The Netherlands Antilles are scheduled to be dissolved as a unified political entity on 10 October 2010, and the five constituent islands will attain new constitutional statuses within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are to become a direct part of the Netherlands as special municipalities. These islands will adopt the US dollar in 2011. Curaçao and Sint Maarten will become two new independent states within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, similar to Aruba. These two islands plan to form a monetary union and introduce a new common currency, although the Antillean guilder will likely be maintained as legal tender for a transitional period.

Courtesy of Stein Langørgen.

Tags: Netherlands Antilles

Recently more and more collectors have reported problems attempting to scan modern banknotes. The problem is caused by newer hardware and software that contains built-in Counterfeit Deterrence System (CDS) technology foisted upon the public by the Central Bank Counterfeit Deterrence Group (CBCDG), a group of 31 central banks and note-printing authorities. Attempts to scan some modern notes using most newer scanners results in an error message like the one shown above.

I sympathize with the desire to reduce counterfeiting, but limiting the capabilities of new consumer devices punishes everyone while doing nothing to discourage determined counterfeiters. Anyone wishing to scan banknotes can easily do so simply by avoiding the latest generation in computer equipment. Instead of buying a cheap new scanner that performs poorly and is likely hobbled by CDS, buy an older used scanner that works on everything you throw at it. I highly recommend the Epson Perfection 2450 PHOTO which cost $400 when it was brand new, but now routinely sells for around $50 on eBay. This scanner is fast, has excellent color fidelity, and can even scan watermarks and security threads when used in film/slide mode.

If you already have a scanner that you like, but which refuses to scan some modern notes, you can likely replace the manufacturer's provided scanning software with VueScan. This third-party scanning program works with almost all scanners and doesn't prevent you from scanning troublesome notes. It costs $40, but you can try before you buy to ensure it meets your needs.

On 15 July 2010, India’s Union Cabinet approved a symbol for the rupee which is a combination of the Roman “R” without the vertical stroke and the Devnagri letter “ra.” The symbol was designed by Bombay IIT postgraduate D Udaya Kumar. A finance ministry official said the government is not planning to print banknotes with the new symbol. Historians say that the first “rupee” was issued by Emperor Sher Shah Suri in the 15th century. One rupee was equivalent to 40 copper paisas then. The rupee is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word raupya, which means silver.

Tags: India

On 18 July 2010, an exhibit called “Stories Behind Banknotes" opened in the atrium of the Hong Kong Pavilion at the Expo 2010 Shanghai China (Shanghai Expo), which will run until 15 August. The Commissioner of the HKSAR Expo Affairs Office, Mr Patrick Chan, and the President and Chief Executive Officer Designate, HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited, Ms Helen Wong, officiated at the launch ceremony.

Mr Chan said, "HSBC's exhibition of the banknotes issued by the bank in the past 145 years, in the Hong Kong Pavilion at the first-ever World Expo hosted by our country in the city of Shanghai, has special meaning. "The banknotes featured in this exhibition are precious and very interesting. Many are rare, and some have never been publicly shown before." "Stories Behind Banknotes" provides a unique insight into the social and economic transformation of Hong Kong since HSBC issued its first banknote in the city in 1865.

Among the 56 banknotes featured is the "duress note" issued during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II. Other rare notes from Shanghai and other note-issuing branches across China are also displayed. HSBC Chief Executive Officer Hong Kong Mark McCombe said, "The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited has been the principal issuer of banknotes in Hong Kong since the bank issued its first banknote in 1865, the year of its establishment.

"Currently, approximately two out of every three banknotes in circulation in Hong Kong are issued by HSBC. HSBC's banknotes and their constantly shifting designs illustrate the trade and financial development of the region and provide a valuable insight into the culture and character of the city."

Tags: Hong Kong

100 rupees (US$3.20). 2009. Like P56, but new date.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Mauritius

5 lat (US$9.15), 2009. Like P52, but new date.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Latvia

50,000 kwacha (US$10.50), 2010. Like P48, but new date.

Courtesy of Garry Craig.

Tags: Zambia

According to a notice on the Bank of Mongolia’s web site, a new 20,000-tögrög (US$14.60) note was issued on 25 May 2010.

The note dated 2009 is like the one issued in 2006 (Pick 70), but has a varifeye thread.

Light green and yellow. Front: Chinggis Khaan; holographic Soyombo symbol; warrior on horseback. Back: State Nine White Banners. varifeye thread and 3-mm windowed security thread with demetalized MONGOLBANK. Watermark: Chinggis Khaan and electrotype МБ. Printer: (G&D). 152 x 72 mm.

If anyone can translate this press release into English, I would appreciate hearing from you so that I can share the info with others.

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 Augustsson, Roman Boroznjak, and Nin Cheun.

Tags: Mongolia

B30 (PNL): 5 pounds (US$7.20)
Green. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: Upper Ward and Tower of Homage of the Moorish castle. Windowed security thread with demetalized 5. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £5, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions. 1st JANUARY 2010. Signature 14. To be issued 2011.


B31 (PNL): 10 pounds (US$14.45)
Blue. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: Artist John Trumbull’s “The Sortie Made by the Garrison of Gibraltar” depicting Spanish and English troops fighting and General George Eliott with officers attending to the dying Don José de Barboza during The Great Siege, 1779-83; General Eliot; rifles. Windowed security thread with demetalized 10. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £10, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). 141 x 75 mm. 1st JANUARY 2010. Sig. 14. Intro: 08.07.2010.


B32 (PNL): 20 pounds (US$28.90)
Orange and purple. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: HMS VICTORY RETURNING TO GIBRALTAR being towed by HMS Neptune after the Battle of Trafalgar. Windowed security thread with demetalized 20. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £20, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions. 1st JANUARY 2010. Signature 14. To be issued 2011.


B33 (PNL): 50 pounds (US$72.25)
Red and brown. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: Casemates Square buildings. Windowed security thread with demetalized 50. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £50, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions. 1st JANUARY 2010. Sig. 14. Intro: 08.07.2010.


B34 (PNL): 100 pounds (US$144.50)
Purple. Front: Queen Elizabeth II; coat of arms of castle with key. Back: King’s Bastion. Optiks security thread. Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II, electrotype £100, and Cornerstones. Printer: (TDLR). Unknown dimensions.
1st JANUARY 2010. Signature 14. To be issued 2011.


The above images come from the official Know Your New Gibraltar Banknotes PDF which contains additional information. The notes will be released into circulation in two phases, the £10 and £50 in 2010 and the £5, £20 and £100 in 2011.

Courtesy of Marcus Jansson, Antje Ryberg, and Hartmut Fraunhoffer.

Tags: Gibraltar

20 rupees (US$0.40), 2010. Like Pick 96, but new date, new signatures, and E inset letter.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: India

500 rupees (US$10.70), 2010. Like Pick 99, but new date, new signatures, and R inset letter.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: India

Technology continues to push the boundaries for banknote security holograms. Here, Dr Glenn Wood of the International Hologram Manufacturers Association looks at some of the latest developments.

Today, holographic technology remains very much to the fore as part of an array of overt features which make it quick and easy for people to recognise whether or not a banknote is bonafide. But new substrate technology, particularly the introduction of transparent ‘windows’ is being incorporated on banknotes to provide new levels of anti-counterfeiting complexity.

The commemorative 1,000 Tenge note produced by Papierfabrik Louisenthal for Kazakhstan and launched earlier this year takes optical sophistication to a new level. Not only does it feature a hologram showing typical rainbow colours but a small microlenticular patch viewed by transmission. The system is called Varifeye® and combines the best features of paper and polymer.


The optically variable feature on the new 1000 Tenge note of Kazakhstan showing microlenticular feature in the window and demetallised hologram below.

Previously, a deckle-edge window was created in the paper substrate during the process of cylinder-mould web formation as the stock fibers collect against the deckle, leading to the characteristic feather look. Latterly, the window has been cut into the paper after laminating to a polymeric layer. Then a clear stripe of film is laminated over it running from top to bottom of the note. The clear stripe contains the microlenticular image of a camel interchanging with the letter ‘K’ when tilted.

This feature can be viewed by transmission through the window. There is also a demetallised holographic image of the Astana Baiterek monument above the text ‘Organisation for Security & Co-operation in Europe’, interchanging with the date 2010 which are viewed by reflection where it falls over the paper. (This technology was first used on the Bulgarian lev banknotes in 2005, becoming the world’s first paper notes with see through window).

For polymeric substrates, the Bank of Australia has developed its Non-diffractive Switching Image (NSI). This appears like a dynamic watermark in the clear window of a polymer-based note. Being non-diffractive, the images are seen in varying shades of grey rather than rainbow colours and switching of the image elements occurs by rotation rather than tilting.

Mexico has also embraced new technology – the country’s 100 peso note has an ingenious feature which outwardly looks holographic but is in fact transparent optically variable inks (they are usually opaque) printed on the clear window of a polymer note. The viewer can look at the feature either by transmission or reflection. The inks change colour in both modes but the colours seen by transmission are the complementary colours of those seen by reflection.

The latest innovation in holographic technology which makes use of traditional (though modified) embossing technology is the Asterium feature from Toppan printing in Japan. Viewed in normal direct light this feature appears black but when inclined at an extreme angle, the rainbow colours of an embossed hologram appear. The important feature here is the optical black which gives a new aesthetic to documents and only reveals the colourful security feature as and when required.


Asterium from Toppan uses optical black in conjunction with a hologram.

Another innovator, Kurz, has developed a revolutionary wafer thin security photopolymer which can record a volume holographic image for banknotes produced for Swiss National Bank. Kurz’s success has been to develop the material thin enough for use on a banknote, especially given that the reason this is called a ‘volume’ hologram is that the interference fringes are recorded within the depth of the photo-sensitive material. Similar developments are taking place in Japan where Dai Nippon Printing is leading the way.

OVD Kinegram, a division of Leonhard Kurz, continues to push the boundaries with its Kinegram reColor®. This has been developed for use as a laminate in conjunction with a window or aperture in the banknote substrate, and provides fundamentally different, and unexpected, effects depending on whether the note is viewed from the front or reverse. On the front the viewer sees a normal metallised reflective, diffractive image, while the reverse view shows a patterned coloured foil also displaying the diffractive features. The trick is performed using different coloured resist lacquers in the demetallization process. More remarkable still is Kinegram reView® which appears the same, metallic color on both sides of the image although the images seen on the two faces can be different and unrelated to each other.


ReView from L. Kurz displays different holographic images when viewed from opposite side of a window.

One way or another, it seems that the window technology now becoming available to printers of banknotes is here to stay. Formerly, the opaque nature of security printing paper only allowed a watermark to be seen by transmission but most holograms are, by nature, transmissive and are rendered reflective by applying a metal coating. Once the opportunity is presented to allow them to be seen by transmission, as in a window, the opportunities for an optical tour de force are increased. This renders the note more visually attractive to inspectors and consumers and more difficult to simulate by counterfeiters.

However, here’s a cautionary word. Any trend towards simplification must be seen as a move in the right direction and run hand in hand with artists and graphic designers’ abilities to make good use of the media or of the public’s ability to appreciate and evaluate the security benefits offered by the latest technology. After all, it’s not as though holograms represent the only security feature on a banknote.

They are often one of many - for example, the 1000 Tenge note for Kazakhstan has at least 16 features including one to help the blind or partially sighted. So, it isn’t necessary to fill the hologram with every conceivable feature rather remember why the hologram was originally introduced: it provided a feature that could not be photocopied. Photopolymers provide this, so there’s no reason to suppose that holographic technology will not continue to be an integral security feature on future generations of banknotes.

