Canada issues commemorative 20-dollar note

The Bank of Canada has introduced a special 20-dollar banknote commemorating the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen made history this week by beating the record of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria as the longest-reigning sovereign.

The commemorative bank note is a variation of the existing 20-dollar polymer note that already features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The new note is identical to the current note, with one distinct difference: its large window contains a range of special design elements, including a portrait of Her Majesty wearing a crown (tiara) for the first time on a Canadian bank note. The portrait is based on a 1951 image by renowned Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh – the same photograph that inspired the portrait engraving of the Queen, without the crown, for the 1954 Canadian Landscape series of banknotes and the 1967 commemorative note celebrating the centenary of the Canadian Confederation. Since her accession to the throne in 1952, an image of Elizabeth has appeared on every series of Canadian banknotes.

The Bank of Canada will issue 40 million commemorative notes, the first of which will start to be available at financial institutions across Canada tomorrow. They will circulate alongside the existing 20-dollar note, which will continue to be issued and will comprise the vast majority of 20-dollar notes in circulation.

This is the third time that the Bank of Canada has issued a commemorative note. The first, issued in 1935, celebrated the Silver Jubilee of King George V; and the second, issued in 1967, marked the centennial of Confederation. The Bank has also announced that it will issue a commemorative bank note to mark Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017.