Looking at the dates in the article - when Turing was convicted in 1952 the reigning monarch was... Elizabeth II, just like now. That's a <i>long</i> time.
Cool design + polymer, but they should probably just abolish the £50 already. Very few places accept them. Never mind the £100 notes you can get in some parts of the UK. I would say they should encourage better acceptance of these denominations, but cash seems to be dying in general.<p>I look to Switzerland with envy, where as far as I can tell you can stroll into the supermarket and drop a 1000-franc note without issue.
I've lived in London for a while, and I'm still fascinated how uncommon £50 notes were. You try to pay with one and they look at you as if you were some kind of drug lord.<p>Hop over to Switzerland, and you can buy a coffee with a 1000 franc (GBP780) note without any issues.
Finally, a better way to recognise him - instead of Benedict Cumberbatch's criminally inaccurate 2014 portrayal - or that renamed road on the MS campus - or the great British tradition of a park bench...
Is there a service that lets me exchange USD for GBP that guarantees I'd get my GBP in cold, hard cash in these? Preferably newer, perhaps uncirculated?<p>I'm no collector, I just think it's cool that Turing is on a bank note, and I want one.
It’s really cool that UK puts scientists to its own money.<p>Most countries will go with politicians, buildings and warlords.<p>I have to say that it saddens me to see Darwin go. Considering that the evolution theory is still considered controversial in many places(even in advanced countries like the US) I think it was a very bold move to have him on the note.
> Old paper £50 notes will still be accepted in shops for some time.<p>I find that amusing because I suspect that in practice not many shops accept them. It's hard for me to know because despite having lived in the UK for about half a century I've never had a £50 note.<p>Perhaps they have a plan to bring the new £50 notes into use. If today's cash machines only have the hardware to dispense two kinds of note they could replace the 20s with 50s. But inflation is low and cash is generally on the way out, so probably not, I would guess.
A man worthy of the gesture, though I can't remember the last time I even touched money. Most bills are paid online/direct debit and I tend to use self-service at supermarkets.<p>I remember seeing George Galloway on a morning TV show passionately saying why Margaret Thatcher shouldn't be on any notes. At the end of the interview he was asked who was on the £5, £10, £20 notes. He had no clue. I'm sure most of us in the UK don't either.
> The banknote was described by Peter Sands, former chief executive of Standard Chartered bank, as the "currency of corrupt elites, of crime of all sorts and of tax evasion".<p>Rich coming from someone under whose leadership, money laundering was going on:<p>> Also during his time at the bank, Sands was harshly criticized after Standard Chartered paid New York State $340 million in 2012 to settle claims it laundered money for Iran[0]<p>[0]: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sands_(banker)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sands_(banker)</a>
A larger image, for people who want to see the detail:<p><a href="https://i.imgur.com/qmTZc9C.jpg" rel="nofollow">https://i.imgur.com/qmTZc9C.jpg</a>
Polymer bank notes are considered better for the environment because of durability and under the guise of recycling, but now that we know about the catastrophe of microplastics, are they really?<p>The volume is massive: with the most used notes lasting 3-5 years it won't be long until you have a billion plastic notes in circulation.
Startup idea: I’m sure a lot of people in the US will pay $80-$100 USD for it to be shipped to them.<p>Not sure if that breaks at laws, IMNAL..<p>Not sure of the TAM/ SAM/ SOM