Re: New Canadian $100 Bill Introduced

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What do you think about the fact that we won't be able to see some of the old security features in the new $100, such as the iridescent maple leaves?  I personally feel that they made the Canadian banknote stand out... because, to my knowledge not too many of the major currencies share this feature.

120 MILLION copies of the Journey note will be released on the first day?  $12 billion worth?  12 prefixes worth???  As of 2001 there were only $16 billion in $100's outstanding from the Bank of Canada (that includes all the ones going back to 1935!)  

http://www.statcan.ca/english/Pgdb/fin04.htm

And they're going to release enough Journey $100's on March 17th to replace 75% of what's out there now?

I guess that means that there will be a very aggressive recall of all 1988 and older $100's immediately if this is true.

Are there any other sources out there to confirm the 120-million-Journey-$100-notes figure?

I loved the gold leaves, but, they are a terrible security feature.  Take a look at any old 5 or 10, and the gold is practically gone.

They need a fixative.  

You can get gold glitter paint at any art supply store that's close enough to the real thing to fool most people.

Has anyone else noticed that the BoC has left a nice big unprinted spot on the new $5 and $10 where the gold leaves are that could possibly have been designed to accommodate a watermark?  Exactly like there is on the $100?

I, for one, would love to see the gold leaves scrapped and replaced with a watermark on all denom's.

I think once the new $20 and $50 come out later this year we will see the $10 and $5 redesigned and new ones come out next year Just my opinion

That WOULD be interesting to see--and it would indeed be nice for them to all match up.

Hmmm, kind of like the 1954 issue.  It seems that our current $5 and $10 have their own "devil" that needs exorcising.  

If the new security features hold their promises, i.e. really slow down the counterfeiting, the "big" notes will be no more photocopied and the problem almost solved for these.  In reaction, the counterfeiters will concentrate to make more phony 10s and 5s.  we could be flooded by counterfeited lower notes, if the Boc don't upgrades these soon.  I hope that the BoC will modify their desing to match the higher notes.

This is what I was just thinking about the other day. Much like the dropped "1979" $5 and $20 designs, our existing $5s and $10s may get revised sometime in the future. I, for one, hope so. They really are too easy to counterfeit.

Response to the glitter paint issue. This feature is used on 20,10,5 euro bills at the back. They new introduced 2003 and 2004 Hong Kong banknotes have glitter paint on the notes, Croatian banknotes have this, Older pre-euro Portugeuse banknotes had them, Pre-euro German banknotes as well, I think the new Japanese 2000 Yen note, and New Swedish banknotes share this feature. There's more but I can't remember..............

On the topic of counterfeit-proofing: I am surely not the first to say so, but wouldn't the smartest first step be to switch to polymer substrate?

In an instant, all the home-computer counterfeiters would be up a creek. You just can't get that material. Throw in a couple more existing security features and I'd say you've got a counterfeit-proof note on your hands.

I really don't know why the BoC hasn't joined the ranks of the polymer converts.

(As an aside, I reasoned that the manufacturers of polymer substrate would be a great investment opportunity, especially as more and more central banks switch to this logical next step in the history of banknotes, so I contacted them. Sure enough, they are NOT a publicly-traded company. SOMEONE is going to get filthy rich in just a few years time...)