Catalog
50 Dollars - Elizabeth II
| Issuer | Bahamas Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1965 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Brown intaglio print over yellow and pink guilloche underprint, with black serial numbers at upper left and lower right. A right-facing portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in regal bust appears at left, wearing the George IV State Diadem. The watermark zone occupies the right portion of the note. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Multicolour print centred on a vignette of a Nassau produce market, with baskets of tropical fruits in the foreground and figures aboard boats visible in the background. A floral vignette occupies the left margin, while the coat of arms of the Bahamas is positioned at right. |
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| Comments |
The 1965 Bahamas Government series was issued in anticipation of internal self-government, which arrived in January 1964 — meaning these notes were circulating under a constitutional arrangement that had already shifted authority significantly away from London even as the currency retained its colonial form. The 50-dollar denomination was the highest in the series, and at that value saw limited everyday use; most examples in existence today show minimal wear for that reason alone.
Thomas De La Rue's intaglio work on this series is among the cleaner examples of their mid-1960s colonial output. The watermark — a feature De La Rue deployed conservatively on high-denomination colonial issues of this period — remains one of the few security elements on a note that predates the more layered anti-counterfeiting approaches the Bahamas would adopt after full independence in 1973.