Exciting times Ladies & Gents: the Aussie $50 dollar note is getting a makeover and it’s some fancy stuff. The new note is in circulation October 19th, and as sarcastic as that opening sentence sounded it actually is pretty cool.
Mainly because of one of the notes most simple upgrades, the inclusion of 4 small bumps on one corner, will help the vision-impaired tell it apart. This feature was already changed on the 5 and 10 dollar notes, with plans to upgrade the 20 next year.
It’s about time, seeing as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg reckons the $50 is the most widely circulated note, making up 46% of all our current banknotes.
“Today is really important because it’s another step towards evening the playing field for people with low vision,” Chris Edwards, who lost his vision in his teens, told News Corp.
Instead of having to measure his pineapples next to his other notes, which of course only works if you currently have other notes in your possession, Edwards says he now feels far more confident handing over his $50’s.
“When you go to your ATM, the $50 is the note that often gets spit out. While I’ve been confident using a $5 or $10 note to buy a coffee, now I feel much more confident in paying with cash for a meal for the family or a round of drinks for my friends.”
Other exciting features include a clear panel featuring a holographic church with the number 50 inside it, which apparently reverses itself when you move the note around. There’s also a black swan in there that looks like it spreads its little wings, which is kind of adorable.
Not enough flashy stuff for you yet? How about two colour-changing patches on either side? Huh? Enough bang for your buck? Basically, this all means it’s going to be pretty damn hard to counterfeit.
The two familiar portraits still grace us with their friendly faces though. For those of you who aren’t up to scratch on your note facts, that would be Australia’s first published Aboriginal author and inventor, David Unaipon, and Edith Cowan, the first female member of Aussie parliament. Both of which are pretty cool things to have done! Mr. Unaipon does get a bit of tiny writing near his head though, no idea what it says.
Want a video? Because here’s a dang video:
Side-note*, who kept reading 50 in the 50-Cent kind of way? Because I can’t stop.
*completely unintentional pun but I’m not sorry.