END

The International Hologram Manufacturers Association (IHMA) is made up of 90 of the world's leading hologram companies. IHMA members are the leading producers and converters of holograms for banknote security, anti-counterfeiting, brand protection, packaging, graphics and other commercial applications around the world. IHMA member companies actively cooperate to maintain the highest professional, security and quality standards.

Issued on behalf of the IHMA by Mitchell Halton Watson Ltd. For further details contact Andy Bruce on +44 (0) 191 233 1300 or email andy@mhwpr.co.uk

Tags: Kazakhstan, Bulgaria, Australia, Mexico, Polymer

Viet Nam has issued a 500,000-dong (US$26.20) note dated (20)10. This appears to be a new date variety of Pick 124.

Additional information and images are requested.

Courtesy of Duong Do Hoang.

Tags: Vietnam, Polymer

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has unveiled a new logo which will be included in the new generation of banknotes by December 2010.

The following description comes from the bank’s web site:

The new BSP logo is a perfect round shape in blue that features three gold stars and a stylized Philippine eagle rendered in white strokes. These main elements are framed on the left side with the text inscription “Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas” underscored by a gold line drawn in half circle. The right side remains open, signifying freedom, openness, and readiness of the BSP, as represented by the Philippine eagle, to soar and fly toward its goal. Putting all these elements together is a solid blue background to signify stability.

Principal Elements:

1. The Philippine Eagle, our national bird, is the world’s largest eagle and is a symbol of strength, clear vision and freedom, the qualities we aspire for as a central bank.

2. The three stars represent the three pillars of central banking: price stability, stable banking system, and a safe and reliable payments system. It may also be interpreted as a geographical representation of BSP’s equal concern for the impact of its policies and programs on all Filipinos, whether they are in Luzon, Visayas or Mindanao.

Colors
1. The blue background signifies stability.
2. The stars are rendered in gold to symbolize wisdom, wealth, idealism, and high quality.
3. The white color of the eagle and the text for BSP represents purity, neutrality, and mental clarity.

Font or Type Face
Non-serif, bold for “BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS” to suggest solidity, strength, and stability. The use of non-serif fonts characterized by clean lines portrays the no-nonsense professional manner of doing business at the BSP.

Shape
Round shape to symbolize the continuing and unending quest to become an excellent monetary authority committed to improve the quality of life of Filipinos. This round shape is also evocative of our coins, the basic units of our currency.

Tags: Philippines

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, 16th 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 1 July 2010.

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

The signature of Dr. DeLisle Worrell, governor of the Central Bank of Barbados since 2 November 2009, has been confirmed on 2- (P66) and 5-dollar (P67) notes. If anyone has notes of the other denominations bearing this new signature, please submit scans of same.

Courtesy of Art Matz.

Tags: Barbados

According to a Bloomberg BusinessWeek article dated 16 June 2010, the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran issued a new 100,000-rial (US$10) note on 22 June. Governor Mahmoud Bahmani said the bank will print at least 150 million of the new notes, though he promised it won’t increase the inflation rate (currently around 10 percent). The new banknotes will reduce the need for cheques (banknote-like documents available in denominations of half- and one-million rials) that Iranians buy from banks to use in large transactions. Cheques are transferred between individuals in the same way as cash, but are canceled when presented at banks for deposit.

Green. Front: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Back: Lines from Gulistan (The Rose Garden), a poem by Saadi; trees and Saadi’s tomb in Shiraz. Solid security thread and windowed security thread with demetalized 100.000. Watermark: Ruhollah Khomeini. Printer: Unknown.. 166 x 79 mm.

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 Saeed Abdullah, Abdullah Beydoun, and Armen Hovsepian.

Tags: Iran

1,000 leones (US$0.25). Red and yellow. Front: Coat of arms; carving; Bai Bureh. Back: Telecommunications satellite dish. Windowed security thread with demetalized BSL. Watermark: Lion head and electrotype 1000. Printer: DE LA RUE. 135 x 67 mm. 27th APRIL 2010. Signature 18. Intro: 14.05.2010.


2,000 leones (US$0.50). Blue and orange. Front: Double diamond foil patch; coat of arms; cargo ship and port building; I.T.A. Wallace Johnson. Back: Bank of Sierra Leone building. Windowed security thread with demetalized BSL. Watermark: Lion head and electrotype 2000. Printer: DE LA RUE. 140 x 69 mm. 27th APRIL 2010. Signature 18. Intro: 14.05.2010.


5,000 leones (US$1.25). Blue and purple. Front: Foil patch; coat of arms; building; Sengbe Pieh. Back: Bumbuna Dam. Windowed security thread with demetalized BSL. Watermark: Lion head and electrotype 5000. Printer: DE LA RUE. 145 x 71 mm. 27th APRIL 2010. Signature 18. Intro: 14.05.2010.


10,000 leones (US$2.55). Blue and green. Front: Dove flying over the map of Sierra Leone; national flag; holographic patch. Back: Coat of arms; cotton tree. Windowed security thread with demetalized BSL. Watermark: Lion head and electrotype 10000. Printer: DE LA RUE. 153 x 73 mm. 27th APRIL 2010. Signature 18. Intro: 14.05.2010.

Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Sierra Leone

1,000 francs (US$10.30), no date. Like P2, but new signatures (Yves Barroux, Christian Noyer, and Patrick Besse).

Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: French Pacific Territories

Over the past year, several Philippine banknotes have been issued bearing the letter A after the year. I recently received the following explanation from a source at Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas:

“The serial number on Philippine banknotes consists of two (2) alpha and six numerics per denomination. The total number of banknotes per denomination that can be printed with SN A0000001 to SN ZZ1000000 is 600 million pieces. When the actual production of banknotes per denomination exceeds 600 million pieces, the suffix A is added after the year mark in order to avoid duplication of the serial number.”

Tags: Philippines

According to an article on a Russian-language site, the Bank of Russia intends to issue a revised 1,000-ruble (US$32) note in the second half of 2010. The note will be similar to the existing 2004 version, but with updated anti-counterfeiting features, including what looks like a SPARK patch, rainbow moire, and the change to the color of Yaroslav the Wise, from green to gray.

Courtesy of Taneli Peratalo.

Tags: Russia

50 riyals (US$13.33), 2009. Like P35, but new date and new Governor signature (Muhammad Al-Jaser).

This is the first denomination reported with the new date/sig. If anyone has others, please send scans of same.

Courtesy of Sejin Ahn.

Tags: Saudi Arabia

According to a Bloomberg article dated 8 June 2010, European finance ministers backed Estonia’s bid to become the 17th country using the euro starting 1 January 2011. Time to start looking for kroon notes to fill the holes in your collections!

Courtesy of Stein Langørgen.

Tags: Estonia, European Union

100 rupees (US$0.90), 2006-07-03. Like P118, but new date and new signatures (Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ajith Nivard Cabraal).

Courtesy of TDS.

Tags: Sri Lanka

According to a BBC News article dated 3 June 2010, Syed Salim Raza resigned as governor of the State Bank of Pakistan on 6 May 2010. Deputy Governor Yaseen Anwar has been appointed by President Zardari as acting governor to replace Raza.

Perhaps this foretells a new signature variety in the future. If anyone obtains a note from Pakistan with Anwar’s signature, 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.

Courtesy of Aidan Work.

Tags: Pakistan

500 taka (US$7.20), 2010. Like P50, but new date and serial number at lower right in Western numerals.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Bangladesh

In case you haven’t noticed already, I recently added a new page to this site. Click the Banks tab above to see a table containing a comprehensive list of over 180 of the world's current note-issuing authorities.

Where possible, I have included separate links for the English- and native-language home pages, as well as links that take you directly to pages pertaining to banknotes and coins, respectively.

The web sites maintained by the central banks offer a treasure trove of information of interest to banknote collectors, often with detailed histories of note issues and interactive presentations of security features.

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 Barbados:

Pick 1
Pick 3
Pick 5
Pick 6
Pick 43
Pick 52
specimens of all notes

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: Barbados

According to a Washington Post article dated 31 May 2010, Palestine is preparing to issue its own currency to replace the Israeli shekel and the Jordanian dinar.

Courtesy of Webb Linzmayer.

Tags: Palestine, Israel, Jordan

50 dollars (US$42.35), (20)09. Like P60, but new date.

Courtesy of Kai Hwong.

Tags: Australia, Polymer

500 lempiras (US$26.46), 17 DE ABRIL DE 2008. Like P96, but new date and signatures:

PRESIDENTE - Edwin Araque Bonilla
GERENTE - Jorge Oviedo Imboten
SECRETARIA DE FINANZAS - Rebeca P.Santos

Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: Honduras

The following is the full text of a press release dated 25 May 2010:

A new family of banknotes from Scotland’s Clydesdale Bank was one of the outstanding winners at the International Association of Currency Affairs’ (IACA) Excellence in Currency Awards, sponsored by ‘Currency News’.

A high calibre of entries and some very close voting in several categories marked this year’s awards - the third event – the presentation of which took place during the gala dinner on May 12 at the Currency Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The 2010 awards saw the Lifetime Achievement Award go to Roland Tornare, the recently retired director of the Issue Department at the Swiss national Bank (1985 – 2007). His extensive experience in the field of banknote design and involvement in creating the current Swiss banknote series were cited by Currency Conference chairman Richard Haycock, who presented the awards.

Clydesdale Bank won the hotly-contested Best New Banknote Series Award for its family of banknotes celebrating the best of Scotland’s heritage, people and culture. The front of each note honours a prominent and innovative Scot while the reverse features one of Scotland’s five World Heritage Sites. The bank designed the new notes to ensure that everyone, including the visually impaired, could use the notes with confidence, while the use of vibrant colours, different sizes, bold fonts, and raised bars to assist in note denomination has been appreciated by the Royal Blind, a foundation devoted to the welfare of blind people.

Category runners up were the Central Bank of Armenia for its 100,000 Dram banknote and the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey for a new series which completed the country’s currency reform started in 2005.

Clydesdale’s year-long media communications initiative from the launch of the initial designs right through to the introduction of the notes into circulation earned it the Best Currency Public Education Program. The move ensured its new notes were welcomed by consumers and readily accepted by retailers.

The National Bank of Denmark and the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey were category runners-up.

The Best New Coin Series Award went to the Royal Canadian Mint for The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Circulation Collection. In the run up to the Olympics, the Royal Canadian Mint released 12 Vancouver 2010 circulation quarters (25 cents) plus two lucky loonies ($1 coins) - each individual quarter represented a different Olympic Winter sport.

Runner up awards went to two new circulation coin series, issued by the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey and the Reserve Bank of Fiji respectively.

Pixel Watermark, a development of Arjowiggins Security which appeared in the Bank of Mexico’s 200 Peso note commemorating the country’s bicentennial, won the award for the Best New Currency Feature. Printed on paper in a vertical design format and including a multi-tonal watermark in the form of an angel, the wing of which was created with a Pixel™ Watermark, this was the first time such a feature had appeared on a banknote.

De La Rue’s Depth Image and Magic Varifeye® (from Louisenthal) were the competitors who both received runner up awards. Voting results were very close in this category.

For the first time ever there was a tied result for the Best Currency Website. IACA members voted equally for the European Central Bank and the Central Bank of Chile for the detailed currency information found on their respective websites.

While the two sites are very different in their approach and perhaps the resources available for website development, both use video and interactive notes to help their public understand the design and security features preset. The Monetary Authority of Singapore was a close runner up.

Speaking at the awards, Richard Haycock said: “I would like to congratulate all this year’s winners and runners-up for their outstanding contribution to the currency industry.

“All have demonstrated the highest standards of technical expertise and innovation to deliver practical, eye-catching and cost effective currency products, which we as an industry can be proud of.

“This year’s ceremony has been an unequivocal success and I very much look forward to the continuing high standards being recognised at the next awards, which will undoubtedly be even bigger and better.”

