..Northern Ireland, Ulster Bank Limited - £50 Dated 2021 Polymer Note

  Tuaisceart Éireann

(Northern Ireland)

Ulster Bank Limited
  Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

 

The is a new 50 pounds polymer banknote issued on 15.06.2022 by the Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland.  The Ulster Bank had traditionally issued banknotes of 50 and 100 pounds, and it is not surprising that this new 50 pounds is issued. Are we also expecting the 100 pounds polymer note later too?

 

As expected, the design for this new series is completely new. Like the previous polymer banknotes first released in 2018, the front and the back are in a vertical format. This note is issued to honour Northern Ireland born, astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell.

 

The announcement for this note was made on 08.03.2022, coincided with the International Women’s Day and the note was released to the public on 15.06.2022. It appears that only two prefixes have been sighted so far, AA and AB prefixes.

 

Signature:

CEO: Alison Rose (since 01.11.2019)

Dated: 01.03.2021

Dimensions: 146mm x 77mm

 

Alison Rose is currently the CEO of Natwest Group plc, which also owns The Royal Bank of Scotland. For this, her signature is also appears on the current banknotes of The Royal Bank of Scotland. There are not many banknotes that have been issued by difference issuing authorities with the same signature. The other person that have the same opportunity that I can think off was Ross Maxwell McEwan, who was also then the CEO of the Natwest group before he resigned in 2019.

 

Fifty Pounds

Dated 2021, Gorse flower, butterfly, Lough Foyle

 

Front - On the front, the main feature is the gorse flower found in Northern Ireland. The gorse's thorny spines make it a haven for many wildlife. On the top (front and back) is the image of a pine martin, a cryptic wood butterfly on the bottom. On top of the note is Lough Foyle, situated north of Northern Ireland, sharing a border with the Republic of Ireland. The area surrounding Lough Foyle is famous for flora and fauna in general.

 

Back - Astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell. In 1967, she was credited for the discovery of radio pulsars. The discovery eventually earned the Nobel prize in Physics in 1974', but she was not the one of the prize's recipients. The award went to her supervisor, Antony Hewish instead. Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was born in 1943, and at the time of her discovery, she was only 24 years old as a research student. The design depicts Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell conducting one of her experiences. On the background of the note, it also portrays "Millies" working at the loom, as a homage to the unsung heroes of Northern Ireland's great linen industry. Also printed on the background are images of Northern Ireland's ship building and aviation industries (a drawing of part of a 'flying boat' or fixed-winged seaplane).

 

Astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, "Millies" working at the loom.