Bermuda $2 Bill Receives Award Of The Year
Bermuda’s recently released $2 bill has been chosen as the 2010 Bank Note of the Year by the International Bank Note Society.
The note shows the Bermuda Bluebird on the front and the Dockyard Clock Tower and Statue of Neptune on the back.
One of the factors the judges say they used in determining the Bermuda bill as the winner was the interesting array of security features, despite its low face value. These include an Optiks embedded metallic thread, a hibiscus watermark, a sailboat electrotype and a transparent butterfly appear when the notes are inspected closely
Bermuda was the first country in the Western Hemisphere to have this state of the art anti-counterfeiting feature included in its banknotes.
The note was released as part of a new series by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in February 2009, which was designed to coincide with the 400th anniversary of the Bermuda’s settlement and the Bermuda Monetary Authority’s 40th anniversary. The new banknotes represented the first complete overhaul of the Bermuda banknote since it was introduced in 1970.
Other notes in the new series are:
- $5: Pink; An Atlantic blue marlin backed by the Somerset Bridge
- $10: Purple; A Bermuda blue angelfish backed by the Deliverance and a scene from the Royal Naval Dockyard
- $20: Green; A green frog backed by Gibbs Hill Lighthouse and a church.
- $50: Yellow; A Red-billed Tropicbird backed by a church
- $100: Red; A red cardinal bird backed by the House of Assembly of Bermuda
The $50 bill was the subject of some controversy, as it featured the red-billed tropicbird instead of the local white-tailed tropicbird. Well known local ornithologist and former government conservation officer Dr. David Wingate noted the bird does not nest in Bermuda and has rarely been spotted on the island, and said he was “appalled” by the choice.
Monetary officials apologized for any “technical error”, but said the red bill of the larger bird looks better against the pale yellow background than the orange of the local bird. The story was carried by various members of the international press with headlines such as “Bermuda $50 bill rejects local bird for a flashier beak”
The note was manufactured by UK based De La Rue Currency. You can view a poster featuring all the notes and details about the security features from the BMA here.
