On 16 December 2009 the Central Bank of The Bahamas introduced a more secure 100-dollar banknote. This is the sixth and final denomination issued in the new CRISP (Counterfeit Resistance Integrated Security Product) family of notes. The new notes will circulate in parallel with the old $100 notes, which will eventually be phased out of circulation.

The new note is purple, blue, green, and mauve. It features a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the front, and a picture of a blue marlin on the back. The note has a new watermark of QEII, the numeral 100 on the front left, and a new registration device of a sand dollar. CRISP banknote paper is also coated with a new sizing agent to help prevent the chemical removal of inks from the paper.

100 dollars (US$100), 2009. Purple, blue, green, and mauve. Front: Sand dollar; map; hologram; Queen Elizabeth II. Back: Blue marlin fish; coat of arms. Solid security thread and 3-mm windowed security thread with demetalized BAHAMAS and sand dollar. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II with electrotype 100. Printer: DE LA RUE. 156 x 67 mm.

Courtesy of Thomas Krause and TDS.

Tags: Bahamas

I am working on a new catalog of world notes and I need all the help I can get. If you have any of the notes listed below, please email 300-dpi, 100% actual size, 24-bit color scans of the front and back of these notes, saved as uncompressed JPEG, BMP, or TIFF. Please download and follow these detailed scanning instructions.

I am looking for 300-dpi images of the following banknotes of Israel:

Pick 1-5
Pick 18

As a contributor, you will receive the satisfaction of taking part in creating something of excellence, your note will be immortalized as the plate note for the catalog, plus your name will appear in the Acknowledgements along with your email address or URL, if you wish.

Thanks in advance for everyone's cooperation!

Tags: Israel

According to a report on Radio Free Iraq dated 6 February 2010, the Central Bank of Iraq “is planning to redenominate the national currency in an effort to ease transactions and allow people to carry less paper money. Mudhhir Muhammad Salih, a member of a Central Bank advisory panel, told RFI that a plan has been made to remove three zeros from the currency and phase out the current banknotes late this year. Salih said by the end of 2010 the new banknotes will be fully introduced while the old banknotes will be gradually removed from circulation. He did not specify when the new notes would be issued. Both will be legal tender in Iraq until the old notes are completely withdrawn.”

Tags: Iraq

100 rand (US$12.85), no date. Like Pick 131, but new signature (Ms. Gill Marcus).

If you have the note, please send scans of the 50-rand denomination with the new signature.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: South Africa

5 dollars (US$0.07), 2008. Like Pick 26, but new date and new signatures (Antoinette Sayeh, MINISTER OF FINANCE; J. Mills Jones, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR).

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Liberia

500,000 dollars, 2008. Like Pick 76, but instead of plain paper, this variety is printed on lined paper.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Zimbabwe

According to an article in The Jakarta Post dated 4 February 2010, “Bank Indonesia's (BI) plan to start minting 800 million new Rp 1,000 (about 10 US cents) coins has been delayed until April, a central bank official says. Yopie Alimudin, the central bank's deputy director for currency circulation said, as quoted by kompas.com, that the original plan was to start minting the new coin in February, but it was delayed due to “certain reasons”. He did not elaborate. BI had planned to issue a Rp 2,000 banknote (about 22 US cents) and a Rp 1,000 coin this year. Only the new banknote has been circulating. The Rp 2,000 bill will be the country's smallest denomination banknote once the Rp 1,000 coin takes the place of the existing Rp 1,000 bill. The new coins, like the new bill, will use Braille making them more convenient for visually impaired people. BI is preparing new designs and security systems to discourage counterfeiters. The last time BI issued new-look banknotes was in 2005, with its release of new Rp 50,000 and Rp 100,000 bills. The central bank will issue approximately Rp 5.6 billion worth of banknotes and coins this year. At present, BI coins come in denominations of Rp 100, Rp 200, and Rp 500, while banknotes are in denominations of either Rp 1,000, Rp 5,000, Rp 10,000, Rp 20,000, Rp 50,000 or Rp 100,000.”

