...Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - 50 Pounds Polymer Note 2020(2021) New Series

Alba

Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited (RBS)
(Founded 1727, First issuing banknotes on 08.12.1727)

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

 

This is the latest polymer series of £50 released to the public for circulation on 18.08.2021. The polymer series was first introduced in 2016, and since then the bank has released the polymer denominations of £5, £10, £20 and now the £50.

 

Like those previously issued, the designs on both the front and the back are completely new. For this polymer series, the designs on the front are all featuring a famous Scottish woman, and fish or animals on the back.

 

*Front;-

Portrait of Flora Clift Stevenson, her name and dates of birth and death

Background picture of Randolph Crescent, Edinburgh 

Hero quote “What Miss Stevenson did not know about education was not worth knowing” 

Textile and dye elements 

Holographic foil stripe featuring the RBS logo above a number’50’ with Ladies Bedstraw flowers in the background 

Royal Bank of Scotland name and logo 

 

*Back;-

Two Ospreys, one holding a mackerel; 

An excerpt from the poem ‘Nettles’ by Neil Munro. The first two line in the visible layer “There’s deer upon the hillside, There’s sheep along the glen;

A tiny Midge; 

Holographic foil stripe featuring the RBS logo above a number’50’ in reverse with Ladies Bedstraw flowers in the background; 

Background imagery of Ladies Bedstraw a botanical used in the dyeing process; 

Royal Bank of Scotland name and logo.

 

This note is printed with a date of 27th May 2020 and the signature on the note belongs to:-

 

Signatures

Chief Executive Officer - Alison Rose (since November 2019)

Dimensions - 146mm x 77mm

 

Fifty Pounds (Polymer)

Dated 2020, Flora Clift Stevenson (b.1839-1905)

This note features Flora Clift Stevenson on the front of the note. Stevenson was born in Glasgow in 1839. She was a Scottish educator and during her lifetime devoted her life to promoting education for girls. In 1872, she was the first woman to be elected to a school board. She later became the Chairperson of the school board. In 1899, a new school was built in Edinburgh and named after her - Flora Stevenson Primary School. She was then 60 years old. And for this reason, the RBS launched this new note at the school that was named after her, on 25.06.2021. Stevenson died in 1905 at the age of 65 in St Andrews Scotland. This is also the first Scottish banknote that features a woman on the front. All previous polymer notes also had women featured on the notes, but they were all printed on the back.

Two Ospreys, one holding a mackerel

Footnote

* - courtesy of Scotbanks's website

There are only a few commercial banks around the world that still have the rights to issue their own banknotes that are legal tender. These are known as 'high street bank' banknotes. These banks print banknotes on behalf of their own banks, which are legal tender and also have convertible value outside its own territory as well. These commercial banks are; The Royal Bank of Scotland, Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale Bank, Bank of Ireland (NI), Ulster Bank, Danske Bank, The HongKong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, Bank of China (HK branch), Standard Chartered Bank, Bank of China (Macau branch) and Banco Nacional Ultramarino (Macau).

 

Those banknotes issued by commercial banks in Northern Ireland and Scotland, can be used anywhere in the UK. Those banknotes issued by the Bank of England are legal tender in the entire United Kingdom.