New $20 Prefixes

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Caught a glimpse of one of the new $20 notes back side and saw the prefix was "BSW".

A friend of mine reported BSV.  If all the intermediate prefixes between BIC and BSW are printed, that's getting on half a billion notes.  (For the ones who require a visual... 500,000,000).

With each new note coming out it seems that they are trying to replace all the former issue all at once and probably have half again the number in reserve. That being said, BABN notes will be with us for quite a while with out any others needing to be printed for years if the double life claim is true. We probably have all the $50 notes printed already that we'll need for the next 7 years and with the projected number of $20s in circulation being about 600M notes, they probably doubled that since the presses are warm may as well make a big batch, we'll only ever see BABN $20s and $50s. This has probably left $10 and $5 production to CBN, which will probably only need to make those denominations into the future until the need for the next redesign in about 7 to 10 years. So in short I guess the passing of BABN will only really be felt in about 5 to 7 years time.

This is just me thinking out loud and all the numbers are just speculation, but even tho BABN will be shutting down we collectors will probably not notice it for years to come.

A friend of mine reported BSV.  If all the intermediate prefixes between BIC and BSW are printed, that's getting on half a billion notes.  (For the ones who require a visual... 500,000,000).

60 prefixes or 600 million notes actually (BIE-BIZ, BLA-BLZ, BSA-BSW), which is exactly the number of $20 notes in circulation according to BOC estimates.

... until the need for the next redesign in about 7 to 10 years.

Next redesign will certainly not happen that soon. Current Australian notes have been in circulation for 15-20 years and we have yet to hear about them being upgraded. A new New Zealand series will be released in 2014, which makes it 15 years for the current series.

Don't forget that a redesign can be prompted by a change in the sovereign (1935 series was only in circulation for two years because of that), and that the queen is now 86 years old.

Don't forget that a redesign can be prompted by a change in the sovereign (1935 series was only in circulation for two years because of that), and that the queen is now 86 years old.

Well, that will be just one note then, and security features and the design of the entire series do not have to change. Not a new series but a variety.

60 prefixes or 600 million notes actually (BIE-BIZ, BLA-BLZ, BSA-BSW), which is exactly the number of $20 notes in circulation according to BOC estimates.

The second letter is a denomination letter: $20: I, L, R, S, U, V, W, Y, Z.

BRA - BRZ?

The second letter is a denomination letter: $20: I, L, R, S, U, V, W, Y, Z.

BRA - BRZ?

Yes, I forgot about the L letter. It will be then BIE-BIZ, BLA-BLZ, BRA-BRZ, and BSA-BSW, or 82 prefixes and 820 million notes.

I don't think the Bank of Canada will necessarily follow in alphabetical order. It makes sense that after the BIA-BIZ run we will go over to BSA-BSZ then BVA-BVZ. Why? Just follow the birds series and the Journey Series...
AIA-AIZ 
ASA-ASZ
AVA-AVZ
AWA-AWZ
AYA-AYZ
AZA-AZZ
ALA-ALZ
ARA-ARZ
AUA-AUZ
and now BIA-... I imagine they will follow that order. It makes sense that such a large quantity get issued quickly. The 20 is the most highly used denomination so i would imagine that the BofC would want to get the new issue out ASAP and flush out the old stock quickly.

Bank of Canada unveils new banknote
New C$20 polymer banknote unveiled by Bank of Canada; enhanced security features aimed at thwarting counterfeiters

The Bank of Canada officially unveiled its new C$20 polymer banknote on May 2. The note is designed to help the central bank "stay one step ahead of counterfeiters", said Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.

The note features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the front, while the back of the note features an image of the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, which commemorates Canadian soldiers that fought in World War I.

It has a number of security features, including a colour shift in a transparent area in the top right of the front of the note when this section is held to the light. The bottom right of the metallic element also features an image of the Canadian Peace Tower, which changes to the colours of the rainbow when held to the light. On the left hand side of the transparent area, meanwhile, the number 20 becomes visible when held to the light.

The C$20 bill accounts for more than half of all bank notes in circulation in Canada, with the new polymer version to enter the system in November. There are 845 million C$20 notes in circulation, according to the central bank. A Bank of Canada spokesman added it will take a "number of years" for all of the existing paper notes to be replaced by the new polymer version.

The new notes are more economical and have a smaller environmental footprint, the central bank said, adding it is the policy of the bank to replace each denomination of note every 10 to 15 years.

The new banknotes are to be printed by two secure printers, Canadian Banknotes and BA International.

To prepare for the introduction of the new notes, the Bank of Canada said it worked closely with financial institutions and manufacturers of banknote equipment to ensure a smooth transition to polymer. The central bank is also providing authentication training and support materials to law enforcement officers and to cash handlers in retail and financial institutions.

The unveiling of the new C$20 polymer note means that only the country's C$5 and C$10 notes remain to be converted. The Bank of Canada said this would be done by the end of 2013.

The Bank of Canada began circulating the new $50 bill on March 26 this year and released its $100 polymer bill in November last year.


http://www.centralbanking.com/central-banking/news/2172517/bank-canada-unveils-banknote

Earlier this week, the Bank of Canada and the RCMP sent representatives to visit the Waterloo Coin Society and give a talk on Canadian banknotes and counterfeiting.

They distributed a handful of new polymer $20 notes around for everyone to see.  I have entered one of them into the SNDB this evening with prefix BSW.

I concur with JB-2007's analysis in that BIE-BIZ will be followed by BSA-BSZ, and that in turn should be followed by BVA-BVZ.  Assuming that is true, I estimate that within two weeks of the new $20 notes being released, we should see between 20 and 40 new prefixes.