Canadian Banknotes 50 Dollars banknote 1988 William Lyon Mackenzie King
Bank of Canada - Banque du Canada
The obverse of the red $50 banknote is includes William Lyon Mackenzie King. This portrait was also engraved by Thomas Hipschen, and was placed adjacent to the Parliament buildings flying the Canadian Red Ensign. The Coat of Arms of Canada is on top. The colour of this banknote differed slightly from the same denomination in the Scenes of Canada series, as its hue was blue-red instead of the earlier banknotes orange-red. Denominations in numerals are on left side and in top right corner. In words centered.
The reverse has the Snowy owl depicted on a background of an Arctic landscape and stylized background sky depicting the word “CANADA”. Denominations are in lower right and top left corners.
Introduced on 1 December 1989 and withdrawn on 17 November 2004, it was the first Canadian banknote to feature the optical security device.
Printer: Canadian Bank Note Company Limited, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Signatures: Governor of the Bank of Canada - Gordon George Thiessen; Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada - Malcolm Knight.
Canada banknotes - Canada paper money
Birds of Canada series
Birds of Canada are banknotes of the Canadian dollar first circulated by the Bank of Canada in 1986 to replace the Scenes of Canada series. Each note features a bird indigenous to Canada in its design. The banknotes weigh 1 gram with dimensions of 152.40 by 69.85 millimetres (6.00 by 2.75 in). It was succeeded by the Canadian Journey Series introduced in 2001.This was the first series to omit the $1 CAD banknote, which was replaced by the $1 coin known as the loonie in 1987. It was the last series to include the $2 and $1000 CAD banknotes. The $2 CAD note was withdrawn in 1996 and replaced by the $2 coin known as the toonie. The $1000 CAD note was withdrawn by the Bank of Canada in 2000 as part of a program to mitigate money laundering and organized crime.
The portraits on the front of the note were made larger than those of previous series. The $20, $50, $100, and $1000 CAD banknotes had a colour-shifting metallic foil security patch on the upper left corner, an optical security device that was difficult to reproduce with the commercial reproduction equipment of the time. This was the last Canadian banknote series to include planchettes as a security feature.
This series was the first to include a bar code with the serial number. This allows the visually impaired to determine the denomination of a banknote using a hand-held device distributed by the bank of Canada for free via the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950), also commonly known as Mackenzie King, 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. A Liberal with 22 years in office, he was the longest-serving Prime Minister in Canadian history. Trained in law and social work, he was keenly interested in the human condition (as a boy, his motto was "Help those that cannot help themselves"), and played a major role in laying the foundations of the Canadian welfare state.
According to his biographers, King lacked the typical personal attributes of famous contemporary leaders such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, or Charles de Gaulle. Voters did not love him. He lacked charisma, a commanding presence or oratorical skills; he did not shine on radio or in newsreels. His best writing was academic, and did not resonate with the electorate. Cold and tactless in human relations, he had allies but very few close personal friends; he never married and lacked a hostess whose charm could substitute for his chill. His allies were annoyed by his constant intrigues. He kept secret his beliefs in spiritualism and use of mediums to stay in contact with departed associates and particularly with his mother, and allowed his intense spirituality to distort his understanding of Adolf Hitler. Experts attribute King's long tenure to his wide range of skills that were appropriate to Canada's needs. He was keenly sensitive to the nuances of public policy; he was a workaholic with a shrewd and penetrating intelligence and a profound understanding of the complexities of Canadian society. He understood the workings of capital and labour. He had a pitch-perfect ear for the Canadian temperament and mentality, and was a master of timing. A modernizing technocrat who regarded managerial mediation as essential to an industrial society, he wanted his Liberal party to represent liberal corporatism to create social harmony. King worked to bring compromise and harmony to many competing and feuding elements, using politics and government action as his instrument. He led his party for 29 years, and established Canada's international reputation as a middle power fully committed to world order.
A survey of scholars in 1997 by Maclean's magazine ranked King first among all Canada's prime ministers, ahead of Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier. As historian J.L. Granatstein notes, "the scholars expressed little admiration for King the man but offered unbounded admiration for his political skills and attention to Canadian unity." On the other hand, Stewart in 2007 found that even Liberal activists have but a dim memory of him.
Snowy owl
The snowy owl (Bubo scandiacus) is a large owl of the typical owl family Strigidae. The Snowy Owl is the official bird of the Canadian province of Quebec.
The snowy owl was one of the many bird species originally described by Linnaeus in the landmark 1758 10th edition of his Systema Naturae, where it was given the binomial name of Strix nyctea.
This yellow-eyed, black-beaked white bird is easily recognizable. It is 52–71 cm (20–28 in) long, with a 125–150 cm (49–59 in) wingspan. Also, these owls can weigh anywhere from 1.6 to 3 kg (3.5 to 6.6 lb). It is one of the largest species of owl and, in North America, is on average the heaviest owl species. The adult male is virtually pure white, but females and young birds have some dark spots; the young are heavily barred, and dark spotting may even predominate. Its thick plumage, heavily feathered taloned feet, and colouration render the snowy owl well-adapted for life north of the Arctic Circle.
Snowy owl calls are varied, but the alarm call is a barking, almost quacking krek-krek; the female also has a softer mewling pyee-pyee or prek-prek. The song is a deep repeated gahw. They may also clap their beak in response to threats or annoyances. While called clapping, it is believed this sound may actually be a clicking of the tongue, not the beak.
Canadian 50 Dollar Bills
Canadian 50 Dollar Bill 1988 Mackenzie King Canadian 50 Dollar Bill 1975 William Lyon Mackenzie King