Banknote of 2007

Bank of Scotland - 50 pound note

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) is delighted to announce that the Bank of Scotland’s 50-pound note has been awarded the Society’s Banknote of the Year for a bank note issued in 2007.

In a ceremony today [18th April 2008] in the Bank’s Edinburgh Head Office, representatives of the IBNS presented certificates and medals marking this award to Graeme Donald, Head of Industry and Products, Payment Services at HBOS plc, the parent company of Bank of Scotland plc; and Stuart Rost, Banknote Designer at De La Rue Currency.

Graeme Donald (HBOS plc) and Stuart Rost (De La Rue Currency)

The IBNS judges considered the 50-pound note to be a bold design and an outstanding representative of the new series of notes issued by the Bank of Scotland in September 2007. Dominating the note is an ethereal portrait of Sir Walter Scott giving the note an intriguing ambience considering the range of traditional and modern features on the note. Sir Walter has appeared on many notes issued by the Bank of Scotland, but this is the first representation of Scott based on the famous portrait by Sir Henry Raeburn, painted in 1822. The innovative depiction of Scott is one aspect of the note that found favour with the judges.

The Obverse of the Bank Of Scotland's 50-pound note featuring a portrait of Sir Walter Scott

Blessed with generous proportions, the note is impressive to hold and uses the available space to excellent effect. The front of the note has been designed around Scott’s portrait and incorporates a range of security features, the most evident of which are a hologram on a foil patch and a wide micro-printed security thread with colour shifting effect (red to green). These elements create a framework around which are images of the Bank’s historic headquarters in Edinburgh, its coat of arms, the Bank of Scotland’s logo and, very much subordinated to the dominating portrait of Scott, the promissory text. In contrast to this, the denomination numerals are set out in dramatically bold fashion using a clean simple font style.

The back of the note is if anything even more dramatic. It features one of Scotland’s most exciting contemporary engineering and architectural achievements, the Falkirk Wheel. The minimal text, again in bold and simple style, serves to enhance the drama of the central feature, to hugely impressive effect.

Contributing to the judges’ decision was the combination of traditional skills and modern technology used by the note’s designers, De La Rue Currency – especially the fact that the portrait engraving was produced using computer generated patterns and was not hand-engraved in the traditional way.

The Reverse of the Bank of Scotland's 50-pound note featuring the Falkirk Wheel

The 50-pound note was a clear winner in this year’s competition, impressing the judges with its artistic and technical excellence, its unusual and innovative design and its superior production. The IBNS congratulates Bank of Scotland plc and De La Rue Currency on their outstanding achievement.