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

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

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

In a press release dated 3 March 2010, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indefinitely extended the terminal date for the circulation of the existing 5-, 10-, and 50-naira paper banknotes as legal tender, allowing them to circulate in parallel with polymer notes of the same denominations. “The Bank also wishes to reassure Nigerians that the N50 polymer banknotes, whether with 6-digits or 7-digits serial numbers were issued by the CBN and therefore genuine banknotes. The numbers on the notes are consistent with the numbering system adopted by the Bank. Both sets of banknotes are fortified with adequate security features which make counterfeiting difficult.”

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

According to a press release dated 25 February 2010, the Bank of Ghana will introduce a 2-cedi (US$1.40) note “in response to the need for an intermediary banknote between the GH¢1 and GH¢5 banknotes. This follows a review of the cash cycle conducted by the Bank in 2009, which indicated that there was a lot of pressure on the GH¢1, resulting in the notes circulating too fast and being over-used. The worn-out state of the GH¢1 defeats the Bank’s Clean Note Policy, which seeks to ensure that only good quality banknotes remain in circulation. The introduction of the new denomination will expand the series of banknotes in circulation, enhance exchangeability and facilitate transactions. The general public will be informed and educated on the theme, colour, size, security and other features of the new denomination when the design is finalized.”

Courtesy of Nazir Rahemtulla.

Tags: Ghana

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

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

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

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


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

Courtesy of John Silver.

Tags: Kenya

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



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

Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

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

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

Tags: Sierra Leone

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

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 Burundi:

Pick 3
Pick 6
Pick 7
Pick 14
Pick 18
Pick 19
Pick 22A
Pick 24
Pick 25
Pick 26

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: Burundi

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

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 (


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 7-11 dated other than 01.05.1932
Pick 13c
Pick 14c
Pick 15c
Pick 16a/b/c
Pick 17a/b
Pick 20a
Pick 22a
Pick 23a/b
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

100 maloti (US$12.80), 2009. Like Pick 19d, but new date.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Lesotho

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 Lesotho:

Pick 3A (20 maloti specimen dated 1979)

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: Lesotho

200 naira (US$1.30), 2009. Like Pick 29, but new date. There are also some very subtle differences in the design and engravings which may belie a change in printers between this and the 2008 dated note.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Nigeria

5 naira (US$0.03), 2009. Like Pick 32, but new date, new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi, GOVERNOR; Benjamin C. Onyido, DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY AND BRANCH OPERATIONS), and new titles.

Courtesy of 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 Nigeria:

Pick 1A
Pick 1B
all 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: Nigeria

50,000 dollars, 2008. Like Pick 74, but printed on paper with horizontal lines.

The only other denomination observed printed on lined paper is the 20,000-dollar note (Pick 73). Based upon the serial numbers reported so far, it appears the $20,000 note was first printed on lined paper, then switched to plain paper, whereas the $50,000 note appears to have been printed on plain paper first, then lined paper.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Zimbabwe

1,000 kwacha (US$0.25), 2009. Like P45, but new date and new printer imprint. Printer: SABN (South African Bank Note). Polymer.

Courtesy of Thomas Krause.

Tags: Zambia, Polymer

50 kwacha (US$0.01), 2009. Like Pick 37, but new date. Printer: DE LA RUE.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Zambia

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 Zambia:

Pick A1
Pick 11a and 11b
Pick 12b
Pick 13a
Pick 22A

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: Zambia

500 naira (US$4.30), 2009. Like P30, but new date, new signatures (Lamido Aminu Sanusi, GOVERNOR; Benjamin C. Onyido, DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY AND BRANCH OPERATIONS), and new titles.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Nigeria

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-Burundi:

Pick 4
Pick 5
Pick 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: Rwanda, Burundi, Rwanda-Burundi

10 dollars (US$1.35), no date. Like Pick 4, but 8-digit serial number with B prefix and no UV 10 at right front.


20 dollars (US$2.70), no date. Like Pick 6, but 8-digit serial number with H prefix.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Namibia

In an effort to raise some cash while I am working on my new catalog, I am selling some duplicate notes.

Click to download entire list of duplicates as Excel spreadsheet which also includes ordering instructions.

I have a small quantity of the note described below for sale at $10 each in perfect uncirculated condition.


Purple. Front: Bank of Somaliland building in Hargeisa; trees; camels. Back: Herdsmen with flock of sheep and goats on Berbera dock; ship; trucks. Windowed security thread. Watermark: None. Printer: Unknown. 145 x 66 mm. Signatures: Abdirahman Dualle Mahmoud and Abdi Mohamoud Gullet.