The IACA awards were launched in 2007 to promote and recognise excellence in currency production, processing, management and distribution. They are open to any organisation or individual supplying products, services or systems for currency production or management. The IACA awards committee draws up a shortlist of three nominations in each category, and IACA members vote for the winners.

Nominations for the fourth IACA Awards will commence shortly via www.currencyaffairs.org. They will be presented at the next Currency Conference, which will take place in October 2011 in Singapore.

Tags: Scotland

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 Gibraltar:

Pick 1-5, 7-11 all date varieties
P15 dated 1st December 1949
P16 dated 1st June 1942 and 1st December 1949
P18 dated 3rd October 1958 with TDLR imprint
P17 dated 1st May 1965
P17 dated 3rd October 1958 with W&S imprint
P19 dated 3rd October 1958 with TDLR imprint
P19 dated 1st May 1965 with Title: Financial and Development Secretary
specimens

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: Gibraltar

The 16th edition of Krause’s Standard Catalog of World Paper Money is now shipping. I just received my copy and wanted to share my initial impressions.

At 1,112 black and white pages, it's exactly as large as the previous edition, though its list price is now $60 instead of $55, and it does not come with a disc containing a PDF version of the catalog, which is a great disappointment.

Also somewhat disappointing is that values for VG conditions have been eliminated. Now only VF and UNC conditions are listed. While some will decry this change, I think it’s a reasonable change because most modern notes collectors insist on UNC anyway.

More troublesome is that this edition continues the trend of covering only a fraction of the new note types and varieties that have been issued in the past years, and illustrating almost none of them. It appears that the cut-off for inclusion in this catalog was mid-2009, but many, many notes issued well before then failed to make it into print (The Banknote Update contains over 80 pages of images and info missing from the 16th edition of the SCWPM).

In an attempt to appear more current than it really is, the catalog has assigned Pick numbers to a lot of "expected issues." The problem with this practice is that many such notes are never released, inevitably forcing the editors to renumber at a future date, much to the frustration of collectors and dealers everywhere (my cursory examination uncovered a half dozen notes that have been renumbered or deleted between editions). Furthermore, the information (such as dates) in the listings for these expected issues often proves wrong, adding to the general confusion.

Speaking of frustrating and confusing, some listings refer to non-existent signature charts, or the signature chart exists, but hasn’t been updated to include the latest signatures, making it impossible to distinguish between varieties.

I haven't done a thorough check of the entire catalog, but a spot check revealed some obvious pricing problems, such as listing Armenia's 100,000-dram note at $250 in UNC, even though its face value is $263. The 50,000-won from South Korea, featured on the cover of the new edition, is worth $40 at face, but is listed at $50 in UNC. Good luck finding dealers selling notes with negative or nominal mark-ups.

Like it or not, the SCWPM remains "the bible" for our hobby because its Pick numbers are almost universally used to identify notes. If you intend to get a copy despite its flaws, please support this site by buying the latest edition using this link.

Four Corners has produced a documentary, Dirty Money, that explores how the central pillar of Australia’s financial system, the Reserve Bank, became ensnared in an international bribery scandal related to its polymer substrate subsidiary’s attempts to gain contracts around the world.

Courtesy of Kai Hwong.

Tags: Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Polymer

50 kroner (US$7.75), 2008. Like P46, but new date.

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Tags: Norway

100 pesos (US$2.15), 2010 A. Like P194, but new date.

Courtesy of Rodney Hall (Kiwi Coins).

Tags: Philippines

10 pounds (US$1.77), 04.05.2009. Like P64, but new date.

Courtesy of Christoph Thomas.

Tags: Egypt

5 pounds (US$0.90), 17.07.2008. Like P63, but new date.

Courtesy of Christoph Thomas.

Tags: Egypt

100 kroner (US$16.90), (20)08. Like Pick 61, but new date and new signatures.

Courtesy of Kai Hwong.

Tags: Denmark

10,000 guaranies (US$2.10), 2008. Like P224, but new date, new signatures, wider windowed security thread, denomination added to upper right corner on front, and new printer imprint (OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES).

Courtesy of Claudio Marana.

Tags: Paraguay

10,000 colones (US$18.70), 26 de setiembre de 2007 (26.09.2007). Like Pick 267, but new date and “Acuerdo de la Junta Directiva N° 8” (instead of N° 7).

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: Costa Rica

500 kwacha (US$0.10), 2009. Like P43, but new date and new printer imprint (SABN).

Courtesy of Sejin Ahn.

Tags: Zambia, Polymer

B28 (PNL): 1 pound (US$1.70)
Green. Front: Monument to Freedom in Liberation Square, Saint Helier; QE II. Back: La Hougue Bie Neolithic burial mound; Le Hocq in Saint Clement. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Jersey cow head, electrotype 1, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 130 x 65 mm. No date. Signature 6. Intro: 29.04.2010.


B29 (PNL): 5 pounds (US$8.40)
Blue. Front: 16th century National Trust property, Le Rât Cottage, in Saint Lawrence; QE II. Back: Les Augrès Manor, home of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust; Archirondel Tower. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Jersey cow head, electrotype 5, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 135 x 70 mm. No date. Signature 6. Intro: 29.04.2010.


B30 (PNL): 10 pounds (US$16.80)
Burnt sienna. Front: Hologram; Hermitage of Elizabeth Castle in Saint Aubin’s Bay; QE II. Back: Rene Lalique’s glass sculptures in Saint Matthew’s Church of Saint Lawrence; Seymour Tower in Grouville Bay. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Jersey cow head, electrotype 10, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 145 x 75 mm. No date. Signature 6. Intro: 29.04.2010.


B31 (PNL): 20 pounds (US$33.55)
Violet. Front: Hologram; exterior view of The States (parliament building); QE II. Back: Interior view of The States chamber; La Rocco Tower (originally known as Gordon’s Tower) in Saint Jean. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Jersey cow head, electrotype 20, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 150 x 80 mm. No date. Signature 6. Intro: 29.04.2010.


B32 (PNL): 50 pounds (US$83.90)
Cherry red. Front: Hologram; Mont Orgueil Castle; QE II. Back: Houses on the island of La Marmotière in Les Écréhous; Ouaisné Tower. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Jersey cow head, electrotype 50, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 155 x 85 mm. No date. Signature 6. Intro: 29.04.2010.

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.

All of these notes have also been confirmed as specimens with diagonal red SPECIMEN overprints.

Courtesy of Dieter Eheim.

Tags: Jersey

5 kina (US$1.80), (20)09. Like Pick 29, but new date.

Courtesy of Leszek Porowski.

Tags: Papua New Guinea, Polymer

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 Bahamas:

Pick 1
Pick 3
Pick 4
Pick 6
Pick 7
Pick 10
Pick 24
Pick 25
10-dollar note announced 30.04.2010 featuring Sir Stafford Sands

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: Bahamas

All notes are signed by Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile and George W. Nyeko.




On 3 May 2010, Bank of Uganda unveiled a new series of redesigned and smaller banknotes which will go into circulation on 17 May. The new notes are in the existing denominations of 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 50,000 shillings, as well as a new denomination: 2,000 shillings (US$0.95).

Besides a harmonized banknote design that depict Uganda’s rich historical, natural and cultural heritage, the new notes bear improved security features and are smaller in size than the existing series which will remain legal tender. The common security features for the 1,000-, 2,000-, and 5,000-shilling notes are a watermark, a color-change image, and a raised effect on the surface to help the visually-impaired people differentiate denominations. The notes also feature a windowed thread that changes from red to green when the note is titled. The notes also bear a hidden irridescent pattern.

The bank hired professional artists and designers led by Gen. Elly Tumwine which explains the Ugandan look as depicted by the main images which constitute pots and ornaments common in Ugandan homes. The notes were printed by De La Rue, the world’s largest commercial security printer.

Bank of Uganda chief Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile said the new notes did not constitute a currency reform, nor were they dictated by politics. The redesign, he said, was driven by the need to comply with international practices and to beat counterfeiters. “Uganda is the first country in Africa to introduce ultra –modern security feature called SPARK,” an optical security feature from KBA-GIORI first used on Kazakhstan’s 5,000-tengé commemorative of 2008.



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 Ny Andry Ranaivosolo and Tuyet Nhung- Dieter Eheim Le.

Tags: Uganda

On 4 May 2010, Bank of Thailand issued a new 100-baht (US$3.10) note to mark the king’s 60th wedding anniversary. The note is the same as the current 100 baht (P114) but the back features the king & queen standing together. Apparently 9,999,999 notes were printed. A specimen without overprint and with all-zero serial numbers and a specimen number at lower right back has also been confirmed.

Courtesy of Sanjay Basu, Vincent Tan, Rafal Nogowczyk, Claudio Marana, and Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: Thailand

According to a Garoweoneline article dated 16 May 2010, a private jet is said to have delivered to Mogadishu a total of 22 million worth of Somali shilling notes, supposedly printed in Malaysia. The central bank had previously announced plans to have Sudan print new notes at a cost of $17 million.

Tags: Somalia

1,000 colones (US$1.95), 14 de setiembre de 2005. Like Pick 264, but new date.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: Costa Rica

20 pa’anga (US$10.15), 5th July, 1985. Like Pike 23, but new date.

Courtesy of TDS.

Tags: Tonga

5,000 shllings (US$2.30), 2009. Like Pick 44, but new date and new signatures (Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile and Chris Manyindo Kassami).

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Uganda

2,000 forint (US$8.90), 2007. Like Pick 190, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Hungary

1,000 forint (US$4.45), 2010. Like Pick 195, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Hungary

1,000 naira (US6.60), 2009. Like Pick 36, but new date and new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido).

1,000 naira (US6.60), 2010. Like Pick 36, but new date and new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido).

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria

100 naira (US$0.65), 2010. Like Pick 28, but new date and new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido).

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria

50 naira (US$0.35), 2010. Like unlisted 50-naira note, but new date and new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido).

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

20 naira (US$0.15), 2010. Like Pick 34, but new date and new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido).

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

50 shillings (US$0.65), 17th JUNE 2009. Like Pick 41, but new date.


100 shillings (US$1.25), 17th JUNE 2009. Like Pick 42, but new date.


200 shillings (US$2.55), 17th JUNE 2009. Like Pick 43, but new date.


500 shillings (US$6.40), 17th JUNE 2009. Like Pick 44, but new date.


1,000 shillings ($12.80), 17th JUNE 2009. Like Pick 45, but new date.

Courtesy of John Silver.

Tags: Kenya

200 naira (US$1.32), 2010. Like Pick 29, but new date and new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido).

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria

1,000 kwacha, 1992. Like Pick 40, but signature 10, blue in color, and design consistent with lower denominations dated 1992. This unissued note is uniface, with only a handwritten date of 24/08/93 on back.

Courtesy of Nazir Rahemtulla.

Tags: Zambia

On 25 March 2009, the Central Bank of Barbados announced its plans to introduce a new 100-dollar note (US$50) with upgraded security features on 20 April 2009. "With the introduction of this $100 note we are completing the upgrades process that we began in 2007," explained Julia Weekes, director of banking, currency and investments at the CBB. "These features are intended to make the note more secure and are similar to those currently found in the $20 and $50 notes," she said.
Upgraded security features are:
• A small watermark-type image of the Pride of Barbados flower has been added to the right of the map of Barbados watermark.
• The windowed security thread is now wider and less reflective than the previous thread, and is demetalized CBB$100. Under UV light, the thread fluoresces blue and the text fluoresces yellow.
• The $100 numeral on the top left corner of the note is significantly raised above the surface of the paper, giving the paper a unique feel. This raised numeral will also allow the denomination to be more easily identified by the visually impaired.
• The coat of arms and the waves near the flying fish in the centre of the banknote fluoresce green and yellow under UV light.
In addition to the changes, several of the existing security features, including the highly reflective gold foil dolphin, can still be found on the upgraded $100 note.
Weekes revealed that the upgraded note will be in simultaneous circulation with older issues of the $100 note. “Both the new note and those we have issued previously will be legal tender and completely acceptable as payment for goods and services,” she stated.
Courtesy of Nazir Rahemtulla.

