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Bank of Canada Unveils New Hundred Dollar Bill |
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Today, in well-organized launches across Canada, the Bank of Canada unveiled the third banknote in their new Canadian Journey series, a new, improved 21st Century Hundred Dollar Bill. About 30 law enforcement, banking, lottery, and retail representatives attended an afternoon video, powerpoint, and interactive demonstration, at a downtown Vancouver Hotel, put on by the British Columbia and Yukon, Bank of Canada staff. A morning media briefing here included local resident Miriam Waddington's family members. Miriam is ill, but some of her verse appears on the new Hundred Dollar Bill. If the verse is an interesting local connection, it is the anti-counterfeiting measures that wow with this bill. As I watched the presentation, I could not help thinking how much detail and effort go into anti-counterfeiting. The poor old banknote handler has more to check for than ever, but the Bank has made every effort to make things quick and easy for money handlers. While the Canadian Journey series, which already includes revamped five and ten dollar bills, began production in 1999, the hundred itself has been in preparation for nearly four years. Banknote collectors have long awaited a new Twenty, but according to newly retired local Bank of Canada rep, Gerrit Bilkes, too many merchants and users were losing confidence in the older Hundreds, so the Bank switched their immediate attention to a new high denomination bill. The Bank insists that new twenties, with an Arts & Culture theme, and new fifties, with a Nation building theme, will also be out by the end of 2004. The Canadian Banknote Company and the British American Banknote Company in Ottawa, apparently share responsibility for printing the new notes. |
 The most striking feature of the new Hundred is a metallic holographic stripe, on the left hand side of the face of the note, which changes colour when the note is moved. Other new security features include a watermark portrait of Borden, similar to the one retained on the note, a see through number, between the new waternark and the large bottom right face value, and a windowed security thread, through the face values, which, like the watermark, can be seen when the note is help up to the light. |
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The Exploration and Innovation themed new Hundred Dollar Bill is slated for release on March 17, 2004. The Bank must be hoping for some luck of the Irish with a St. Patrick's Day release. The example we were able to examine at the banknote launch was signed Jenkins and Dodge and had the serial number prefix BJY. The Bank of Canada's new promotional brochure shows an example of the new Hundred signed Knight/Dodge with a JPH prefix. It will be interesting to see if the Bank launches three Matching Serial number collector packs this year, and what signature and serial number combinations the new notes finally commence with. |
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 The back of the new Hundred includes an early map, a canoe, a satellite, a satellite tracking station, a satellite-generated map of Canada, and Waddington's verse about explorers. Chalk another one up for Vancouver residents...local artist Susanna Blunt's portrait of the Queen now appears on most of Canada's coins, and there is another local's screed on the back of the Hundred. |
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Attendees of the Vancouver launch seemed suitably impressed with the new note and the enhanced security features. The Bank of Canada acknowledged that Hundred dollar bills last a long time in circulation, so extra attention is needed to protect this denomination from counterfeiting. Bank representatives also suggested that they would actively encourage the banks to retire older Hundreds as soon as possible. With three new bills planned this year, the Bank of Canada must believe they have the counterfeiters licked. Merchants, bankers, cops, and collectors will be hoping some of the luck of the Irish rubs off too. |
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Newsletter #53 |
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