Canadian twenty-dollar bill
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The Canadian $20 note is one of the most common banknotes of the Canadian dollar; it is the primary banknote dispensed from Canadian
automatic teller machine An automated teller machine (ATM) or cash machine (in British English) is an electronic telecommunications device that enables customers of financial institutions to perform financial transactions, such as cash withdrawals, deposits, f ...
s (ATMs). The newest version, the Frontier Series polymer note, was released to the general public on November 7, 2012, replacing the banknote from the Canadian Journey Series.


Present note

The present $20 banknote was first issued on November 7, 2012. It is a
polymer A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + '' -mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic a ...
-based note featuring
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
on the face and the Vimy Ridge memorial on the back. The window displays the
Peace Tower The Peace Tower (french: link=no, Tour de la Paix) 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 af ...
. On January 18, 2013, a Canadian botanist complained that a foreign maple leaf was used as the emblem on the polymer notes instead of the sugar maple that the country has on its
national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours a ...
, along with the $50 and $100 notes. After the death of Elizabeth II, the banknotes with her image will continue to be legal tender. It is undecided whether they will be replaced in circulation with notes bearing an image of her successor
Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person ...
in a future redesign.


History

The Canadian 20 dollar bill is one of the denominations of Canadian currency. The first 20 dollar bill was issued in 1935, and featured a portrait of Princess Elizabeth on the front and an agricultural allegory on the back. It featured a kneeling male exhibiting the produce of the field to a female agricultural figure. All Canadian banknotes underwent a major redesign in 1991, partially to incorporate some of the latest anti-forgery methods. Notes continue to be improved, with another design revealed on August 25, 2004, and placed into circulation on September 29, 2004. Notes were printed on paper composed of pure cotton at two
Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...
companies contracted for the purpose: the Canadian Bank Note Company and BA International Inc., a part of the
Giesecke & Devrient GmbH Giesecke+Devrient, also known as (G+D), is a German company headquartered in Munich that provides banknote and securities printing, smart cards, and cash handling systems. History Founded in 1852 by Hermann Giesecke and Alphonse Devrient, ...
group of companies. Each note in the 1991 series is sprinkled with special green ink dots, called planchettes, that glow when exposed to
ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30  PHz) to 400 nm (750  THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation ...
light. The ink can be scraped off, so worn notes tend to have fewer, if any, glowing dots. These were replaced with more permanent ultraviolet-detected threads in the new notes, as well as an ink imprint of the coat of arms.


Canadian Journey Series

Introduced in 2004 and circulated until its replacement in 2012, the Canadian Journey Series 20- dollar note is predominantly green. The face features a portrait of
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states durin ...
, Queen of Canada, the Royal Arms of Canada, and a picture of the Centre Block of the Parliament buildings. Security features visible from the face include a holographic stripe along the left side, depicting the number ''20'' alternated with
maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since h ...
leaves; a
watermark A watermark is an identifying image or pattern in paper that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light (or when viewed by reflected light, atop a dark background), caused by thickness or density variations ...
of the Queen's portrait; and a broken-up number 20, which resolves itself when backlit. The back depicts artworks by Bill Reid, notably his sculptures '' The Raven and the First Men'' and '' Spirit of Haida Gwaii''; it also has a quotation from Gabrielle Roy. The back also has a visible security feature: an interleaved metallic strip, reading ''20 CAN'' repeatedly along its length. Yellow dots representing the
EURion constellation The EURion constellation (also known as Omron rings or doughnuts) is a pattern of symbols incorporated into a number of secure documents such as banknotes and ownership title certificates designs worldwide since about 1996. It is added to help ...
can be found on both sides (and on all 2001 series notes). As well as textured printing, the 2004 design incorporates a special tactile feature similar to
Braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...
dots for the blind indicating the denomination. The 2004 $20 note was awarded Bank Note of the Year by the
International Bank Note Society Notaphily is the study and collection of paper currency, and banknotes. A notaphilist is a collector of banknotes or paper money, particularly as a hobby. History It is believed that people have been collecting paper money for as long as it ha ...
in 2005. As with all modern Canadian banknotes, all text is in both English and French.


Twenty-dollar view

The view of Moraine Lake in
Banff National Park Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 as Rocky Mountains Park. Located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains, west of Calgary, Banff encompasses of mountainous terrain, with many glaciers and ice fields, dense co ...
from the top of the moraine rockpile is one of the most photographed locations in all of Canada. That view of the mountains behind the lake in
Valley of the Ten Peaks Valley of the Ten Peaks (french: Vallée des Dix Pics) is a valley in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, which is crowned by ten notable peaks and also includes Moraine Lake. The valley can be reached by following the Moraine Lake road nea ...
is known as the Twenty-Dollar View, as Moraine Lake is featured on the backs of the 1969 and 1979 issues of the Canadian $20 note.Weddell, Peggy â€
Banff: A Rocky Mountain Treasure.
Legion Magazine, January 1, 1997


References


External links


Bank of Canada's banknote siteBank Note Series: Polymer
{{Canadian currency and coinage Banknotes of Canada by denomination Twenty-base-unit banknotes Elizabeth II