U.S. fifty-dollar bill
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Missing image
Series2004NoteFront_50.jpg
Series2004NoteFront_50.jpg
2004 Federal Reserve note - Obverse
Missing image
Series2004NoteBack_50.jpg
Series2004NoteBack_50.jpg
2004 Federal Reserve note - Reverse
The U.S. fifty dollar bill ($50) is a denomination of United States currency. U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant is currently featured on the front side of the bill, while the U.S. Capitol is featured on the reverse side.
Federal Reserve notes have been issued since 1914; small-sized notes since 1928. In prior years, fifty-dollar denominations of United States Notes and other bills were issued.
Fifty dollar bills are delivered by Federal Reserve Banks in brown straps.
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing says the "average life" of a $50 bill in circulation is 55 months before it is replaced due to wear.
Pre-Federal Reserve history
- 1862: A United States $50 note with a portrait of Alexander Hamilton on the left of the face
- 1869: A new $50 note with a portrait of Henry Clay on the right of the face
- 1874: A new $50 note with portraits of Benjamin Franklin on the left and Lady Liberty on the right of the face
- 1878: A silver certificate $50 note with a portrait of Edward Everett on the face
- 1882: A gold certificate $50 note with a portrait of Thomas H. Benton on the face
- 1913: A new gold certificate $50 note with a portrait of Ulysses Grant on the face
Federal Reserve history
- 1918: The first Federal Reserve $50 note is printed; a large-sized note with a portrait of Ulysses Grant on the face
- 1928: To lower manufacturing costs, the first $50 small-sized Federal Reserve note is 30% smaller than the large-sized notes of prior years. Its design is also standardized with the other denominations.
- 1963: The motto In God We Trust is added.
- 1991: A security thread and microprinting are added.
- October 1997: A major new design is introduced to further deter counterfeits. It includes an enlarged and off-center portrait, an enlarged and updated view of the U.S. Capitol on the back, a security thread which glows yellow under ultraviolet light, a numeric "50" which shifts color from black to green when tilted, and a watermark. For those with vision limitations, it includes a large dark "50" on a light background on the reverse of the note.
- 2004: A new design is introduced, with the first use of multiple colors since 1905. Behind the portrait of Ulysses Grant appears a subtle stylized blue and red background image of the flag. A small metallic silver-blue star is to the lower right of the portrait. It still includes a security thread, and a color-shifting numeric "50", though it now shifts from copper to green. The new design retains the enlarged portrait of Grant, though the oval borders surrounding both the portrait on the obverse and the Capitol on the reverse have been removed. The new design also seems to have the "EURion constellation" on the back.
External links
- Historical $50 denominations (http://www.currencygallery.org/denoms/50dollar.htm)
- Redesigned Series 2004 $50 notes (http://www.moneyfactory.com/newmoney/main.cfm/currency/new50)
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