50 euro note

Fifty euro

(Eurozone and Institutions)
Value	50 euro
Width	140 mm
Height	77 mm
Security features	Colour changing ink, a see through number, a hologram, a EURion constellation, watermarks, raised printing, ultraviolet ink, microprinting, a security thread, perforations, a matted surface, barcodes and a serial number.[1]
Paper type	100% pure cotton fibre[1]
Years of printing	2002–present[2]
Obverse
Design	Window in Renaissance architecture[3]
Designer	Robert Kalina[4]
Design date	3 December 1996[4]
Reverse
Design	Bridge in Renaissance architecture and map of Europe[3]
Designer	Robert Kalina[4]
Design date	3 December 1996[4]

The fifty euro note (€50) is one of the middle value euro banknotes and has been used since the introduction of the euro (in its cash form) in 2002.^[5] The note is used daily by some 332 million Europeans and in the 23 countries which have it as their sole currency (with 22 legally adopting it).

It is the fourth smallest note measuring 140x77mm and has an orange colour scheme.^[3] The fifty euro bank notes depict bridges and arches/doorways in the Renaissance era (between the 15th and 16th century).

The fifty euro note contains several complex security features such as watermarks, invisible ink, holograms and microprinting that document its authenticity. In September 2011, there were approximately 5,699,719,400 fifty euro banknotes in circulation in the eurozone.

History

The hologram on the 50 euro note

The euro was founded on 1 January 1999, when it became the currency of over 300 million people in Europe.^[2] For the first three years of its existence it was an invisible currency, only used in accountancy. Euro cash was not introduced until 1 January 2002, when it replaced the national banknotes and coins of the countries in eurozone 12, such as the Dutch guilder and the Portuguese escudo.^[2] Today, the fifty euro note is used daily by some 332 million Europeans^[6][7] and in the 22 countries which have it as their sole currency (with 20 legally adopting it).^[8]

Slovenia joined the Eurozone in 2007,^[9] Cyprus and Malta in 2008,^[10] Slovakia in 2009,^[11] Estonia in 2011^[12] and Latvia in 2014.^[13]

The changeover period

The changeover period during which the former currencies' notes and coins were exchanged for those of the euro lasted about two months, going from 1 January 2002 until 28 February 2002. The official date on which the national currencies ceased to be legal tender varied from member state to member state.^[2] The earliest date was in Germany, where the mark officially ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 2001, though the exchange period lasted for two months more. Even after the old currencies ceased to be legal tender, they continued to be accepted by national central banks for periods ranging from ten years to forever.^[2][14]

Changes

Notes printed before November 2003 bear the signature of the first president of the European Central Bank, Wim Duisenberg, who was replaced on 1 November 2003 by Jean-Claude Trichet, whose signature appears on issues from November 2003 to March 2012. Notes issued after March 2012 bear the signature of the third president of the European Central Bank, incumbent Mario Draghi.^[3]

Until now there has been only one series of euro notes, however a new series, similar to the current one, is planned to be released.^[15] The European Central Bank will, in due time, announce when banknotes from the first series lose legal tender status.^[15]

As of June 2012, current issues do not reflect the expansion of the European Union to 27 member states as Cyprus is not depicted on current notes as the map does not extend far enough east and Malta is also missing as it does not meet the current series' minimum size for depiction.^[16] Since the European Central Bank plans to redesign the notes every seven or eight years after each issue, a second series of banknotes is already in preparation. New production and anti-counterfeiting techniques will be employed on the new notes, but the design will be of the same theme and colours identical of the current series; bridges and arches. However, they would still be recognisable as a new series.^[17]

Design

50 euro banknote under fluorescent light (UV-A)

Obverse

Reverse

The fifty euro note is the fourth smallest note measuring 140x77mm with an orange colour scheme.^[3] All bank notes depict bridges and arches/doorways in a different historical European style; the fifty euro note shows the Renaissance era (between the 15th and 16th century).^[3] Although Robert Kalina's original designs were intended to show real monuments, for political reasons the bridge and the window are merely hypothetical examples of the architectural era.^[18]

Like all euro notes, it contains the denomination, the EU flag, the signature of the president of the ECB, the initials of said bank in the different EU languages, a depiction of EU territories overseas, the stars from the EU flag and various security features.^[3]

Security features

The watermark on the 50 euro note

The fifty euro note contains the following security features:

• Colour changing ink^[6] used on the numeral located on the back of the note, that appears to change colour from purple to brown, when the note is tilted.^[19]
• A see through number^[6] printed in the top corner of the note, on both sides, appear combine perfectly to form the value numeral when held against the light.^[20]
• A hologram,^[6] used on the note which appears to see the hologram image change between the value and a window or doorway, but in the background, it appears to be rainbow-coloured concentric circles of micro-letters moving from the centre to the edges of the patch.^[19]
  

  Colour-shifting ink in the denomination
• A EURion constellation;^[6] the EURion constellation is a pattern of symbols found on a number of banknote designs worldwide since about 1996. It is added to help software detect the presence of a banknote in a digital image.^[6]
• Watermarks,^[6] which appear when held up to the light.^[6]
• Raised printing^[6] in the main image, the lettering and the value numerals on the front of the banknotes will be raised.^[21]
• Ultraviolet ink;^[6] the paper itself does not glow, fibres embedded in the paper do appear, and be coloured red, blue and green, the EU flag is green and has orange stars, the ECB President's, currently Mario Draghi's, signature turns green, the large stars and small circles on the front glow and the European map, a bridge and the value numeral on the back appear in yellow.^[22]
• Microprinting,^[6] on various areas of the banknotes there is microprinting, for example, inside the "ΕΥΡΩ" (EURO in Greek characters) on the front. The micro-text is sharp, but not blurred.^[22]
  

  Microprinting next to the ECB President's signature
• A security thread,^[6] embedded in the banknote paper. The thread will appear as a dark stripe when held up to the light. The word "EURO" and the value is embedded in tiny letters on the thread.^[20]
• Perforations^[6] in the hologram which will form the euro symbol. There are also small numbers showing the value.^[20]
• A matted surface;^[6] the note paper is made out of pure cotton, which feels crisp and firm, but not limp or waxy.^[21]
• Barcodes,^[6]
• A serial number.^[6]

Circulation

As of May 2013, there are approximately 6,383,487,700 €50 banknotes in circulation around the Eurozone.^[23] The 50 euro note is the most commonly used banknote.^[23] The total value of the notes in circulation is approximately €319,173,835,100 (as of May 2013).^[23] The European Central Bank monitors the circulation and stock of the euro coins and banknotes. The Eurosystem has been tasked with ensuring an efficient and smooth supply of euro notes.^[23]

Legal information

Legally, both the European Central Bank and the central banks of the eurozone countries have the right to issue the 7 different euro banknotes. In practice, only the national central banks of the zone physically issue and withdraw euro banknotes. The European Central Bank does not have a cash office and is not involved in any cash operations.^[2]

Tracking

There are several communities of people at European level, most of which is EuroBillTracker,^[24] that, as a hobby, it keeps track of the euro banknotes that pass through their hands, to keep track and know where they travel or have traveled.^[24] The aim is to record as many notes as possible in order to know details about its spread, like from where and to where they travel in general, follow it up, like where a ticket has been seen in particular, and generate statistics and rankings, for example, in which countries there are more tickets.^[24] EuroBillTracker has registered over 96 million notes as of October 2011,^[25] worth more than €1.876 billion.^[25]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to 50 euro banknotes.