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The Bank of England has issued a new-style ¬£50 note into circulation as of November 2, 2011. The note features the 18th century business partnership of entrepreneur Matthew Boulton and engineer James Watt….
The new-style £50 has the following security features: green motion thread; more raised print areas; repositioned watermark of the Queen‚Äôs portrait ‚Äì together with a bright £50 ‚Äì in the clear white area of the note; microlettering beneath the Queen‚Äôs portrait; ultra-violet features; see-through register visible on both sides; metallic thread ‚Äì now fully embedded in the note; serial numbers now featured on the back of the note. For more details, see the leaflet ‚ÄòTake note of the new-style £50 note‚Äô available on the Bank‚Äôs website.
Security features include, for the first time on a Bank of England note, a motion thread. On each note, the green motion thread has five windows along its length, running from the top to the bottom. The windows contain images of the £ symbol and the number 50. When the note is tilted from side to side, the images move up and down. When the note is tilted up and down, the images move from side to side and the number 50 and the £ symbol switch. The thread is woven into the paper, not printed on it. Full details of all the security features on the new note can be found on the Bank‚Äôs website and in our suite of education materials.
The Boulton and Watt £50 banknote marks the first time two portraits have appeared together on the back of a Bank of England banknote. It will also be the first banknote in circulation to be signed by Chris Salmon, who was appointed as the Bank‚Äôs Executive Director for Banking Services and Chief Cashier in April 2011. He said: ‚ÄúThe Boulton and Watt £50 banknote has new and enhanced security features which demonstrate the Bank‚Äôs commitment to its role of maintaining public confidence in the currency. The motion thread security feature is one of the new measures which should help members of the public to identify genuine £50 banknotes‚Äô.
Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King said: ‚ÄúThe Bank is delighted to acknowledge the invaluable contribution that Boulton and Watt made to the advancement of engineering by featuring them on the new £50 banknote. Boulton and Watt‚Äôs steam engines and their many other innovations were essential factors in the nation‚Äôs Industrial Revolution. The partnership of an innovator and an entrepreneur created exactly the kind of commercial success that we will need in this country as we rebalance our economy over the years ahead.‚Äù
As new-design banknotes are introduced so the notes they replace are withdrawn. The Boulton and Watt £50 banknote will initially circulate in tandem with the current £50 banknote featuring Sir John Houblon, the first Governor of the Bank of England, which was introduced in 1994. The final date on which the Houblon £50 note will have legal tender status will be announced in due course. Genuine Bank of England banknotes that have been withdrawn from circulation retain their face value for all time and can be exchanged with the Bank of England.
