2021 UK £50 Banknote
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- 2021 UK £50 Banknote
Basic Information
- Printed by De La Rue and issued by the Bank of England.
- The reverse of the Bank of England £50 banknote features a portrait of Alan Turing, based on a photograph taken in 1951.
- The obverse of the Bank of England £50 banknote features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, facing left.
- Released into general circulation in the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies on 23rd June 2021.
Description
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- Produced by the private company De La Rue and issued by the central bank of the United Kingdom, the Bank of England.
- The Bank of England £50 banknote, featuring the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, first entered general circulation on 23rd June 2021.
- Manufactured using a durable, thin, flexible plastic polymer supplied by 'CCL Secure', called Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene or 'BOPP', allowing for enhanced security features to prevent counterfeiting.
- Released into general circulation in the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
Bank of England £50 Banknote Reverse
- Features a portrait of Alan Turing, based on a photograph taken in 1951.
- Mathematical formulas from Alan Turing's 1936 paper, 'On Computable Numbers', are illustrated, considered to be fundamental to computer science.
- An illustration is shown of the Automatic Computing Engine or ACE, Pilot Machine, Alan Turing's groundbreaking computer design from 1945.
- Technical drawings are displayed showing the British 'Bombe', machine, which was used for codebreaking in World War II.
- A silver coloured, finely detailed, metallic image depicts the design of a microchip.
- A second, smaller clear window is located in the bottom left corner of the banknote, using a design based on the architectural features of the Bletchley Park mansion, where Alan Turing worked during World War II.
- A quote, taken from an interview which took place in 1949 where Alan Turing stated 'This is only a foretaste of what is to come and only the shadow of what is going to be', is shown.
- A red foiled patch with the letters 'AT', is located above the transparent security window.
- Alan Turing's birth date of 23rd June 1912 is displayed in binary code.
- Alan Turing's signature, taken from the visitor's book at Bletchley Park, which was once the top secret home of World War II Codebreakers is also illustrated.
Bank of England £50 Banknote Obverse
- Features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, facing left and towards the viewer, a portrait chosen by the Bank of England.
- The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II appears in a transparent security window to the left of the portrait with the text '£50 Bank of England', printed around the edge.
- A silver foiled patch, located above the transparent security window features a 3D image of the coronation crown.
- A gold and green coloured, finely detailed, metallic image featuring a design of a microchip is shown on the transparent security window alongside the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
- A second, smaller clear window is located in the bottom right corner of the banknote, using a design based on the architectural features of the Bletchley Park mansion, where Alan Turing worked during World War II.
- The numerical value of '50', appears in bright red and green under an ultraviolet light on the top right corner.
- The Bank of England seal and coat of arms feature on the bottom left corner on the reverse of the banknote.
| Country of Issue | United Kingdom |
| Denomination(s) | Fifty Pounds (£50) |
| Material(s) | BOPP (Polymer) |
| Length | 146mm |
| Width | 77mm |
| Shape(s) | Rectangular, Landscape |
| Quality | Circulated |
| Issue Figure(s) | Unknown |
| Date of Issue | 23rd June 2021 |
| Reverse Portrait(s) & Design | Alan Turing, design by the Bank of England and De La Rue |
| Obverse Portrait(s) & Design | Queen Elizabeth II, design by the Bank of England and De La Rue |