Tags: Indonesia

5 dollars (US$2.50), 1st JULY 2009. Like Pick 67, but new date and new signatures.

Courtesy of TDS.

Tags: Belize

As you are no doubt aware, the citizens of Haiti suffered a catastrophic earthquake on 12 January 2010. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed in the quake, and the survivors are still in great need and pain in this very poor country. As a resident of quake-prone San Francisco since 1988, I feel I must do my part to help Haitians during their time of need. That’s why I will donate 100% of all revenues I receive from sales of The Banknote Update during the month of February to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development.

If you’ve been thinking about making a donation or buying a copy of The Banknote Update, now’s the time, since you’ll be helping others and helping yourself. Also, if you’ve previously made a donation to any other charity helping Haiti, simply forward confirmation of your donation of $15 or more and I will send you a free PDF copy of The Banknote Update. Thank you in advance for your consideration and compassion.

Owen W. Linzmayer
Banknotenews.com Publisher
San Francisco, California

Tags: Haiti

I began publishing The Banknote Update in late 2007 as an independent addendum to Krause’s Standard Catalog of World Paper Money. Since that time, it has been constantly revised, updated, and expanded into a book containing detailed information and hundreds of full-color images of brand new notes and new note varieties from over 140 countries, which are either not included nor illustrated in the latest SCWPM, Volume III, 15th edition (download a sample spread from the update). I guarantee it is the most comprehensive, authoritative, and reliable source of information about new notes you can buy anywhere, at any price.

The cost of The Banknote Update as a PDF file purchased directly from me via PayPal is US$15. The Banknote Update is also available in printed form via Lulu.com, an online company that creates professional-quality books on demand. If you are interested in The Banknote Update but don't want to print your own copy from a PDF, this printed version is ideal for you, and the print quality of this full-color perfect-bound paperback is far better than anything you could achieve on your own. Plus Lulu accepts secure credit card payments, so it serves countries not yet available through PayPal.

Don't delay, order your copy today! You will receive the very latest edition, updated to include all information available as of 3 February 2010. Anyone buying the PDF version of The Banknote Update directly from me is entitled to receive the final revision which will be issued shortly after Krause releases the 16th edition of the SCWPM.

Buyers of the printed version on Lulu can obtain a free companion PDF version (a $15 value) by forwarding me their Lulu invoice. Having the PDF version allows you to search for keywords of interest and magnify images and text for easier reading.

As regular visitors to this site are no doubt aware, I am working on a new catalog of world notes. This is a huge task, but I am slowly chipping away at it with the help of many contributors around the globe. I do not yet know when the entire catalog will be complete, but I am pleased to announce that I am making available a set of ten sample chapters to provide a sneak peek at The Banknote Book. These chapters cover every note ever issued by:

• Biafra
• Cook Islands
• Eritrea
• French Pacific Territories
• Gabon
• Malaya & British Borneo
• Qatar & Dubai
• Somaliland
• Tajikistan
• Yemen Democratic Republic

The Banknote Book includes detailed descriptions and background information, full-color images, and accurate valuations. Plus the PDFs include functional checkboxes so you can easily keep track of the notes you have in your collection!

Click here to obtain your free copy of this 47-page document in Adobe PDF format. All I ask in return is that you spread the word to other collectors and share your suggestions, comments, and corrections with me.

Tags: Biafra, Eritrea, Qatar & Dubai, Somaliland

On 12 January 2010, Banco Central de Nicaragua introduced a new 500-córdoba (US$24) note printed on cotton paper and carrying the law date of 12 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2007 (12.09.2007) . This note which measures 156 x 67 mm depicts the birthplace of General Augusto César Sandino while the back features Indian statues. The note is protected by a watermark of Sandino with electrotype 500, iridescent stripe, registration device, intaglio printing, bank logo in OVI, and color-changing windowed security thread with demetalized BCN 500.

