High Tech Canadian $20 Bank Note Launched with Several Security Features

On August 25, 2004, the Bank of Canada unveiled a new $20 bill for distribution after September 29. Apart from a striking new graphic design, the note contains seven features intended to make it both more difficult for counterfeiters to reproduce it and easier for consumers and merchants to verify its authenticity. The features can be summarized as follows, but a more complete description can be found on the Bank of Canada's web site noted below:

• micro-printing in and around several graphics;
• holographic stripes which give an image of brightly coloured numerals and maple leaves within a shiny, metallic stripe;
• raised (intaglio) print in three places;
• a windowed security thread that can be viewed differently from both front and back;
• a see-through number (20) visible from both sides and which must be perfectly aligned, front and back;
• watermarks visible from both sides of the note; and
• fluorescence visible in ultra-violet light.

Two graphics that dominate the note are both new and "traditional" at the same time. One is a contemporary portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and the other is a representation of the striking Haida-inspired sculpture by the late Bill Reid, entitled "The Black Canoe" (found at the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC) and "The Jade Canoe" (to be seen in the Vancouver International Airport). For the Bank of Canada press release, see: http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/press/2004/pr04-19.htm. For a more detailed description of the security features in the new note, visit: http://makeashorterlink.com/?O2DD32D29. Summary by: The Editor