Tags: Somaliland

100 kwacha (US$0.02), 2009. Like Pick 38, but new date.

Courtesy of Thomas Krause and Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Zambia

20,000 shillings (US$10.65), 2009. Like Pick 46, but new date and new signatures.

Courtesy of Richard Miranda.

Tags: Uganda

On 27 August 2009, the Bank of Uganda announced that it would introduce a 1,000-shilling (US$0.50) note with a modified serial number format on 1 September 2009. The notes are like the current note of the same denomination (Pick 43), except that they carry serial numbers with a single prefx letter followed by seven digits, instead of the preceding two-letter prefix followed by six digits.

According to Raimondi Otim, deputy director of the currency department at BoU, “This is just a slight change in the numbering only, but the security features and the colurs of the notes remains the same. This development does not mean that the old Shs1,000 banknotes have ceased to be valid. The new Shs1,000 banknotes will be in circulation alongside the old banknotes,” he said.

Courtesy of Richard Miranda.

Tags: Uganda

5 dalasis (US$0.20), no date. Red. Front: Giant kingfisher bird; young Gambian girl. Back: Man with cattle in field; palm trees. Solid security thread printed THE GAMBIA. Watermark: Crocodile head. Printer: (TDLR). 132 x 69 mm. Introduced 16.04.2009. Like Pick 25, but new signatures: Governor Saho and First Deputy Governor Njai.

If anyone has the new D10 note also bearing these signatures, please send scans of same so that I can share them with others.

Courtesy of Richard Miranda.

Tags: Gambia

20 dollars (US$0.30)
Like Pick 28, but new date (2008).

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Liberia notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Liberia

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 Liberia:

Pick 8-17
Pick 19-20, 26-30 specimens

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: Liberia

5,000 kwacha (US$1.40), 2009. Like Pick 45, but new date.

Courtesy of Garry Craig.

Tags: Zambia

200 pounds (US$36.70). Like Pick 68, but dated (in Arabic) 13.01.2009, reduced in size (165 x 73 mm vs. 175 x 80 mm), and horizontal lines added at right and left edges on front.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: Egypt

200 pounds (US$36.70). Like Pick 68, but dated (in Arabic) 12.11.2007.

Courtesy of Alberto Fochi.

Tags: Egypt

According to a Daily Nation article dated 18 November 2009, Kenya’s coins and notes will not bear the portrait of any individual if the proposals in the new draft constitution of Kenya are adopted. The draft proposes "Notes and coins issued by the Central Bank of Kenya may bear images that depict or symbolise Kenya or an aspect of Kenya but may bear the portrait of any individual." This means that former presidents Jomo Kenyatta and Daniel Moi will be the only personalities to have had portraits on Kenya’s currency.

Kenyans have a month to make their contributions on what they think of the proposals before changes are made to the draft constitution. A referendum is scheduled for early March 2010. If the referendum agrees to adopt the constitution, it will see the Central Bank governor hold office for a term of six years instead of the current four years, and will no longer be eligible for re-appointment.

Courtesy of Aidan Work.

Tags: Kenya

The Bank of Uganda is reported to have issued new 50,000-shilling notes dated 2009.

Anyone possessing these notes with the ability to scan same is encouraged to send images.

Courtesy of Richard Miranda.

Tags: Uganda

I would like to report a counterfeit note: West African States Pick 314C 10,000 francs dated 2001.

I recently bought two pieces from a dealer at a reasonable price and later came across Burt Burson (an expert on French African notes) selling the same note as a counterfeit on eBay.

I think it is important to announce the fake ones. It will save some collectors from buying fake notes as genuine ones. Even I bought as genuine at first glance. Therefore I wrote this short warning:

COUNTERFEIT WARNING - West African States Pick 314C 10,000 francs dated 2001

• The most eye catching difference is the silver foil segmented security thread. The actual note has a very shiny one whereas the fake note has a rather dull one.
• The actual note has more lively and darker colors and the fake one has more pale colors and a lighter pink underprint.
• Signatures do not match with what should be in 2001. Both sides scans of a genuine note dated 2001 are shown to show that it has a different signature for "Le Président du Conseil des Ministres."
• Although it is a high quality counterfeit, the paper still feels not genuine with a careful touch.
• On a genuine note, the digit four in the serial number will be closed at top, but on fake notes the top of the four is open.

REAL
FAKE


REAL
FAKE


REAL
FAKE


REAL FAKE

Courtesy of Ömer Yalcinkaya.

Tags: West African States

10,000 francs (US$57.40). Like Pick 41, but now issued by BANQUE CENTRALE DE DJIBOUTI and watermark includes electrotype BCD.

Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Djibouti

Bank Al-Maghrib issued a 50-dirham (US$6.45) note in mid-October 2009 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the central bank. Apparently 4 million notes will be issued at face value.

This is the first commemorative banknote issued in Morocco. It was designed by Roger Pfund, the Swiss artist who has also designed notes for Switzerland, France, and the European Union.



The front of the 147 x 70 mm green note features portraits of Kings Mohammed VI, Hassan II, Mohammed V. The back depicts the headquarters of Bank Al-Maghrib in Rabat. The speech delivered in 1959 by Mohammed V at the opening of Bank Al Maghrib is microprinted in on the back.

Courtesy of Abdullah Beydoun and Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Morocco

50,000 kwacha (US$10.70). Like Pick 48, but new date (2009).

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 Ömer Yalcinkaya.

Tags: Zambia

According to an article in The Zimbabwean dated 16 October 2009, the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) has contracted with two foreign firms to print new banknotes. Governor Beno Ndulu said that the new notes would be in circulation by June 2010 and old notes will remain legal tender.

The country's current notes are printed by the German firm Giesecke & Devrient, but the Swedish company Crane Currency AB will print the new 500, 2,000, 5,000, and 10,000 shilling notes, while the UK-based De La Rue will print the new 1,000-shilling notes. The designs and security features have not been finalized.

Tags: Tanzania

According to an IOL.com article dated 17 October 2009, the South African Reserve Bank has refuted a rumor circulating via email claiming that the bank is about to issue a 500-rand (US$68) note.

Robertina Mbedzi, assistant communications practitioner at the Reserve Bank, said "The bank is currently not planning to issue a R500 note in the future and we are unaware of how this e-mail came about. South Africa has a family of five bank note denominations and the R200 note remains the highest denomination."

Tags: South Africa

20,000 kwacha (US$5.60). Like Pick 47, but new date (2009).

Orange. Front: Coat of arms; dove; holographic patch; mukwa tree; fish eagle perched on branch. Back: Black lechwe (kobus leche) antelope; men working pneumatic drill in mine; Freedom Statue in Lusaka. Windowed security thread with demetalized BOZ 20000. Watermark: Fish eagle, electrotype 20000 plus fish eagle, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 145 x 70 mm. Signature: Caleb M. Fundanga.

Courtesy of David Murcek.

Tags: Zambia

On 16 September 2009, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) announced plans to issue 1.9 billion new polymer notes in 5, 10, and 50 naira denominations, worth US$0.03, 0.06, and 0.32, respectively. President Umaru Yar’Adua launched the new notes on 30 September. 1.3 billion note were printed abroad, while the remaining 615 million were printed by the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting.

Governor Lamido Aminu Sanusi said, “The existing denominations of N5, N10, and N50 paper notes remain legal tender and will circulate side by side with the new polymer notes for the next six months. The new N5, N10, and N50 polymer notes have retained their current sizes, designs and other key elements. Only the watermark has been replaced with the transparent window and G-switch which turns from green to gold when the note is tilted."

The move to polymer is intended as a cost-savings measure since polymer notes last longer than paper notes, even though they are initially more expensive to produce.

The 5- and 10-naira notes are signed by the former governor, Chukwuma “Charles” Soludo, while the 50-naira note is signed by the present governor, Sanusi. Both are also signed by Benjamin C. Onyido as DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY AND BRANCH OPERATIONS.







Courtesy of Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

During the 30 September 2009 introduction of the new 5-, 10-, and 50-naira polymer banknotes, the Central Bank of Nigeria said it may eventually issue 500- and 1,000-naira notes printed on polymer, although the focus is now on the lower denominations since they are more widely used than the higher denominations.

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 Somalia:

Pick 6
Pick 7
Pick 8
Pick 9
Pick 10

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: Somalia

50 maloti (US$4.55). Like Pick 17, but new date, new signature (Moeketsi Senaoana), the colors are more vibrant, the watermark of the coat of arms now includes the denomination (not electrotype), as well as Cornerstones, and a windowed security thread. Printer: (TDLR).

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 Ricardo Castedo.

Tags: Lesotho

According to an AllAfrica article, the Bank of Tanzania governor Benno Ndulu reported admitted that the bank is aware that its currency notes are being used to enhance the strength of narcotic drugs. Apparently drug addicts are scraping off the holographic security strip on notes and mixing the powder with drugs such as heroin.

I'm not aware of any psychoactive ingredients used in the manufacture of banknotes or holographic security strips. It appears more likely that drug-addled users are deluding themselves into believing that the silvery flakes are enhancing their highs, or that dealers are using the flakes to brand their wares.

