# New $5 bill **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 21, 2007, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970 "2007-09-21T10:15:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/41 "2007-09-22T01:25:24Z")
[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe] American money looks like confederate currency [/QUOTE] [At one time it did.](http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1427431/2/istockphoto_1427431_confederate_money.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/42 "2007-09-22T01:30:57Z")
[QUOTE=iamthewalrus(:3=] Only in America would people claim you could “liven up” the money by adding grey to it. [/QUOTE] And purple. I think it looks okay. I hope you people DO realize that the word “Specimen” won’t be plastered all over it. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/43 "2007-09-22T01:33:25Z")
[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe] Canada has some cool notes. [/QUOTE] Interestingly, the Canadian twenty-dollar note (my favourite among Canadian notes) was voted [Banknote of the Year](http://www.ibns.it/money/NoteOfYear/bnoy-2005.htm) by the [International Bank Note Society](http://www.ibns.it/). Let’s see some US design activity there. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/44 "2007-09-22T02:00:51Z")
[QUOTE=matt\_mcl] I’m rather resentful you didn’t choose to coordinate your colours with ours. We coordinated our coin sizes, so it seems only fair. That five should be [blue](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/general/character/2001-04_05b.html), not [purple](http://www.bankofcanada.ca/en/banknotes/general/character/2001-04_10b.html). [/QUOTE] I was just gonna say that. Or perhaps they could put Hockey on the $5. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/45 "2007-09-22T02:43:27Z")
I don’t know, I wouldn’t say the Canadian 20 is anything special. It looks like one of those “computery” montage pictures. If Enemy of the State had taken place in Canada, that bill would have been a screen shot from the opening credits. I will say, though, that it’s edgy. I actually like the SPECIMEN in this case. It kind of half implies that the Queen is some sort of zoo animal, not really a person but more of a thing to be used by and for the people. I never knew that Canada was so avant garde. I may have to rethink my notions of the typical Canadian… ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/46 "2007-09-22T12:46:14Z")
For some reason, purple seems to be the “in” colour for banknotes at the moment; the [newish English £20 note](http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/virtualtour/virtual_tour_flash.htm) is nine times (approx.) more purple than the old one was. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/47 "2007-09-22T13:13:07Z")
Our 500-baht note has always been purple. Our notes are all color-coded. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/48 "2007-09-22T13:40:06Z")
Does the Canadian fifty still have the circle of Mounties on the reverse? I always liked that one. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/49 "2007-09-22T13:43:31Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] I am really surprised the B of P and E did not have some sort of contest for new designs. BTW, have you noticed all the nations that have pretty money are ugly and visa versa? [/QUOTE] I beg your pardon? The UK, ugly? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/50 "2007-09-22T13:44:37Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] Does the Canadian fifty still have the circle of Mounties on the reverse? I always liked that one. [/QUOTE] Izzat what they call a daisy chain 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/51 "2007-09-22T13:48:49Z")
[QUOTE=seosamh] For some reason, purple seems to be the “in” colour for banknotes at the moment; the [newish English £20 note](http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/virtualtour/virtual_tour_flash.htm) is nine times (approx.) more purple than the old one was. [/QUOTE] Someone was saying that the US Bureau of Engraving had too much time on their hands, but the Bank Of England seem to change their banknote designs for fun. Every couple of years there’s a redesign somewhere in the lineup. That said, the new £20 is handsome indeed, and I wouldn’t mind that becoming the new house style. I still haven’t received one of them from a cash machine even though it’s been out for ages. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/52 "2007-09-22T14:00:29Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] Does the Canadian fifty still have the circle of Mounties on the reverse? I always liked that one. [/QUOTE] No, that was actually two series ago. Starting in 1986 there was a snowy owl; in the current series, it’s got the Famous Five from the [Persons Case](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persons_Case), as well as [Thérèse Casgrain](http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_Casgrain) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/53 "2007-09-22T18:48:47Z")
[QUOTE=seosamh] For some reason, purple seems to be the “in” colour for banknotes at the moment; the [newish English £20 note](http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/virtualtour/virtual_tour_flash.htm) is nine times (approx.) more purple than the old one was. [/QUOTE] A side question: How old is Queen Elizabeth in those banknote portraits? She certainly looks a lot younger there than she does now — but it doesn’t look like a coronation-era portrait either. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/54 "2007-09-23T07:13:44Z")
[QUOTE=Most Creative User Name Ever] I too was suprised at the purple. I do kinda like it though. [/QUOTE] I don’t think that shade of purple goes with that kind of green. An earthier/dirtier purple would have been better. Or a maroon-type color. I don’t mind the move towards colorful currency (I LOVED the Dutch guilder), but the colors have to make sense together. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/55 "2007-09-23T07:20:45Z")
I think they should change the purple to pink, because after all, we all know that [Abraham Lincoln was gay.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040402.html) And they should replace the portrait of him with a picture of him and Joshua Speed fucking each other passionately. That would have to be horizontally-aligned, so it would cover up that stupid word “SPECIMEN.” Or maybe they could just change it to SPICY MEN. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/56 "2007-09-23T07:36:14Z")
I like the front, but the back is ugly. However, I liked the new ten dollar bill, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/57 "2007-09-23T08:43:53Z")
Speed fucking, eh? This is surely a sport whose time has come, so to speak. All it needs is an international organizational body. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2007, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970/58 "2007-09-23T09:18:01Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] OTOH, the asymmetrical placement of Lincoln is pretty good. I liked the series of bills that came out around 1998 that were all asymmetrical; I think they were the peak of design for US bills in the current style. [/QUOTE] I _hate_ the asymmetrical placement. It’s not even and that bugs the hell out of me. Whenever I see it, all I see is the lopsidedness. I’m also the guy that has to make sure the bills are always turned right side up and can’t be facing eachother, 'cuz it looks like they’re kissing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-5-bill/419970.md?page=2)