Tags: Barbados

1,000 krónur (US$7.75), 22.MAÍ 2001. New signature combinations (top: Birgir Isleifur Gunnarsson and Eiríkur Guðnason) and (bottom: Finnur Ingólfson and Birgir Isleifur Gunnarsson).

Courtesy of Werner Kober.

Tags: Iceland

According to Danmarks Nationalbank, the 100-krone (US$17.70) note issued on 4 May 2010 depicts The Old Little Belt Bridge on front and The Hindsgavl Dagger on back. This signature pair is of Torben Nielsen, Governor and Lars Gerrild Sørensen, Head of Banking Services.

The Old Little Belt Bridge
The Old Little Belt Bridge, linking Erritsø in Jutland to Middelfart on Funen, was opened in 1935. The bridge was originally planned as a railway bridge in 1924, but the decision was later made to include roadways. The bridge is 1,178 metres long and has a maximum vertical clearance of 33 metres.

The Hindsgavl Dagger
The finest example of a flint-knapped dagger is the 29.5 cm long flint dagger that was found in about 1867 on the island of Fænø in the Little Belt opposite the Hindsgavl peninsula. This type of dagger is called the 'fish-tail design' due to the shape of the handle. The Stone Age dagger is from the latter part of the Dagger Period, 1900-1700 BC, and resembles metal daggers that have handles topped with an oval disk. The exquisite flint knapping shows the lengths to which the flint knappers went to compete with the increasingly popular metal goods that ultimately put the craft of flint knapping out of business.

View an informative video.

Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Denmark

500 pesos (US$10.95), 2008 A. Like P196, but new date.

Courtesy of Nazir Rahemtulla.

Tags: Philippines

50 francs (US$45.10), (20)06. Like P71, but new date and signature 76 (Raggenbass and Blattner).

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Switzerland

On 29 March 2010, Northern Bank in Belfast introduced a new 10-pound (US$15.10) note that is like P205, but new date, new signature (Gerry Mallon), new gold foil, Cornerstone watermarks, and slightly redesigned front and back to accommodate the new bank logo.

Additional information and images are requested.

Courtesy of Jan Ove Larsen.

Tags: Northern Ireland

10,000 kwacha (US$2.10), 2009. Like P48, but new date, and instead of a holographic patch in the shape of a fish eagle head, an entire fish eagle is represented in a bright silver demetalized holographic LEAD (longlasting economical anticopy device) at left center on the front. Furthermore, the denomination at top right on the back is printed in copper-to-green OVI.

Courtesy of Manjunath P. Iyer.

Tags: Zambia

The following is from a press release dated 30 April 2010:

The Government of The Bahamas wishes to advise the public that an updated series of $10 banknotes will be issued by the Central Bank bearing the image of Sir Stafford Sands, former Minister of Finance of The Bahamas and a principal architect of the modern Bahamian economy.

Sir Stafford’s image was first placed on the banknote on March 7th, 2000, when the series 2000 banknotes were released into circulation, replacing the image of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2005 the government of the day determined to remove the image of Sir Stafford and to replace it with the image of Her Majesty the Queen.

Shortly after coming to office in 2007 the Government took the decision that when the 2005 series of banknotes bearing the image of the Queen expired the new series of $10 banknotes would again bear the image of Sir Stafford Sands. Now, given the expiration of the 2005 banknotes, the image of Bahamian Sir Stafford once again returns to the notes.

The Government is pleased to continue this effort of honouring Bahamians who make significant contributions to The Bahamas by placing their images on our local currency, an exercise that began in December 1993 when, for the first time, the portrait of a Bahamian, Sir Milo Butler was placed on the $20 banknote. Thereafter, the portraits of Sir Cecil was placed on the 1995 $5 banknote; Sir Roland on the $50 banknote in 2000 and Sir Lynden on the $1 banknote in 2001.

Additional information and images are requested.

Tags: Bahamas

On 13 November 1995, Norges Bank printing works invited all the company’s families to a big Family Day and all the participants got this note as a gift, but it was soon withdrawn and destroyed because it was too similar to a real note. Everybody was asked to return them, but of course, some didn’t. Many notes were destroyed, and only a few survived. This is one of them. The watermark is NBS (same as NBS on the top right corner on the back) and it has a lot of other security details. Examine the pictures.

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Tags: Norway

50 pesos oro (US$1.35), 2008. Front and back main vignettes like Pick 176, but decorative elements have changed substantially, and new date. This note is printed by DE LA RUE with imprint and is not to be confused with P176b also dated 2008 but printed by OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES (see below).



Courtesy of Jean-MIchel Engels.

Tags: Dominican Republic

10 birr (US$0.75), 2000/2008. Like Pick 48, but new date.

Courtesy of Nazir Rahemtulla.

Tags: Ethiopia

The following is from a 29 April 2010 press release issued by the States of Jersey:

Jersey’s new bank notes are being issued today (29 April 2010) by local banks and States cashiers. The Island’s first new designs for more than 20 years were officially launched in February. They have been tested in banks’ cash machines and commercial vending machines and are now ready to be introduced into circulation.

The new notes will be issued to banks, as they are needed, initially for a period of up to 8 weeks. At the end of that time there will be more than £20 million of the new notes in circulation, in place of existing notes. The existing Jersey bank notes are still legal tender and will remain in circulation until each note reaches the end of its useful life and is withdrawn in the usual way.

States cashiers will begin to issue Collectors’ Notes from today at Cyril Le Marquand House.

The designs incorporate new security features and the back of each note carries the words États de Jersey as well as each of the 12 parish crests. Other important changes include the use of French and Jèrriais and a new image of the Queen.

The Treasury Minister, Senator Philip Ozouf said, "I have received very many positive comments from islanders since the launch of the new notes in February. They are designed to reflect the Island’s history and culture and I was especially pleased that, for the first time, the value of each note is written in Jèrriais as well as in French.

“I hope this will contribute to the ongoing efforts to regenerate the Jersey-French language. I would like to see all States members counting up to 50 in Jèrriais!”

The Jèrriais Language Officer, Tony Scott Warren, is pleased that Jersey’s traditional language is getting a boost. He said “Lé louis dans vot' paûte est achteu pus vâliabl'ye viyant qu' la valeu d'la langue jèrriaise y'a 'té ajouôté.” (The pound in your pocket is now worth more because the value of the Jersey language has been added to it!)

Senator Ozouf added "We must also remember that when we issue Jersey notes, banks pay the States for that cash, those payments are invested and generate interest for the Island. So when we use our notes, we are helping to pay for essential services, like Health and Education.”

Display towers with more information about the new notes and their design are currently on display at the airport, Cyril Le Marquand House and the Co-op (Grand Marché, St Helier). In the coming months they will also be on view at Fort Regent, banks, retail outlets and schools.

The issuing of a £100 note will be considered next year.

Courtesy of Zeeshan Ali.

Tags: Jersey

On 27 April 2010, Banco Central de Costa Rica unveiled a new family of banknotes that will replace the existing issues. The first denomination to be issued (possibly by August 2010) will be the 20,000 colones (US$39.10) depicting writer Carmen Lyra. This will be followed by the 2,000 colones in September or October, with the remaining denominations to come by year’s end, except for the 50,000 colones.

The front of each note depicts a portrait of a famous Costa Rican, and the back features flora and fauna from the six ecosystems that exist in the country. The notes are printed by Oberthur Technologies, and it appears all but the 1,000-colon denomination are protected by Crane’s windowed security thread, Motion. From the looks of it, the lowest denomination note may be printed on polymer.



Courtesy of Alex Zlotin.

Tags: Costa Rica, Polymer

25,000 dinars (US$21.40), ٢٠٠٨ - ١٤٢٩ (2008/AH1429). Like Pick 96, but new date.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Iraq

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 Iraq:

Pick A22
Pick 52 sig 16
Pick 54 sig 16
Pick 64 sig 17
Pick 72 dated 1981
Pick 95 dated 2004 and 2006

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: Iraq

10,000-peso (US$19.70), 2009. Intro: 3 March 2010.
Light blue. Front: Stylized corazón del copihue (heart of Chilean bellflower); navy officer Arturo Prat. Back: Andean condor bird soaring above the Cordillera Darwin mountain range and ice fields in Parque Nacional Alberto de Agostini (Alberto de Agostini National Park) located in the Magdalena region of Tierra del Fuego. Solid security thread and Motion windowed security thread with Antú (indiginous Mapuche weaving design symbolizing the sun and fertility). Watermark: Arturo Prat and electrotype 10 MIL. Printer: (Crane AB). 141 x 70 mm.

Signature (José De Gregorio Rebeco, PRESIDENTE; Unknown, GERENTE GENERAL).

Courtesy of George Provencal, Cleophas Elmakias Schockemohle, Thomas Krause, Claudio Marana, and Michael Reissner.

Tags: Chile

5,000 rials (US$0.50), no date. Like Pick 145, but new signature (Ebrahim Sheibani and Danesh Jafari). Intro: March 2010.

Courtesy of Ali Nasseri.

Tags: Iran

2,000 pesos oro (US$54.72), 2009. Like Pick 174, but new date.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: Dominican Republic

50,000 rials (US$5.05), no date. Like Pick 149, but new signature (Mazaheri and Hosseini). Intro: March 2010.

Courtesy of Ali Nasseri and Aminoroaaya.

Tags: Iran

1,000 rials (US$0.10), no date. Like Pick 143, but new signature (Mazaheri and Danesh Jafari). Intro: March 2010.

Courtesy of Ali Nasseri and Aminoroaaya.

Tags: Iran

On 21 April 2010, the South African Reserve Bank informed citizens that they had until the end of May to exchange older 200-rand (US$26.94) notes (Pick 127) in an effort to combat counterfeits. These notes have been in circulation since 1994 and lack the enhanced security features of the newer notes introduced in 2005, first with the signature of T. T. Mboweni and now with that of the current governor, Gil Marcus.

Tags: South Africa

2,000 ariary (US$0.97), no date. Like Pick 90, but new signature and references to franc removed.

The 10,000-ariary note has also been confirmed without reference to franc. If anyone knows when these notes were introduced, or if the other denominations have been issued also without references to franc, please share that info.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Madagascar

2 taka (US$0.01), 2009. Like previously reported new 2-taka notes, but new date and new signature (Mohammed Tareq).

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Bangladesh

100 afghanis (US$2.11), ١٢٨٢ (SH1383/2004). Like P70, but new signature.


500 afghanis (US$10.58), ١٢٨٢ (SH1383/2004). Like previously reported new type 500-afghani note, but new signature.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Afghanistan

On 2 October 2006 Mongol Bank issued its first ever 20,000-tögrög (US$14.35) note into circulation (Pick 70). A limited number of 20,000-tögrög (US$14.35) notes with the watermark area on front were overprinted Great Mongol State 800 years 1206 - 2006. This commemorative was the first note in the world to use G&D’s LOOK (Laser Originated Optical Key), a security feature that creates laser-induced effects in the substrate, print color, foil, and varnish. In this case, the 4-digit serial number was written using LOOK.

The above specimen example of the overprinted commemorative has surfaced, along with reports that non-specimen notes with the commemorative overprint were available only encased in Lucite. If anyone can provide more information about this commemorative note, please post a comment. I’m particularly interested in determining if the non-specimen version of the overprinted note is available, as well as how many such notes were printed, and if they entered circulation or were sold as numismatic products at a premium to face value.