Tags: Tanzania

On 25 July 2009, the Central Bank of Tunisia introduced a new 50-dinar (US$37.65) note.

Green and purple. Front: La Cite de la Culture (The City of Culture) building; scholar Ibn Rachiq. Back: Rades-La Goulette suspension bridge over canal; planes and jetways at Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Enfidha Airport terminal. Holographic stripe. Windowed security thread with demetalized 50 DINARS BCT. Watermark: Ibn Rachiq and electrotype 50. Printer: Unknown. 167 x 80 mm. Dated 2008.11.07.
Signed by Taoufik Baccar, governor; and Hedi Zar, vice-governor.

Courtesy of Cleophas Elmakias Schockemohle, Jan Stuller, and TDS.

Tags: Tunisia

On 3 September 2009, the Bank of Botswana acknowledged that a small number of the new 100-pula (US$14.95) notes have been issued with a thin plastic layer over the holographic stripe. The plastic, which should have been removed by the printer during manufacturing, can be peeled off the note, removing part of the word Botswana in the process. The affected banknotes remain legal tender.

Tags: Botswana

The Bank of Botswana introduced a new family of banknotes on 21 August 2009. The notes officially enter circulation 23 August, though they may not be available to the public until 24 August. The introduction of the new banknotes follows a comprehensive review of the current banknotes in order to bring them in line with current trends. In the development of the new banknotes, the Bank has used the latest technology in banknote design that incorporates the latest security features.

In addition to the current denomination structure comprising P10, P20, P50 and P100, the new P200 banknote was introduced. All of the notes are printed by TDLR and carry the printer's imprint and the date 2009 on the back. The features of the new banknotes are as follows:


P10 Banknote
The P10 banknote retains the green colour, albeit toned down and the rampant zebra watermark. The portrait of former President Mogae is replaced by that of His Excellency President Lt General Seretse Khama Ian Khama. On the reverse side, the picture of the national assembly building is retained.


P20 Banknote
The P20 banknote retains the current red colour, albeit toned down and the rampant zebra watermark. The portrait of the composer of the national anthem, Dr K T Motsete, is retained. Similarly, the picture of the mining installation on the reverse side is retained.


P50 Banknote
The banknote retains the current brown colour and the portrait of Sir Seretse Khama as the founding President. On the reverse side, the Okavango Delta swamps, the man on a boat and the fish eagle are retained. The rampant zebra watermark is also retained.


P100 Banknote
The P100 banknote retains the blue colour, the rampant zebra watermark and the portrait of the three chiefs. On the reverse side, the open pit diamond mine and the lady examining a diamond are retained; some artwork has been introduced for a more modern appearance.


P200 Banknote
The new P200 banknote is purple in colour with the rampant zebra watermark. The portrait in the front of the banknote is an art work of a woman teaching pupils. The concept is intended to underscore the contribution of women in the country’s development through education; it can also be interpreted in other ways, such as the important social role played by mothers in nation building (Go ruta mosadi ke go ruta setshaba). On the reverse side, there is a picture of a herd of zebras at a waterhole.

It is important that members of the public familiarise themselves with the new banknote security features when they (banknotes) are issued. The public is also requested to be vigilant in ensuring that only genuine banknotes are in circulation or in their possession at all times.

The existing banknotes will be withdrawn from circulation when the new banknotes are introduced. The public will be required to exchange what would be the old banknotes for equivalent value of new banknotes at designated places, such as commercial banks, Botswana Savings Bank outlets and Botswana Building Society branches and offices countrywide over a period of three months. After the three months period, what will then be old banknotes will be exchanged for new ones only at the Bank of Botswana banking halls in Gaborone and Francistown, for a period of five years to December 31, 2014. After December 31, 2014, all old banknotes will be demonetised and cease to be legal tender.

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 Ny Andry Ranaivosolo.

Tags: Botswana

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 St. Helena:

Pick 1
Pick 2
Pick 3
Pick 4

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: St. Helena

La Banque de la République du Burundi has introduced new 500- (US$0.40) and 1,000-franc (US$0.80) notes, both dated 01-05-09 and bearing the same signature combinations. The designs are the same as Pick 38 and Pick 39, respectively, but the sizes have been reduced to 132 x 67 mm and 137 x 69 mm.



Courtesy of Richard Miranda and Rui Manuel Palhares.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Burundi notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Burundi

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 Comoros:

Pick A1
Pick 1
Pick 1A
Pick 1B
Pick 1C
Pick 2a
Pick 4a dated 30-6-1950

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: Comoros

On 22 June 2009, the Central Bank of Tunisia introduced a new 5-dinar (US$3.70) note. The note is similar to Pick 86, but with new date (2008), new signatures, vertical serial number at right, windowed security thread, Omron rings, more durable paper, elements for the sight-impaired, UV printing, electrotype 5 watermark and Cornerstones. Printed by TDLR without imprint.




Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: Tunisia

The following note dated 28.11.1975 is a recently-discovered unissued 100-ouguiya specimen, printed by TDLR without imprint, but this specimen bears the TDLR oval overprints in opposing corners on front and back.

Anyone with additional information about this specimen is encouraged to share same.

FYI, an unissued 200-ouguiya specimen dated 1977-6-29, also printed by TDLR, has been confirmed, but I am seeking the owner of same so that I may obtain suitable images to share.



Courtesy of Jean-Michel Engels.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Mauritania notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Mauritania

2,000 shillings (US$1.50). Like Pick 37, but new signatures opf the minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Mustafa Mkulo, and Governor Benno Ndulu.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts and

Tags: Tanzania

10 maloti (US$1.55), 2009. Like Pick 15, but new date (2009), new signature (E. M. Matekane, GOVERNOR), and Cornerstone watermarks.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Lesotho

The following notes have been confirmed dated 2009 and signed by Chukwuma “Charles” Soludo, GOVERNOR and Ben Onyido, DIRECTOR OF CURRENCY AND BRANCH OPERATIONS. If anyone has other denominations dated 2009, please send scans of same so that I can share them with others.

Incidentally, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Aminu Sanusi formally took over as the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria on 4 June 2009. He assumes the post from Ernest Ebi, the acting governor. As such, it’s reasonable to expect that new signature varieties will be forthcoming.


10 naira (US$0.05)
Like Pick 33, but new date (2009).


20 naira (US$0.15)
Like Pick 34, but new date (2009).


100 naira (US$0.65)
Like Pick 28, but new date (2009).


500 naira (US$3.60)
Like Pick 30, but new date (2009).

Courtesy of Sejin Ahn and Arigo Avbovbo.

Tags: Nigeria

The governor of the South African Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, is scheduled to step down in November. Mboweni, the first black man in the formerly racially segregated South Africa to have his signature on a South African banknote, is to be replaced by Gill Marcus, chairwoman of the South African commercial bank Absa. Mboweni has held the post of governor since 1999. His departure clears the way for a new signature variety for South Africa.

Tags: South Africa

This 50-franc note is like Pick 22a, dated 15.5.1968, but the signature titles are L’ADMINISTRATEUR and LE PRESIDENT. According to the SCWPM, this date should have titles as LE VICE-PRESIDENT and LE PRESIDENT. If anyone has this note with the titles as described in the SCWPM, please send scans to confirm.

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 Christos.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Burundi notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Burundi

I’m researching an interesting 1998 note variety for Guinea. As you can see, both 500-franc notes (Pick 36) shown below are dated 1998. However, the note with the AO prefix has a signature variety that’s different from the signature combination on the note with the FB prefix. The odd thing about this discovery is that the second combo is found on all other denominations in the 1998 series, as well as the 1985 series before it, and the 2006-present series.

The SCWPM doesn’t include any mention of signature varieties for Guinea, but my new catalog does. I have seen it on the 100-franc note from 1998 (prefix AT), but not on the 1,000- or 5,000-franc notes (both AA). So, if you have this (or any other previously unlisted variety) signature on other notes, please send me 300-dpi scans of same.

I’d also appreciate any help in explaining this short-lived signature combination, as well as identification of the signatories by name.

Finally, I notice that the 15th edition of the SCWPM has drastically dropped the values for Guinea specimens P13-P15 as well as P20-P28. If anyone has any thoughts on the accuracy of the new pricing, I’m all ears.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Guinea notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.





Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Guinea

This 20-dinar (US$16) note was introduced 3 March 2009.



Courtesy of Claudio Marana.

Tags: Libya

In trying to complete my catalog chapter for Tanzania, I have managed to compile images of every note type and variety with the exception of Pick 20a. According to the SCWPM, this 200-shilling note was issued in 1992 with the modified portrait of President Ali Hassan Mwinyi (see P20b below, with signature 8) and signature 7 of Cleopa David Msuya and Gilman Rutihinda (shown at bottom below, taken from P18b).

I have searched every web site and dealer inventory list I have at my disposal and yet have never been able to find Tanzania Pick 20a. So, is this yet another example of Krause including a listing for a note that doesn’t exist as described, or can someone please confirm it was actually issued by sending a scan of same? I welcome any and all input or leads for a definitive answer.

