Fifty smackeroos

Apparently not all good deeds go unpunished. Sometimes they are actually rewarded.

Several weeks ago during the deep chill, I spotted, on my way from a shop to the car, a fifty dollar bill on the snow by the bank machine.

Now, ordinarily, if I spot a five dollar bill or a ten dollar bill (yes, okay, even a twenty) on the ground – assuming I haven’t seen a person drop it – I pick it up, put it in my pocket and think Bonus. But a fifty’s different. In my world that’s real money and losing fifty bucks would be a very bad thing. I didn’t think it came from the bank machine as, as far as I knew, it only churned out twenties, but someone could have dropped it after a withdrawal from the credit union. So I picked it up out of the snow and went in.

Here’s a fun fact about Canadian fifty dollar bills. (I don’t see many of them, but I have seen a few.) There used to be the backsides of horses on the back side. 

Oh, my goodness. I’ve just discovered there’s an actually quite interesting story to be read about this, the first full colour image on a Canadian bank note.

Sadly, when they switched from paper money to plastic money, the Mounties were replaced with a ship.

The ship, which I’ve just looked up, is the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Amundsen, a research icebreaker. Of course icebreakers do play an important role in Canada which should be recognised, but you have to admit they’re not as much fun as a bunch of horses’ backsides.

It’s the same prime minister on the old and new notes: William Lyon Mackenzie King. Never heard of him? He was the Canadian prime minister for three stints, including his final from 1935 to 1948, which, of course, covered the Second World War. It wasn’t until many years after his death that it was revealed (somewhat alarmingly one might think) that throughout his life in and out of politics he regularly consulted mediums. 

Anyway… Into the credit union I popped, where I discovered that the bank machine does indeed churn out fifties as well as twenties. I handed over my find and left my name and number.

Yesterday someone from the credit union rang to tell me no one had claimed the note so it was now mine, all mine.

In a month when I had to make the final credit card payment on my very expensive new front tooth this is indeed real money that will help me make it to the end of January without dipping into my heat pump savings. 

Honesty pays. Well, of course, dishonesty would have paid last month if I’d just stuck the fifty in my pocket. (Let’s be honest: anyone who was withdrawing enough money from the bank machine to require fifties probably wouldn’t miss it.) This feels so much more like a reward for good behaviour.