Courtesy of Eberhard Siegele.

Tags: Mongolia

100 rupees (US$1.40), no date. On 16 April 2010 Nepal Rastra Bank issued a new 100-rupee note with usual color and size with prefix number EE/63 000001 to U/86 999999. On front left it has the picture of Mount Everest from south face, on right it has the watermark of Nepal’s national flower Rhododendron. It has the signature of the present Governor Bijay Nath Bhattarai (signature 16).

Courtesy of Shankar Shrestha.

Tags: Nepal

200 pesos Uruguayos (US$10.36), 2009. Like Pick 89, but new date, new signatures, series D, and new imprint (OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES).

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: Uruguay

All denominations of notes from Viet Nam have been confirmed dated (20)08, except the 50,000- and 200,000-dong notes.

Courtesy of Ryan Vuong.

Tags: Vietnam, Polymer

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) has chosen Bermuda’s $2 note, issued as part of an entirely new series in 2009, as the 2010 Bank Note of the Year. Each year the IBNS recognizes an exceptional banknote issued in the previous year and, from nine very impressive nominations issued in 2009, the Bermuda $2 note was a clear winner.

The award-winning note portrays the Bermuda Bluebird (Sialia sialis) on the front and the Dockyard Clock Tower and Statue of Neptune on the back. As with all notes in the new Bermuda series, the head of HM Queen Elizabeth II appears in a reduced format on the front of the note, the portrait being a mirror of the Machin Head design which appears on the postage stamps of the Royal Mail.

The members of the IBNS Board, who chose the winning note, considered the Bermuda $2 note an example of the most attractive elements which create interest among the ever-widening community of banknote collectors and those who take an interest in the development of paper money. They said the combination of colours were appealing and blended well throughout all components of the design. Additionally, the range of items depicted on the note were attractively presented and allowed the eye to linger and to search for natural and historical design elements which were not immediately apparent.

One of the factors recommending the note to the judges was an interesting array of security features, despite its low face value. These include an Optiks™ embedded metallic thread, with an aperture on the front depicting the island; a Hibiscus watermark on the top section on the front; the Cornerstone™—a watermark feature on the four corners of the note enhancing the durability of the banknote; and, on the back, the Gemini™ feature portraying a compass which fluoresces in two colours under UV light.

Manufactured by De La Rue and released as part of a new series by the Bermuda Monetary Authority in February 2009, the series was the first major re-design of Bermudian banknotes for 40 years. The object of the series was to present depictions of Bermuda, with the series reflecting the natural beauty of the flora and fauna of the island on one side and the island’s architectural heritage on the other.

Working from a detailed brief from the Bermuda Monetary Authority, the initial concept designs for the series were created by Gene Bothwick, one of De La Rue’s long-serving designers, who retired in 2007 after 23 years of service. These concepts were then developed for production by the De La Rue banknote Preliminaries Department with input and guidance from the Monetary Authority.

The IBNS congratulates the Bermuda Monetary Authority and De La Rue on an exceptional banknote.

Tags: Bermuda

The United States’ long-awaited new 100-dollar banknote was unveiled on 21 April 2010. Like the preceding issues of the denomination, it features Benjamin Franklin on the front and Independence Hall on the back, but is protected by improved anti-counterfeiting features, chief among them is Crane’s windowed Motion thread (which the BEP calls “3-D Security Ribbon”) and a copper-to-green OVI metameric pair patch shaped like an inkwell which reveals the Liberty Bell inside when tilted.. The note also has a solid security thread printed USA 100, a watermark of Franklin, the denomination printed in copper-to-green OVI, intaglio printing, microprinting, and a huge vertical 100 on the back right. The new $100 will begin circulating on 10 February 2011 and will circulate in parallel with older versions of the denomination (all US notes remain legal tender forever). More information can be found on the BEP web site, but due to high traffic on the day of its unveiling, some pages may refuse to load properly.

Tags: United States

10 pesos (US$10), 2007 and 2008. Like PFX49, but new dates.

Courtesy of Stein Langørgen.

Tags: Cuba

5 pesos (US$5), 2008. Like PFX48, but new date.

Courtesy of Stein Langørgen.

Tags: Cuba

1 peso (US$1), 2007. Like PFX46, but new date.

Courtesy of Stein Langørgen.

Tags: Cuba

100 francs (US$0.20), 31.07.2007. Like Pick 92, but instead of the bank initials embossed on the silvery round patch on the front, the initials are printed; and the note is lithographed front and back. Furthermore, new date and new printer imprint (GIESECKE & DEVRIENT MUNICH). Imprint is in lower right corner on the back, below the denomination. It’s hard to read without a magnifying glass.

Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Congo Democratic Republic

10 dollars (US$3.65), 1 MEI 2009 (01.05.2009). Like P158, but new date.

If anyone has the other denominations in this series with the new date, please send scans of same.

Courtesy of Wonsik Kang.

Tags: Suriname

Can anyone positively identify the following items that appear as watermarks on the current Egyptian banknotes? Precise names are appreciated, and links to supporting evidence is welcome, too.


5 pounds


10 pounds


20 pounds: Identified as Princess Nefer-T.


50 pounds: Identified as Akhenaten.

Tags: Egypt

10 francs (US$0.02), 30.06.2003. Like Pick 93, but new printer (HOTEL DES MONNAIES B.C.C.). Imprint is in lower right corner on the back, below the denomination. It’s hard to read without a magnifying glass.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Congo Democratic Republic

100 pounds (US$17.80). Like P67, but new date (08.06.2009), new signature (El-Okdah), new watermark (Sphinx) and electrotype 100, and new threads and placement of threads. On P67 notes dated earlier than June 2006, the windowed thread has no text and appears near the signature, but on later notes the thread is slightly wider and appears to the left of the minaret in the foreground and has demetalized 100 and ONE HUNDRED POUNDS in Arabic. Both old and new noes also have a solid security thread with demetalized 100 POUNDS in Arabic.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: Egypt

1,000 won, 2008. Pink. Front: Coat of arms; house (birthplace of Kim Jong Suk, Kim Il Sung’s first wife and Kim Jong Il’s mother) in Hoeryong. Back: Birch trees on shore of Lake Samji; mountain. Solid security thread with printed text. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65 mm. Intro: 30.11.2009.

Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson.

Tags: North Korea

10 quetzales (US$1.25), 12 DE MARZO DE 2008 (12.03.2008). Like Pick 111, but new colors, new date, new signatures, new printer (OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES), Guatemalan flag as registration device, new screen trap over entire background, and different serial number placement and fonts. More information (in Spanish) can be found here.

Courtesy of Claudio Marana and Thomas Krause.

Tags: Guatemala

25 rupees (US$2.10), no date. Like Pick 37, but new signature (Francis Chang-Leng).

Courtesy of TDS.

Tags: Seychelles

Pick 68a


200 pounds (US$37.25), ٢٠٠٧/٤/٣ (2007.04.03). This replacement note (indicated by the prefix which is an even hundred) is like the 200-pound note dated 2009.01.03 in that it too is reduced in size (166 x 72 mm) and has horizontal lines at front edges, but is odd because it bears the date of Pick 68 (see top image), which is a larger note (176 x 78 mm) without the lines.

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 David F. Cieniewicz.

Tags: Egypt

According to Times of Swaziland article dated 7 April 2010, by August the Central Bank of Swaziland (CBS) will begin upgrading it entire series of banknotes—starting with the 100-lilangeni note (US$13.80), then continuing with the other denominations—10, 20, 50, and 200 emalangeni—one every six months. The new notes will be printed by Giesecke and Devrient (G&D). The German firm was chosen based on price, durability of the notes, and performance in circulation.

“The Central Bank of Swaziland has initiated a project to upgrade its entire series of banknotes in view of the fact that the existing portrait shown of His Majesty King Mswati III is outdated. Also banknote durability and security technology has advanced significantly since the issuing of the current series of notes in 1999,” Governor, Martin Dlamini said in a press statement. Older notes currently in circulation will remain legal tender and will be phased out gradually.

Courtesy of Leszek Porowski.

Tags: Swaziland

50 kronur (US$0.40), 29. MARZ 1961. Like Pick 49, but new signatures of Guðmundur Hjartarson and Davíð Ólafsson (this pair’s signatures are assigned #42 in SCWPM, but these new ones are different enough to warrant a new variety, in my opinion).

Courtesy of George Provencal and Werner Kober.

Tags: Iceland

1,000 pesos (US$22.40), 2010. Like Pick 197b, but new date.

Courtesy of Rodney Hall.

Tags: Philippines

1,000 kronur (US$7.85), 22.MAI 2001 (22.05.2001). Like P60, but new signatures (David Oddson and Eirikur Gudnason).

Courtesy of George Provencal and Stefan.

Tags: Iceland

5 taka (US$0.07), 2009. Like Pick 46, but new date and new signature (Atiur Rahman). Intro: 16.03.2010.

Courtesy of Mohammed J. Islam.

Tags: Bangladesh

10 taka (US$0.15), 2009. Like Pick 47, but new date, new signature (Atiur Rahman), and litho printed instead of intaglio, plus text on front is surrounded by white. Intro: 31.01.2010.

Courtesy of Mohammed J. Islam.

Tags: Bangladesh

[All of the content on BanknoteNews.com has been the creation of myself, working in conjunction with avid collectors and dealers around the globe who graciously submit leads, images, and information. Today I'm pleased to publish the first full-length article contributed by Vincenzo Desroches, Editor in Chief of Forex Charts, the premier resource for all of your foreign exchange chart needs.—Owen W. Linzmayer]

What in the World is Notaphily?

Notaphily is the formal term used to describe banknote collectors. While people have most likely been collecting banknotes since they were first used to pay for goods and services, it wasn’t really considered a separate area of collections until late in the 20th century. Even the systematic collection of banknotes didn’t really begin in earnest until about the 1940s.

One factor in determining the value of a collectors banknote is the quality of the actual paper. Collectors can expect different grades to reflect this quality. These different grades will be compiled into a grading scale. While grading scales can change from one country to the next, expect to find uniformity in the grading scale within a particular country. For example, if you’re trading in the United States, you’ll probably find uniformity in its grading scale. However, you would not expect the grading scale in America to be necessarily the same as that of a European country.

The grading system used in bank note collecting refers to the quality of the specific note the collector has in their possession. However, some people might choose to keep track of the underlying value of the notes that are still being used in commerce. Historical currency rates can be obtained to facilitate this. Whether it is a foreign currency chart that is needed or one for your native currency, seeing the current underlying value of your banknote can be an exciting thing!

Regarding the actual collecting of banknotes, you first have to determine what type of collection you’re going to focus on. Obviously, it is possible to have too broad a collection goal. It’s just not feasible to collect every type of banknote ever produced. Find a category of note that you find interesting, unique or exciting and use that to define your collection parameters. It is always good to ease your way into any collecting process. You may want to begin by picking up notes that are inexpensive. This will give you some experience both in finding different types of banknotes and in purchasing.

For example, you might choose to collect notes from your favorite geographical location (city, country, or continent). Or perhaps your focus isn’t on location as much as it is time periods. You might be the one who chooses to collect World War II era notes, or notes produced in the 19th century. Of course, there are people who enjoy the specific features found on notes. They might enjoy collecting notes with certain security features as part of the design. In storing the notes, maybe you have some limitations that require you to focus on notes with certain dimensions.
As you can imagine, you can spend quite some time trying to define what type of banknote collection you’d like to have!

One of the best places to start is to find a currency gallery and start browsing. This will give you some idea of what type of notes you enjoy looking at. After all, if you can’t enjoy your collection once you get started, what’s the point in collecting?

