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50 Dollars Federal Reserve Note, small portrait
| Issuer | Federal Reserve System |
|---|---|
| Year | 1963-1988 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The central vignette presents a detailed intaglio engraving of the United States Capitol Building viewed from the west front, set against a panoramic cityscape of Washington D.C. with the Washington Monument visible at left. The legend "THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA" arches across the top in bold lettering, with the motto "IN GOD WE TRUST" divided on either side of the vignette, and the caption "U.S. CAPITOL" inscribed below the central image. Large denomination numerals "50" appear in each corner, supported by elaborate guilloche border work rendered throughout in green ink. |
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| Protection type | Security thread |
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| Comments |
The "small portrait" designation distinguishes this series from the 1996 redesign that shifted to enlarged, off-center portraits and added more aggressive counterfeiting countermeasures — a response to increasingly sophisticated intaglio reproduction equipment that had made the older design vulnerable by the late 1980s. The security thread was added to the $50 during the 1988 series year, running vertically through the paper with "USA 50" printed on it, making that the first U.S. currency to carry the feature.
Series 1963 introduced "In God We Trust" to Federal Reserve Notes for the first time, replacing the obligation clause that had appeared on earlier issues.