Anyone interested in buying one of these notes can contact the contributor by clicking the link below. Be sure to say you saw it mentioned here on Banknotenews.com.

Courtesy of Cleophas Elmakias Schockemohle and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Nicaragua

According to a press release, the Banco Central de Honduras introduced a new polymer 20-lempira (US$1.05) note on 12 January 2010. A total of 60 million banknotes have been printed and will circulate in parallel with the paper version of the same denomination.

Anyone interested in buying one of these notes can contact the contributor by clicking the link below. Be sure to say you saw it mentioned here on Banknotenews.com.

Courtesy of Thomas Krause, Claudio Marana, and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Honduras, Polymer

In a press release dated 3 February 2010, Banco Central do Brasil announced that it intends to issue a new family of paper notes starting with the 50- (US$27) and 100-real (US$55) denominations to be introduced in mid-2010, followed by the 10- ($5.50) and 20-real (U$11) notes in the first half of 2011, and concluding with the 2- (US$1.10) and 5-real (US$2.75) notes in the first half of 2012. During the transition to the new family, the current series will remain legal tender.

The new notes are dated, and will increase in size with the denomination. Along with tactile features, this will assist the sight-impaired in distinguishing between denominations. The notes bear the signatures of the minister of finance, Guido Mantega, and the president of the bank, Henrique Meirelles. The theme of the current family—an effigy of the Republic on the front and Brazilian animals on the back—will be maintained, but the graphics have been redesigned with a horizontal orientation and for enhanced security.

Courtesy of Rafael Augusto Mattos Ferreira, Marco Antonio Da Silva Freire, and Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Brazil

200 shillings (US$2.65), 17th JUNE 2009. Like Pick 43, but new date.


500 shillings (US$6.55), 17th JUNE 2009. Like Pick 44, but new date.

Courtesy of John Silver.

Tags: Kenya

20 rufiyaa (US$1.55), 2008/AH1430. Like Pick 20, but new date (29.12.2008) and new signature (unknown).

Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Maldives

10 naira (US$0.06), 2009. Signed by Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido, with 6-digit serial number.



50 naira (US$0.30), 2009. Signed by Chukwuma “Charles” Soludo and Benjamin C. Onyido, with 7-digit serial number.

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

On 29 January 2010, during his annual dinner speech, Sheku Sambadeen Sesay, the governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone, revealed that the bank will introduce a new family of banknotes in 2010:

“Given the poor state of our banknotes, during 2010, we intend to step up our ‘clean notes’ policy while launching a new family of resized banknotes of the same design, but with enhanced security features and durability. One of the major advantages of this family of banknotes is that they will be differentiated by size, making them easily identifiable by all members of society including the blind, illiterate people and children. Already, plans are underway to sensitize various stakeholders early this year on the twin issues of note handling and introduction of the new resized banknotes.”

Tags: Sierra Leone

10 won, 2002. Blue, green, and purple. Front: Coat of arms; star; pilot, sailor, and soldier. Back: Military statues with soldier holding flag. No security thread. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65 mm.


50 won, 2002. Purple. Front: Coat of arms; flame atop Juche Idea monument in Pyongyang; man in business suit, man in overalls, and woman wearing blouse. Back: Party Foundation Monument in Pyongyang with hands holding hammer, paint brush, and sickle. No security thread. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65 mm.

If you can send scans of the 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 won notes in this new series, please do so that I can share them.

Courtesy of Torsten Fuhlendorf.

Tags: North Korea

On 3 December 2009, the Banco Central de Nicaragua introduced a new 50-córdoba (US$2.40) note printed on paper. It depicts pottery of Nicaragua on the front and Somoto canyon on back. The windowed security thread is demetalized BCN 50. The watermark is of the pottery with electrotype 50.

Courtesy of Marcin Wiktoruk and Thomas Augustsson.

Tags: Nicaragua