Tags: Tanzania

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 Mauritania:

Pick 4: 100 ouguiya dated 28.11.1983
Pick 6: 500 ouguiya dated 28.11.1989
Pick 7: 1,000 ouguiya dated 28.11.1989

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: Mauritania

The following note dated 28.11.1981 is a recently-discovered unissued 1,000-ouguiya specimen, apparently printed by G&D without imprint. Taking into consideration that the new SCWPM lists another unissued specimen dated 1977-6-26 by TDLR (Pick 3A), it appears plausible that Banque Centrale de Mauritanie had put out a tender for security printers to propose new designs to replace the 1974 series of notes. Neither of these specimens were approved, and the old series continued in use with date and signature changes through 2002.

Anyone with additional information about either of these specimens is encouraged to share same. I’m particularly interested in identifying the bearded man in the portrait of this note; it’s the same image used as the watermark for all notes except the original 1973 series. Also, can anyone translate the signature titles magnified below?





Courtesy of Weldon D. "Burt" Burson.

Tags: Mauritania

The following 50- and 100-birr notes are identical to Pick 51 and 52, respectively, except for the new date of 2008. According to the National Bank of Ethiopia, the other denominations were not and will not be issued with this date.

Please note that the AK prefix on the 50-birr note (US$4.40) represents an overlap in serial prefixes with the 2006 date, which is available in AK and in AL. Normally prefixes in Ethiopian notes continue the progression (the only other example of this that I know of is 100-birr Pick 34 where the serial prefixes for varieties a and b overlap).

For the current designs, replacement notes (AZ) have been confirmed for 100-birr notes (US$8.80) dated 2000 and 2004. If anyone has information regarding other replacements, please send an email with scans to confirm.





Courtesy of Chris Hall.

Tags: Ethiopia

The first set of images below are Pick 92, the 10,000-ariary (US$5.10) note issued in March 2007. The second set is of a new type, as it no longer has any references to francs on the front or back. Also, the signature is new, too.





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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Madagascar

10,000 shillings (US$4.75)
Like Pick 45, but new date (2009).

P.S. Be aware than the 15th edition of the SCWPM incorrectly includes the 2004-dated note as Pick 45a when in fact it is a variety of Pick 41. The difference between the two types is evident when examining the denomination in the lower left front.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Uganda

50 shillings (US$0.01)
Like Pick 7c, but new date (2002).

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Somaliland

10,000 dinars
Brown. Front: Presidential Palace building in Khartoum; leaf; frond. Back: Wheat; coat of arms; water jugs; unknown building with palm trees. Windowed security thread with demetalized BANK OF SUDAN and Arabic text. Watermark: Domed building. Printer: Unknown. 140 x 65 mm.
١٩٩٦ (1996). Signature TK. Specimen with diagonal red SPECIMEN overprint. Unissued.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Sudan

According to a press release from the Central Bank of The Gambia, on 16 April 2009, the bank “issued into circulation new D5 and D10 banknotes [US$0.20 and 0.40]. This is the first series of banknotes issued by the Bank since the appointment of Governor Momodou Bamba Saho [on 01.08.2007] and First Deputy Governor Basiru A. O. Njai. The new notes bearing the signatures of Governor Saho and First Deputy Governor Njai, are a reprint of the current design banknotes [Pick 25 and 26]. The design and features of these banknotes are similar to the current family of new design banknotes introduced in 2006. The new D5 and D10 banknotes will circulate side by side with the current existing banknotes. All current existing banknotes continue to be legal tender.”

If anyone has the new D10 note, please send scans of same so that I can share them with others.

Tags: Gambia

20 pula (US$2.85), 2008. Like Pick 25, but new date. Printer: De La Rue.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Botswana

5 dollars (US$0.10)
Like Pick 26, but new date (2006) and new signatures (Antoinette Sayeh, MINISTER OF FINANCE; J. Mills Jones, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR).

If anyone has the $100 denomination dated 2006. please let me know.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Liberia notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Liberia

20 dollars (US$0.30)
Like Pick 23, but new date (2002) and new signatures (Lusinee Kamara, MINISTER OF FINANCE; Elie E. Saleeby, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR).

If anyone has other denominations dated 2002, please let me know. A $50 note has been confirmed, so I am wondering if the $5, $10, or $100 was also issued dated 2002.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Liberia notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Liberia

50 dollars (US$0.80)
Like Pick 29, but new date (2008) and new signatures (Antoinette Sayeh, MINISTER OF FINANCE; J. Mills Jones, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR).


100 dollars (US$1.60)
Like Pick 30, but new date (2008) and new signatures (Antoinette Sayeh, MINISTER OF FINANCE; J. Mills Jones, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR).

