanent ultraviolet-detected threads in the new bills, as well as an ink imprint of the coat of arms.
As with all modern Canadian banknotes, all text is in both English and French.
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
, but not as commonly as the $20 bill
Canadian twenty-dollar bill
The Canadian $20 bill is the most common banknote of the Canadian dollar; it is the main banknote dispensed from Canadian automatic banking machines . The Canadian $20 bill was introduced on September 29, 2004 as part of the Canadian Journey Series....
.
The current 50-dollar
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
bill is predominantly red in colour. The front features a portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
, the coat of arms
Coat of arms of Canada
The Arms of Canada is, since 1921, the official coat of arms of the Canadian monarch, and thus also of Canada...
, and a picture of the Peace Tower
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower is a focal bell and clock tower, sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Tower after the latter burned down in 1916, along with most of the Centre Block...
of the Parliament buildings
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
. Security features visible from the front include a hologram strip along the left side, depicting the number 50 alternated with maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
leaves; a watermark
Watermark
A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light , caused by thickness or density variations in the paper...
of King's portrait; and a broken-up number 50, which resolves itself when backlit. The reverse side depicts themes in Canadian human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
history, such as the Famous Five celebrating the Persons case, and a volunteer medal commemorating Thérèse Casgrain
Thérèse Casgrain
Marie Thérèse Forget Casgrain, was a feminist, reformer, politician and senator in Quebec, Canada.Thérèse Casgrain was raised in a wealthy family, the daughter of Lady Blanche MacDonald and Sir Rodolphe Forget...
; it also has a quotation from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
. The reverse also has a visible security feature: an interleaved metallic strip, reading '50 CAN' repeatedly along its length. Yellow dots representing the EURion constellation
EURion constellation
The EURion constellation is a pattern of symbols found on a number of banknote designs worldwide since about 1996. It is added to help software detect the presence of a banknote in a digital image. Such software can then block the user from reproducing banknotes to prevent counterfeiting using...
can be found on both sides (and on all 2001 series notes). As well as textured printing, this new 2004 design incorporates a special tactile feature
Canadian currency tactile feature
The Canadian currency tactile feature is a feature on the current "Canadian Journey" series of Canadian banknotes. The feature indicates the banknote denomination in the upper right corner of the face side of the bill using a series of raised dots. It was suggested by Bruno Thériault, an...
similar to Braille
Braille
The Braille system is a method that is widely used by blind people to read and write, and was the first digital form of writing.Braille was devised in 1825 by Louis Braille, a blind Frenchman. Each Braille character, or cell, is made up of six dot positions, arranged in a rectangle containing two...
dots for the blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
indicating the denomination.
Notes from the Birds of Canada (1988) series, are still in circulation. It features, on the front, a portrait of William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
, the coat of arms
Coat of arms of Canada
The Arms of Canada is, since 1921, the official coat of arms of the Canadian monarch, and thus also of Canada...
, and a picture of the Centre Block of Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
. On the reverse side is a wilderness scene with a Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl
The Snowy Owl is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl was first classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature to classify and organize plants and animals. The bird is also known in North America as the Arctic Owl, Great...
. It also had a holographic sticker showing the amount in the top left side, which changes from gold to green when tilted. The front has a wavy background of extremely small but still clear numeral 50s. This "micro-printed" background is very hard to copy. Some of the printing is textured, and the raised ink can be felt.
All Canadian banknotes underwent a major redesign, beginning in 1986, partially to incorporate some of the latest anti-forgery
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
methods. Bills continue to be improved, with the latest design placed into circulation on November 17, 2004. Notes are printed on paper composed of pure cotton at two Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
companies contracted for the purpose. They are the Canadian Bank Note Company and BA International Inc., a part of the Giesecke & Devrient GmbH group of companies.
Each $50 banknote in the 1988 series was sprinkled with special green ink dots that glow when exposed to ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
light. The ink can be scraped off, so worn bills tend to have fewer, if any, glowing dots. These were replaced with more permanent ultraviolet-detected threads in the new bills, as well as an ink imprint of the coat of arms.
As with all modern Canadian banknotes, all text is in both English and French.