Commemorative notes celebrating Singapore's Golden Jubilee unveiled

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong unveiled a set of commemorative currency notes to celebrate the country's golden jubilee on Tuesday.

Issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the commemorative currency notes comprise a 50 Singapore dollar note and five 10 Singapore dollar notes.

The design of the commemorative notes drew inspiration from significant milestones and achievements in Singapore's history.

The 50 Singapore dollar note highlights Singapore's history, transformation and future. It shows Singapore's founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew shouting "Merdeka!", the rallying cry of Singapore's independence struggle.

The five 10 Singapore dollar notes have a common front design and varying back designs depicting the theme "Vibrant Nation, Endearing Home."

The notes make use of the color gold to celebrate Singapore's golden jubilee. Both the 50 Singapore dollar and five 10 Singapore dollar notes have security features, which are used for the first time in the world on a currency note, said MAS in the media release.

The security stripe in the 50 Singapore dollar note has a unique see-through feature with image movement effects that give depth to the image of Lee Kuan Yew. The SG50 logo has "color- switching effects," with the year flipping from 1965 to 2015.

The 10 Singapore dollar notes have a security stripe with a " switching effect" which features the Singapore Coat of Arms, SG50 logo and the years 1965 and 2015.

The commemorative notes were designed by four local artists and designers. The public can exchange the commemorative notes at face value at branches of nine major retail banks in Singapore from Thursday. Endi