If anyone has other denominations dated 2008, please let me know.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Liberia notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Liberia

A complete specimen set of Ghana’s current banknote issues (dated 1st July 2007) has been reported and confirmed. These specimens have diagonal red SPECIMEN overprints and all-zero serial numbers.

Courtesy of Leszek Porowski.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Ghana notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Ghana

On 3 May 2009, the Sudanese News Agency reported that Sudan’s government said it would print new currency for the Somali government. The finance minister of the Somali government, Sharif Hassan Sheik Adan, met in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum on April 29, to talk with Sudan’s minister for finance, Dr. Awad Ahmed Jazmet, who said that Sudan will help Somalia with the development of financial constitutions and would renew trade relations between the two countries. Currently the only banknote circulating in Somalia is the 1,000-shiling note (Pick 37; face value of US$0.70), which has been reprinted without authorization by Somali businessmen. No word yet on when new notes would enter circulation, nor what denominations would be printed.

Tags: Sudan, Somalia

The Central Bank of Burundi issued new 2,000- and 5,000-franc notes (US$1.60 and US$4.05, respectively) on April 7, 2009. The new notes are said to be “impossible to forge.” The existing notes of these denominations will remain legal tender until September 30, 2009. The basic designs of the new notes are unchanged, but they are physically smaller (140 x 71 mm for the Fr2,000 and 145 x 73 mm for the Fr5,000) and use Cornerstone watermarks, revealing that they are printed by De La Rue. The bank’s governor, Gaspard Sindayigaya, said that the nation’s smaller denominations notes could also be reissued.



NL 2,000 francs
Green and blue. Front: Holographic cattle head patch; coat of arms; boys picking tea leaves in field. Back: Lake. Windowed security thread with demetalized BRB. Watermark: Cattle and Cornerstones. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 140 x 71 mm. 01-12-2008. Signature unknown. Introduced 07.04.2009.



NL 5,000 francs
Olive green and violet. Front: Holographic cattle head patch; coat of arms; modern building. Back: Ships, cranes, and building on a dock. Windowed security thread with demetalized BRB. Watermark: Cattle. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 145 x 73 mm. 01-12-2008. Signature unknown. Introduced 07.04.2009.

Courtesy of Page’s Coins and Currency.

Tags: Burundi

Like Pick 43, but new date (2008) and new signatures (Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, GOVERNOR; Chris Manyindo Kassami, SECRETARY).

1,000 shillings (US$0.45)
Green and brown. Front: Farmer with hoe; coat of arms; corn stalks; bank emblem. Back: Two trucks; grain elevators. Holographic stripe. Solid security thread with demetalized 1000. Watermark: Crested crane. Printer: Unknown. 150 x 75 mm.


Like Pick 44, but new date (2008) and new signatures (Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, GOVERNOR; Chris Manyindo Kassami, SECRETARY).

5,000 shillings (US$2.30)
Violet. Front: Lake Bunyonyi and terraces; silver foil leaves; coat of arms; leaves; bank emblem; equator monument near Masaka. Back: Railroad cars and Kaawa ferry; coffee bush. Holographic stripe. Solid security thread with demetalized 5000. Watermark: Crested crane. Printer: Unknown. 150 x 75 mm.


Like Pick 45, but new date (2008) and new signatures (Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, GOVERNOR; Chris Manyindo Kassami, SECRETARY).

10,000 shillings (US$4.60)
Green and red. Front: Musical instruments; coat of arms; bank emblem. Back: Owen Falls dam and Nalubaale Power Station in Jinja; kob (antelope). Holographic stripe. Solid security thread with demetalized 10000. Watermark: Crested crane, electrotype 10000, and Cornerstones. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 156 x 76 mm.



Like Pick 46, but new date (2008) and new signatures (Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, GOVERNOR; Chris Manyindo Kassami, SECRETARY).

20,000 shillings (US$9.25)
Green. Front: Crested crane; coat of arms; bank emblem. Back: Parliament building in Kampala. Holographic stripe. Solid security thread with demetalized 20000. Watermark: Coat of arms. Printer: Unknown. 160 x 78 mm.


Like Pick 47, but new date (2008) and new signatures (Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile, GOVERNOR; Chris Manyindo Kassami, SECRETARY).

50,000 shillings (US$23.10)
Brown. Front: National Independence monument in Kampala; coat of arms; bank emblem; pineapple. Back: Four workers picking cotton in field. Holographic stripe. Solid security thread with demetalized 50000. Watermark: Coat of arms and electrotype 50000. Printer: Unknown. 160 x 80 mm.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts and others.