100 riels, no date. Like Pick 8, but new signature combination.

Courtesy of Allan J. Lim.

Tags: Cambodia

An error has been confirmed on Viet Nam’s 100,000-dong (US$5.25) polymer note (Pick 122). In the microprinting at lower left on the front of the note the denomination is spelled out in numerals, however there is a zero missing from the second full set of numerals (see circled area above). This error has been confirmed on all dates (2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008).

Courtesy of Ryan Vuong.

Tags: Vietnam, Polymer

The Reserve Bank of India will shortly issue a 20-rupee (US$0.45) banknote with R inset letter in both numbering panels in the Mahatma Gandhi Series – 2005 bearing the signature of Dr. D. Subbarao, Governor. Except for the change in the inset letter, the design of these notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi Series – 2005, with additional / new security features issued on 16 August 2006. All 20-rupee notes issued in the past will continue to be legal tender.

Tags: India

On 5 April 2010 the Central Bank of Sri Lanka issued a new 10-rupee (US$0.10) coin to replace the banknote (Pick 108 and 115) of the same denomination.

Courtesy of Aidan Work.

Tags: Sri Lanka

500 kronur (US$3.90), 22.MAI 2001 (22.05.2001). Like P55, but new date and new signatures (Birgir Isleifur Gunnarsson and Eirikur Gudnason).

Courtesy of Werner Kober and Stefan.

Tags: Iceland

1,000 kronur (US$7.85), 22.MAI 2001 (22.05.2001). Like P56, but new date and new signatures (Eirikur Gudnason and Finnur Ingolfsson).

Courtesy of Werner Kober and Stefan.

Tags: Iceland

The Bank of Latvia has issued new 5- and 20-lat notes dated 2009. The 5-lat (US$10.10) note is like Pick 52, but new date. The 20-lat (US$40.35) note is like Pick 51, but new date. Both carry the same signature (Ilmars Rimsevics, Governor).

Courtesy of Nazir Rahemtulla and Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: Latvia

10,000 francs (US$113), no date. Intro: 2010. Like P4, but new signatures (Christian Noyer, Yves Barroux, and Patrick Besse).

Courtesy of Kai Hwong.

Tags: French Pacific Territories

20 dinars (US$28.25). Like Pick 37, but new date (AH 1430 / 2009) and new signatures (Mohammad Abo Hamoor and Ummaya Toukan).

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

Courtesy of Abdullah Beydoun.

Tags: Jordan

10 dalasis (US$0.40), no date. Introduced 16.04.2009. Like Pick 26, but new signatures: Governor Saho and First Deputy Governor Njai.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Gambia

The Rhodesia-Zimbabwe chapter of the International Bank Note Society has just published the 15th issue of its newsletter as a PDF. Anyone with an interest in joining this topical chapter is encouraged to write to Steve Milner for details. The newsletters are a wonderful resource for anyone who collects notes from this interesting and challenging African country.

Tags: Rhodesia, Zimbabwe

1 dinar (US$1.40). Like Pick 34, but new date (AH 1430 / 2009) and new signatures (Mohammad Abo Hamoor and Ummaya Toukan).

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

Courtesy of Abdullah Beydoun.

Tags: Jordan

The International Bank Note Society has announced the formation of a new Russian chapter. According to Dmitriy Litvak, president of the new chapter, "The main difference between the Russian (IBONS) chapter and the other IBNS chapters is that it is based on a linguistic (Russian) base rather than a geographical one. The Russian-speaking community of banknote collectors has at least 3,000 members around the world. This is why we face difficulty in having conferences and meetings as we are in 14 countries. To overcome this, a website forum at www.bonistika.net was created for the spread of collective knowledge. As I have explained before, Bonistika is the term that is used by this community to describe banknote collecting. I am happy to report that since the inauguration of IBONS on 7 February 2010 we have increased our numbers from seven IBNS members and 21 non-members to 10 IBNS members and 37 non-members. I extend my invitation to any members of IBNS to share our ideas and knowledge. My colleagues and I would like to extend our knowledge of the Soviet, post-Soviet, and Russian banknotes to all IBNS. We will be able to collectively work on answering any questions posed. Our main goal is to create and maintain communication between all IBNS members and Russian speaking members of IBONS."

Tags: Russia

10 rupees (US$0.85), no date. Like P36a, but new signature (GOVERNOR Francis Chang-Leng, who served from May 2001 - October 2008).

If anyone knows the precise date of introduction of this variety, please post that info as a comment.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Seychelles

1,000 krona (US$7.75), 22.MAÍ 2001. Like P60, but new signatures (can anyone identify them? — I believe the top one on the second detail scan is B. I. Gunnarsson).

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Iceland

20 dollars (US$2.60), 1 JANUARY 2008. Like P207, but new date.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Hong Kong

1,000 taka (US$14.45), 2009. Like 1,000-taka note issued 27.10.2008, but new date and new signature (Atiur Rahman).

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Bangladesh

20 taka (US$0.30), 2009. Like P48a, but new date and new signature (Atiur Rahman).

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Bangladesh

1,000 pesos (US$1.90), 2008. Like P154, but new date.

Courtesy of Bill Stubkjaer.

Tags: Chile

1,000,000 rials (US$101.15), no date. Introduced 2010. Like million-rial cheque issued by the Central Bank of Iran in 2008, but new color scheme and signatures.

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 Ricardo Castedo.

Tags: Iran

According to a PressTV article dated 23 March 2010, “The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) will issue new 100,000-rial [US$10.11] banknotes within four months, says CBI Head Mahmoud Bahmani. ‘We have ordered 100,000-rial banknotes to be printed and people will get these notes within four months,’ said Bahmani on Monday, IRNA reported. Last week, the CBI announced that the bank plans to print 100,000-rial banknotes in the current Iranian year, which started on March 21. CBI Deputy Head Hamid Pourmohammadi says the decision was part of the bank's plan to slash three zeros off Iran's national currency. The head of Iran's Bank Tejarat, Majid-Reza Davari, said the decision was part of CBI's “monetary reform plan,” but analysts say rising inflation has led the government to issue high value banknotes, Fars News Agency reported.”

Tags: Iran

50-kroner (US$9.50), (20)09. Like the note introduced 11.08.2009, but new signature combination (Jens Thomsen, Governor; Lars Gerrild Sørensen, Head of Banking Services).


50-kroner (US$9.50), (20)09. Like the note introduced 11.08.2009, but new signature combination (Nils Bernstein, Governor; Lars Gerrild Sørensen, Head of Banking Services).


50-kroner (US$9.50), (20)09. Like the note introduced 11.08.2009, but new signature combination (Torben Nielsen, Governor; Lars Gerrild Sørensen, Head of Banking Services).

Courtesy of Krassimir Dimitrov, Paul D. Walters, and Bryce W. Denham.

Tags: Denmark

In a notice dated 17 March 2010, the General Council of the Riksbank (Sweden’s central bank) decided “to support the Executive Board’s proposal to supplement the present banknote and coin series with a 2-kronor coin and a 200-kronor banknote, and to renew the Swedish banknote and coin series. However, they did not consider that the 20-kronor note should be replaced with a coin. The final decision on denominations will be made by the Riksdag (the Swedish parliament) after a proposal from the Executive Board of the Riksbank. The Executive Board is expected to decide on a proposal during the spring.”

Courtesy of Zeeshan.

Tags: Sweden

On 1 January 2009 the Central Bank of Turkmenistan issued a new series of notes. Reports vary, however, as to whether the 500-manat note was issued at that time. If anyone can email 300-dpi scans of the front and back of the issued note, I would appreciate it very much.


500 manat
Blue. Front: Holographic patch; map; coat of arms; President Saparmurat Niyazov. Back: Kipchak mosque in Ashgabat; five stars and crescent moon. Windowed security thread with demetalized 500 MANAT. Watermark: President Saparmurat Niyazov., flag, and electrotype 500. Printer: (TDLR). 156 x 78 mm. 2009. Signature 4.

Tags: Turkmenistan

Can someone please identify the building on the back of Pick 24? Given the diploma and students in the vignette, it’s almost certainly a university, but which one? Educated guesses are welcome, but I am looking for definitive answers supported by citations if possible.

Tags: Kenya

Please post a comment or send me an email if you can positively identify any of the buildings on the back of Uganda Pick 29 above.

Upper left: Unknown.
Upper center: Unknown.
Lower right: New Bank of Uganda headquarters.
Lower left: Old Bank of Uganda headquarters.

Tags: Uganda

The Bank of Trade of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea issued foreign exchange certificates in 1988. They were used until 1999, then officially abolished in 2002, in favor of foreign currencies. There are two well-known sets of certificates. The blue and green set (P23-P30) for capitalist visitors and red certificates (P31-P38) for use by visitors exchanging currency from socialist countries.

However, the following two notes have recently been reported. They are exactly like Pick 23 and Pick 27, respectively, except they are red and brown in color, not blue and green. Does anyone know anything about these? Are the other denominations available in this color scheme too?





Courtesy of Alexey Semakov.

Tags: North Korea

Can anyone positively identify the following items that appear on some Sudanese banknotes? Precise names and locations of the buildings are appreciated, and links to supporting evidence is welcome, too.


1. The secretary bird at the center of this vignette appears on the front of Pick 16-28. It is not the coat of arms of the country. Perhaps it is the logo of the bank?


2. Identified: Parliament House in Omdurman.


3. This building appears on the back of Pick 57-59.

Tags: Sudan

10 rupees (US$0.20), 2009. Like P95, but new date (2009), new signature (Dr. D. Subbarao, Governor since 06.09.2008), and L inset letter.

Courtesy of Sejin Ahn.

Tags: India

100 pesos (US$2.20), 2009. Like Pick 194, but new date.

Courtesy of Sejin Ahn.

Tags: Philippines

Aidan Work has reported varieties in the coloring of the 50-naira (US$0.35) note of 1991 (Pick 27). As you can see from the details above, the head scarf worn by the woman on the front of the note is entirely blue on one note (left) and black and blue on another (right). Also, the shorts worn by the man on the back of the note are also blue on one and black and blue on the other. There are other subtle color differences on the sample scans submitted.

Can anyone else confirm these color varieties in their collections? Please post comments to help resolve this issue.

Courtesy of Aidan Work.

Tags: Nigeria

According to an Inquirer Global Nation article dated 11 March 2010, former President Corazon Aquino and various tourist spots—including the underground river in Palawan—will be featured in the next generation of peso banknotes to be introduced in December 2010, according to OIC Central Bank Governor Diwa Guinigundo.

All denominations (20, 50, 100, 200, 500, and 1,000 pesos) are being redesigned, but their colors will remain the same. Guinigundo said new personalities will be added to some of the notes, and existing portraits will be updated, while the backgrounds and vignettes will be changed to include the country’s famous tourist spots. New and old notes will circulate in parallel for up to three years.

More information can be found in this BSP press release dated 26 March 2010.

Courtesy of Leszek Porowski.

Tags: Philippines

2,000 pesos (US$1.05), 29 DE AGOSTO DE 2008. Like P457, but new date.

Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: Colombia

5,000 won, 2008. Brown and pink. Front: Coat of arms; star; Kim Il Sung; mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Back: Trees; houses (birthplace of Kim Il Sung) in Mangyongdae. Solid security thread with printed text. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65 mm. Intro: 30.11.2009.

Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: North Korea

2,000 won, 2008. Light blue and gray. Front: Coat of arms; Jong Il Peak, trees, and cabin (birthplace of Kim Jong Il). Back: Trees and Baekdu (white-headed) Mountain. Solid security thread with printed text. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65 mm.. Intro: 30.11.2009.

Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: North Korea

500 won, 2008. Gray and purple. Front: Coat of arms; Arch of Triumph. Back: Denomination and guilloché pattern. Solid security thread with printed text. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. Dimensions 145 x 65 mm. Intro: 30.11.2009.

Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: North Korea

In 2010, the signature of the new governor, Dorin Dragutanu, will appear on banknotes issued by the National Bank of Moldova.

Courtesy of Alex Klark.

Tags: Moldova

10 rand (US$1.30), no date. Like Pick 128, but new signature (Ms. Gill Marcus).

20 rand (US$2.65), no date. Like Pick 129, but new signature (Ms. Gill Marcus).

50 rand (US$6.75), no date. Like Pick 130, but new signature (Ms. Gill Marcus). Intro: 2009.

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 Michael Reissner and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: South Africa

100 pesos (US$2.20), 2007. Like Pick 194, but new date.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Philippines

50 pesos (US$1.10), 2009. Like Pick 193, but new date.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Philippines

20 pesos (US$0.45), 2009. Like Pick 182, but new date.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Philippines

50 dirhams (US$6.05), 1423 2002. Like Pick 69, but no dash between dates. Intro: 2008.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Morocco

2000 rials (US$0.20), no date. Like Pick 144, but new signature.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Iran

100 pesos oro (US$2.75), 2009. Like Pick 177, but new date.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Dominican Republic

Thanks to everyone who helped positively identify the following features which appear on the back of some banknotes from Zaire and the Congo Democratic Republic.

I find it curious that many countries are proud enough to feature certain places, people, and objects on their notes, yet they fail to label these vignettes. As a result, it’s possible that their significance may be lost on future generations. That’s why I strive to provide detailed identifications of all elements depicted on notes in my new catalog. If you enjoyed the detective work as much as I did, keep your eyes on this site for future hunts.


1. Identified: Inga I dam on Congo River.


2. Identified: Palais de la Nation in Kinshasa.


3. Identified: Palais Du Peuple in Kinshasa.


4. Identified: OEBK (Organization Équipage Banana-Kinshasa) suspension bridge (also known as Pont Maréchal) over the Congo River at port Matadi.

Tags: Zaire, Congo Democratic Republic

According to a Bank of England press release dated 8 March 2010, the 20-pound (US$30.10) note with the portrait of composer Sir Edward Elgar on back will cease to be legal tender after 30 June 2010. “This note has been gradually replaced by the Adam Smith £20 which was introduced in 2007. Announcing this today, the Bank of England assured holders of the Elgar £20 banknote that they could certainly use the notes up to, and including, 30 June. After that date the note will no longer have ‘legal tender’ status. The note will not have to be accepted in payment, or in change, in retail outlets after this date.”

“For several months from the end of June banks, building societies and Post Offices will accept Elgar £20 notes for deposit to customer accounts and for other customer transactions. Agreeing to exchange the notes for non-customers is at the discretion of the individual institution. The Bank of England will always give value for these notes (and all other banknotes the Bank has issued).”

“Andrew Bailey, the Bank of England’s Chief Cashier, said, ‘The Elgar £20 banknotes were first introduced in 1999 and we introduced the Adam Smith £20 banknotes three years ago. We said at the time that the two designs would circulate in tandem, with the Elgar notes gradually being withdrawn over the next few years. It is time now to withdraw the Elgar £20 notes completely, with the Adam Smith £20 banknotes to be the only £20 note design continuing in circulation.’”

Courtesy of Aidan Work.

Tags: England

1 ringgit (US$0.30), no date. Like P39, but 3-character prefix. Serial number remains 7-digits long with signature of Zeti Akhtar Aziz. Introduced February 2010.

Courtesy of Vincent Tan.

Tags: Malaysia

According to a media advisory dated 5 March 2010, “The new design for the $100 note will make its debut on Wednesday, April 21 during a ceremony at the Department of the Treasury's Cash Room. The U.S. government redesigns currency in order to stay ahead of counterfeiters and protect the public. Decisions about the redesign of each denomination are guided by the government's close evaluation of the range of ongoing counterfeit threats, whether from digital technology or traditional printing presses.”

“The unveiling of the $100 note is the first step in a global multi-government agency public education program implemented by the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve Board and the U.S. Secret Service, to educate those who use the $100 note about its changes before it begins circulating. The $100 note is the highest value denomination of U.S. currency in general circulation, and it circulates broadly around the world. Public education is an important component of the government's redesigned currency program because a well informed public is our first and best line of defense against counterfeiting. Free training materials for cash-handlers as well as other public education resources will be available in 25 languages at www.newmoney.gov beginning at 10:30 a.m. EDT on April 21.”

Courtesy of Alan Moe.

Tags: United States

According to an article in The Globe and Mail dated 4 March 2010, Canada has announced that beginning in late 2011 it intends to replace paper-cotton banknotes with polymer notes which are reported to last “two to three times longer. The changes are intended save on the cost of printing bills – and create a currency that’s much harder to counterfeit.” Canada will rely upon Austarlia’s Securency as the sole supplier for the polymer substrate. Though there is no mention of who will print the notes, it will probably continue to be Bank of Canada and Canadian Bank Note Company. Furthermore, it appears the 10- and 20-dollar denominations will be the first to be printed on polymer.

Courtesy of Dharshan Mahalingam and Mark Allen.

Tags: Canada, Polymer

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will soon introduce a 20-rupee (US$0.40) banknote without inset letter bearing the signature of Dr D Subbarao, Governor. Except for the change in the inset letter, the design of these notes to be issued now is similar in all respects to the banknotes in Mahatma Gandhi Series - 2005, with additional/new security features issued on 16 August 2006. All 20-rupee notes issued by the RBI in the past will continue to be legal tender.
Additional information and images are requested.

Tags: India

 On 25 February 2010, North Carolina's Republican Representative Patrick McHenry introduced The President Ronald Reagan $50 Bill Act, numbered H.R. 4705, which proposes replacing the portrait of the 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, with that of the 40th president, Ronald Reagan. "Every generation needs its own heroes. One decade into the 21st century, it's time to honor the last great president of the 20th and give President Reagan a place beside Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy," said Congressman McHenry. "President Reagan was a modern day statesman, whose presidency transformed our nation's political and economic thinking."

Tags: United States

1,000 piso (US$21.70), 2009. Like Pick 197, but new date.

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 Rafal Nogowczyk.

Tags: Philippines

All denominations of Kuwaiti notes with the exception of the 1/2 dinar and 10 dinar have now been confirmed with the new signature combination of Salem Abdul Aziz Sa’ud al-Sabah, Governor and Mustafa Jassim Al-Shamali, Minister of Finance.

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 Rafal Nogowczyk.

Tags: Kuwait

1,000 rupees (US$19.35), 2009. Like Pick 100, but new date and L inset letter.

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 Rafal Nogowczyk.

Tags: India

50 dinars (US$70.50). Like Pick 38, but new date (AH 1430 / 2009) and new signatures (Mohammad Abo Hamoor and Ummaya Toukan).

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

Courtesy of Abdullah Beydoun.

Tags: Jordan

100 dollars (US$12.95), no date. Like Pick 7, but J prefix and 8-digit serial number. Printed by SABN without imprint. Issued 2009.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Namibia

The National Bank of Poland honored the 200th birthday of musician Frédéric François Chopin with a new commemorative 20-złoty (US$7.10) banknote.

On the front center of the banknote measuring 138 x 69 mm is a portrait of Frederic Chopin seen in profile. At left is the mansion in Zelazowa Wola where the composer was born, and at right is a reproduction of Mazurka in B minor, Op. 7 together with the signature of the artist. On the back is a landscape with characteristic Masovian willows and Chopin’s etude in F minor, Op. 10.

This is the fourth commemorative note issued by the NBP, all of which are sold exclusively for the collector market and are not intended for circulation. This latest commemorative went on sale 26 February 2010 at a price of 50 zloty (US$17.20) each.

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 Rafal Nogowczyk.

Tags: Poland

1,000 dollars (US$696), no date. Like Pick 43, but new signature (Goh Chok Tong), new issuer (Monetary Authority of Singapore), and two triangles below GOVERNMENT on back.

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

Courtesy of Vincent Tan.

Tags: Singapore

2 dollars (US$1.40), no date. Like Pick 46, but with two squares below EDUCATION on back.

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

Courtesy of Vincent Tan.

Tags: Singapore, Polymer

50 dollars (US$6.20), no date. Like Pick 29, but new signatures (Rick N. Houenipwela and Luma Darcy).

The Z prefix numerator means the note pictured above is a replacement.

Courtesy of Paul Nahmias.

Tags: Solomon Islands

200 dirhams (US$54.45).
Like Pick 31, but new date (2008), new signatures (Sheikh Hamad bin Rashid al Maktoum and Khalil Foulazi), and new coat of arms.

The new date, signatures, and coat of arms has now been confirmed on the 100-, 200-, and 1,000-dirham notes. If any of the other denominations have been issued, please send scans of same. Thanks!

Courtesy of Amirali Somji.

Tags: United Arab Emirates

500 pesos (US$39.05), 28 OCT. 2008. Like Pick 120, but new date, new signatures (unknown and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (AW).

Courtesy of Rickey Stein.

Tags: Mexico

200 pesos (US$15.60), 14 MAY. 2007. New date, new signatures (Guillermo Ortiz Martínez and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (E).


200 pesos (US$15.60), 14 MAY. 2007. New date, new signatures ( Everado Elizando Almaguer and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (F).


200 pesos (US$15.60), 20 NOV. 2007. New date, new signatures (Jesús Marcos Yacamán and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (G).


200 pesos (US$15.60), 20 NOV. 2007. New date, new signatures (unknown and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (H).

Courtesy of Rickey Stein.

Tags: Mexico

200 pesos (US$15.60), 14 MAY. 2007. Like Pick 119, but new date, new signatures (José Julian Sidaoui Dib and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (DN).

Courtesy of Rickey Stein.

Tags: Mexico

100 pesos (US$7.80), 28 ABR. 2008. Like Pick 118, but new date, new signatures (unknown and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (DZ).


100 pesos (US$7.80), 28 ABR. 2008. Like Pick 118, but new date, new signatures (unknown and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (EA).


100 pesos (US$7.80), 28 ABR. 2008. Like Pick 118, but new date, new signatures (Everado Elizando Almaguer and Raúl Valdés Ramons), and new series (EB).

Courtesy of Rickey Stein.

Tags: Mexico

According to a press release dated 13 January 2010, the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu plans to issue a new series of banknotes beginning with a polymer 10,000-vatu (US$100) note to be introduced in July 2010, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of independence. This will be the largest denomination in the country.

Governor Odo Tevi stated, “The existing note series has come under a lot of pressure over the years, particularly with regard to the lifespan and counterfeiting challenges. It is apparent that in recent years most countries in our region have modernized their currency, therefore it is considered appropriate that in the 30th year of independence, the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu takes steps to introduce a new modernized series of vatu banknotes.”

Courtesy of Leszek Porowski.

Tags: Vanuatu, Polymer

10 rupees (US$0.10), 2009. Like Pick 45, but new date and new signature of Syed Salim Raza, SBP Governor.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Pakistan

20 rupees (US$0.25), 2009. Like the Rs20 issued in 2007 and 2008, but new date and new signature of Syed Salim Raza, SBP Governor.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Pakistan

50 rupees (US$0.60), 2009. Like Pick 47, but new date and new signature of Syed Salim Raza, SBP Governor.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Pakistan

According to the minutes of a recent Sveriges Riksbank meeting dated 1 February 2010, the bank is working on a design of a new banknote and coin series. The bank also asked parliament to allow it to issue a 2-krona coin, replace the 20-krona note with a coin, and issue a 200-krona (US$27.85) note, a new denomination for the country. The timetable for the introduction of the new currency hasn’t been set, but a proposal has a new 50-krona note to be issued in 2013 with the other denominations issued 2014-2015.

Courtesy of Martin Rydberg.

Tags: Sweden

State Bank of Pakistan introduced a new 500-rupee (US$5.90) note on 25 January 2010. The new note bears the signature of Syed Salim Raza, SBP Governor. The new note is like Pick 49, which was introduced in 2006, except on right front it now features the Pakistani flag of a crescent and five-pointed star in green-to-magenta OVI. Both notes will circulate in parallel.

Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: Pakistan

According to a press release dated 17 February 2010, the Swiss National Bank has decided to postpone the issuance of its new banknote series:

“Intensive efforts are underway at the Swiss National Bank (SNB) on the preparatory work for its new banknote series. The project activities have revealed that additional development work will bring improvements as regards those technological security features which are being used for the first time. However, this will take time, and as a result the project will need to be rescheduled.

“The SNB still intends to replace existing banknotes with a new series. Given the high security standard of the banknote series currently in circulation, however, there is no urgent need for replacement. To allow time for the additional development processes, the SNB is postponing the issue date of the new banknote series, which had originally been scheduled for autumn 2010. The SNB expects that the first note of the new series can be issued in 2012.

“As mentioned in previous announcements, the new banknote series depicts Switzerland as a meeting place and platform for organisation, creativity, adventure, humanity, progress and dialogue. The current denominations of CHF 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 1,000 and the familiar colours of the individual denominations will remain unchanged, although the new notes will be slightly smaller than the current series. As well as improving their overall proportions, this will ensure that they are even better able to meet current and future demands on payment instruments.”

Courtesy of David Liu and Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Switzerland

According to a recent Jurnal.md article, banknotes bearing the signature of Dorin Drăguţanu, the new governor of the Banca Naţională a Moldovei (National Bank of Moldova), will enter circulation In mid-2010. Notes signed by the previous governor, Leonid Talmaci (shown above), will be culled from circulation as they wear out. On 6 November 2009, Dorin Drăguţanu was appointed by parliament to the office of governor for a seven-year term.

Courtesy of Alex Klark.

Tags: Moldova

10,000 to 500,000 dong. Like Pick 119-124, but new date (20)09.

Courtesy of Torsten Fuhlendorf.

Tags: Vietnam, Polymer

200 won, 2008. Violet. Front: Coat of arms; statue of woman with wheat and man with book riding Chollima (thousand mile horse) in Pyongyang. Back: Denomination and guilloché pattern. Solid security thread with printed text. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65. Intro: 30.11.2009.

Courtesy of Torsten Fuhlendorf.

Tags: North Korea

100 won, 2008. Green. Front: Coat of arms; mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Back: Denomination and guilloché pattern. Solid security thread with printed text. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65. Intro: 30.11.2009.

Courtesy of Torsten Fuhlendorf.

Tags: North Korea

200 pesos (US$15.45), 15 MAY. 2007. New date, new signatures (Jesús Marcos Yacamán and Raúl Valdés Ramos), and series D.

Courtesy of Ricardo G. Ramírez.

Tags: Mexico, Polymer

100 pesos (US$7.70), 20 NOV. 2007. Like Pick 108, but new date, new signatures (Jesús Marcos Yacamán and Raúl Valdés Ramos), and series DY.

Courtesy of Ricardo G. Ramírez.

Tags: Mexico

100 naira (US$0.70), 2009. Like Pick 28, but new date and new signature combo (Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido).

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria

According to a press release dated 10 February 2010, “Since discontinuing operations at Norges Bank’s Printing Works in the summer of 2007, Norwegian banknotes have been produced by De La Rue International Limited in the UK and Oberthur Technologies in France. The first 50-krone (US$8.45) notes printed abroad will soon be put into circulation. The notes are virtually identical to current 50-krone notes, informed Trond Eklund, director of the Cashier’s Department. The only difference is that the serial number on the new notes has a letter before the number. This change will also apply to other note denominations as those are put into circulation. The next denomination printed abroad will be the 500-krone (US$84.50) note, which is scheduled to be put into circulation at the end of 2010.”

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Tags: Norway

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

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

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

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. Intro: 30.11.2009.


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. Intro: 30.11.2009.

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

50 nuevos soles (US$17.50), Like Pick 180, but new date (21 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2006).

Anyone with Pick 180 dated 11.8.2005 is encouraged to send scans of same so that I can compare details between the new and old issues.

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Peru

100 rupees (US$2), 2009.
Like Pick 98, but new date (2008), new signature (D. Subbarao, Governor), and F inset letter.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: India

50 rupees (US$0.95)
Like Pick 97, but new date (2008), new signature (Dr. Y. V. Reddy, Governor), and E inset letter.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: India

100 dollars (US$12.85), 1 JANUARY 2008. Like Pick 209, but new date and new signature.

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Hong Kong

5 won, 2002. Blue, green, and purple. Front: Coat of arms; atomic symbol; man with glasses; boy with cap. Back: Dam. No security thread. Watermark: Mongnan (Seibold’s magnolia) flowers. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 65 mm. Intro: 30.11.2009.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: North Korea

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 Germany, Federal Republic of:

Pick 10
Pick 27

In addition to front and back scans, please submit the dimensions of the notes in millimeters.

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: Germany

1,000 rupees (US$13.65)
Like Pick 66, but without rhododendron printed atop watermark area. Introduced 8 January 2010.

Blue, brown, and green. Front: Mount Everest; goddess Bhagwati; Swayambhunath stupa and temple of goddess Harati; obverse of coin. Back: Elephant; bank logo. 4-mm wide windowed security thread with demetalized NRB. Watermark: Rhododendron. Printer: Unknown. 172 x 70 mm.

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 Claudio Marana, Ömer Yalcinkaya, and Shankar Shrestha.

Tags: Nepal

The Central Bank of Trinidad & Tobago introduced a new 100-dollar (US$15.80) note to commemorate the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that was held 27-29 November in the capital, Port of Spain.

The new notes is legal tender, circulating side-by-side with the current note of the same denomination (Pick 45). The commemorative note has all the security features of the current note, though there are two changes to the front:

• 60 years of the Commonwealth 1949-2009
• CHOGM logo in single color

On the reverse of the note are the following changes:

• CHOGM logo in full color
• Carnival sun image at the top of the note
• The Port-of-Spain International Waterfront Centre and the view of the city of Port-of-Spain in the background
• The oil rig has been shifted to the right of the note
• Larger $100 numeral at the top right of the note
• ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS in words at the bottom of the note.

Courtesy of Mark Allen and TDS.

Tags: Trinidad & Tobago

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 Trinidad and Tobago:

Pick 1
Pick 2
Pick 4
Pick 8-11
Pick 41 (signature 7)
Pick 43 (signature 7)
Pick 45 (signature 7)

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: Trinidad & Tobago

On 18 December 2009, the Central Bank of Paraguay introduced a new 2,000-guaraní (US$0.45) polymer note dated 2008, featuring portraits of educators Adela and Celsa Speratti on front, and a parade with flag-waving marchers on back. Printer: OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES.

Courtesy of Thomas Krause, Claudio Marana, Roman Boroznjak, and Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Paraguay, Polymer

5,000 francs (US$8.75), 01-02-2009. Like Pick 33, but new date, bank name and signature titles in Kinyarwanda, new registration device, and new color (yellow) at front center.

Courtesy of Richard Miranda and Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Rwanda

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 Rwanda:

Pick 1
Pick 2
Pick 4
Pick 5

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: Rwanda

10,000 francs (US$8.10), 01-07-2009. Like Pick 43, but new date and new signatures.

Courtesy of Richard Miranda and Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Burundi

2005-dated note (Pick 119a)


2008-dated note

This note was originally reported as a new date variety only, but it has recently been determined that there are sufficient changes to this note to qualify it as a new type.

10 lei (US$3.50), 1 decembrie 2008. Like Pick 119, but new date, paint brushes replace 10 on see-through window, new colors for various text elements and bank logo, and two-tone numerals 10 now monochrome. Polymer.

Courtesy of Thomas Krause and Andrew Quirke.

Tags: Romania, Polymer

10 pounds (US$1.85). Like Pick 64, but new security thread type and placement, and the watermark is of a pharaoh’s bust with electrotype 10 instead of Tutankhamen's mask. This note has been confirmed dated 13.03.2007, 15.04.2008, 27.04.2008, and 28.04.2008 (all dates appear in Arabic on the notes). The latest date variety confirmed for Pick 64 is 22.11.2006.

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 Alberto Fochi and Banknoteshop.

Tags: Egypt

20 pounds (US$3.65). New date 15.03.2009.



50 pounds (US$9.15). New date 25.03.2009.



100 pounds (US$18.35). New date 18.06.2009.

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 Ricardo Castedo and Banknoteshop.

Tags: Egypt

20 pesos (US$1.55), 14 MAY. 2007. New date, series E, and new signatures (Jesus Marcos Yacaman and Raul Valdes Ramons).

Courtesy of Thomas Krause and Richard Miranda.

Tags: Mexico, Polymer

In a press release dated 15 December 2009, Bangladesh Bank announced the 18.11.2009 introduction of a 1,000-taka (US$14.45) note signed by Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman. It appears to be a new date/signature variety only.

Additional information and images are requested.

Courtesy of Nat Denkin and Mohammed Islam.

Tags: Bangladesh

The following 1-, 2-, 5-, and 50-lempira notes dated 17 DE ABRIL DE 2008 (17.04.2008) have been confirmed with new signatures and, in some cases, new printer imprints. So far none of the other denominations from Honduras have been reported with this new date.


1 lempira (US$0.05), 17 DE ABRIL DE 2008. Like Pick 84, but new date, new signatures, and new printer imprint: OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES.


2 lempira (US$0.10), 17 DE ABRIL DE 2008. Like Pick 80A, but new date, new signatures, and new printer imprint: OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES.


5 lempira (US$0.25), 17 DE ABRIL DE 2008. Like Pick 85, but new date, new signatures, and new printer imprint: OBERTHUR TECHNOLOGIES.


50 lempira (US$2.65), 17 DE ABRIL DE 2008. Like Pick 94, but new date and new signatures.

Courtesy of Richard Miranda and Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Honduras

200 naira (US41.45), 2009. This note is like P29, but with new date (2009) and new signatures of Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido.

Another 2009 dated N200 note has been confirmed, but it has a different signature combination. Interestingly, on this new variety, the signatures, titles, and year are all printed in light brown ink whereas these elements have traditionally been printed in black ink.

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria

5 naira (US$0.05), 2009. This denomination has now been confirmed dated 2009 with two different GOVERNOR signatures (Chukwuma “Charles” Soludo and Lamido Aminu Sanusi), both paired with Benjamin C. Onyido as DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY AND BRANCH OPERATIONS.


10 naira (US$0.05), 2009. This denomination has now been confirmed dated 2009 with two different GOVERNOR signatures (Chukwuma “Charles” Soludo and Lamido Aminu Sanusi), both paired with Benjamin C. Onyido as DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY AND BRANCH OPERATIONS.


50 naira (US$0.35), 2009. This is the second note of this denomination dated 2009 with the signature combination of Lamido Aminu Sanusi and Benjamin C. Onyido. There appear to be varieties with six-digit serial numbers (as shown above) as well as seven-digit serial numbers, perhaps from different printers.

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo, Thomas Krause, and Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

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 Ethiopia:

Pick 1
Pick 2
Pick 3
Pick 4
Pick 5
Pick 7, 9, 10, and 11 dated other than 01.05.1932
Pick 13c
Pick 14c
Pick 15c
Pick 16a/b/c
Pick 17a/b
Pick 22a
Pick 23a
Pick 24a
Pick 39

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: Ethiopia