Tags: Uganda

According to a BBC News article dated April 12, 2009, Zimbabwe has suspended the use of the Zimbabwe dollar for at least a year following the legalization of foreign currencies (most notably the United States dollar and South African rand). "There was nothing to support the value of the Zimbabwean dollar," admitted Economic Planning Minister Elton Mangoma. As previously reported on this site, the use of foreign currency has been allowed since January to combat the hyper-inflation that quickly devastated the value of all Zimbabwean dollar-denominated notes, no matter how large. The legal and widespread use of foreign currency has coincided with consumer prices falling for three months in a row. The state-controlled Sunday Mail newspaper said the unity government of Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai decided the Zimbabwe dollar should only be reintroduced when industrial output reaches about 60 percent of capacity from the current 20 percent average.

Tags: Zimbabwe

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 Ghana:

Pick 3, 5 pounds dated 1st JULY 1958
Pick 26, 100 cedis dated 19th SEPTEMBER 1991
all specimens (except Franklin Mint and 2007 issues)
all color trials for Pick 5 - Pick 9A

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: Ghana

50 dollars (US$0.80)
Like Pick 24, but new date (2002) and new signatures (Lusinee Kamara, MINISTER OF FINANCE; Elie E. Saleeby, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR).

If anyone has other denominations dated 2002, please let me know. A $20 note has been confirmed, so I am wondering if the $5, $10, or $100 was also issued dated 2002.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Liberia notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Liberia

10 dollars (US$0.15)
Like Pick 27, but new date (2006) and new signatures (Antoinette Sayeh, MINISTER OF FINANCE; J. Mills Jones, EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR).

If anyone has other denominations (except $50) dated 2006, please let me know.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Liberia notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Liberia

20 maloti (US$3.05), 2005. Like P16, but new date and new signature (E. M. Matekane, GOVERNOR).





20 maloti (US$3.05), 2007 and 2009. Like Pick 16, but new dates, new signature (Dr. M. Senaoana, GOVERNOR), windowed security thread, and electrotype 20 added to arms watermark. Six-digit serial number with single- and double-letter prefixes.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts and Page’s Coins and Currency.

Tags: Lesotho

10,000 francs (US$2)
Green, blue, and brown. Front: Young girl; coat of arms; three shells and pineapple. Back: Field with trees; “Lady of Maali” rock formation on Mount Loura. 3-mm red-to-green windowed security thread with demetalized 10000 GNF. Watermark: Young girl, electrotype RG, and Cornerstones. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 153 x 78 mm. 2008. Signature 4.

This note is very similar to 2007 type, but with subtle changes to the design on both sides.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Guinea

10,000 leones (US$3.20)
Like Pick 29, but new date (4th AUGUST 2007).

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Sierra Leone

These notes, all issued 3 March 2009, are like the preceding issues of the same denominations (and are of the same physical sizes), but with reworked designs and enhanced security features. The 20-dinar note is said to have been officially introduced on the same date, but is not yet widely available in circulation as apparently the central bank has a good stock of the older style 20-dinar notes.


1 dinar (US$0.80)
Blue. Front: Muammar Qaddafi. Back: Mosque. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Muammar Qaddafi and electrotype 1. Printer: Unknown. 140 x 70 mm. No date. Signature Farhat O Bengdara. Introduced 03.03.2009.


5 dinars (US$3.90)
Red. Front: Two camels. Back: Monument. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Camels and electrotype 5. Printer: Unknown. 150 x 75 mm. No date. Signature Farhat O Bengdara. Introduced 03.03.2009.


10 dinars (US$7.80)
Green. Front: Omar el-Mukhtar. Back: Fortress and crowd. Windowed security thread with demetalized text. Watermark: Omar el-Mukhtar and electrotype 10. Printer: Unknown. 156 x 78 mm. No date. Signature Farhat O Bengdara. Introduced 03.03.2009.

If anyone can identify the precise names and locations of the structures on the backs, please share this information.

Courtesy of Abdullah Beydoun.

Tags: Libya

According to an article in The Citizen dated 21 March 2009, the Bank of Tanzania confirmed that Sh34 million (US$26,000) in “calibrated” bills was stolen in transit from Germany to Dar es Salaam. BoT Governor Benno Ndulu refuted earlier media reports that the stolen money was a consignment of new Sh10,000 banknotes printed by the German security printer Giesecke & Devrient, which is also under contract to print new Sh500 and, Sh1,000, and Sh2,000 notes.

Tags: Tanzania

Does anyone know the significance of the roses which made their first appearance on Pick 19? I suspect it may be the symbol of the political party of President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, but would like to know for certain.



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?



Please post a comment or send me an email if you can positively identify any of these objects/buildings above. Educated guesses are welcome, but I am looking for definitive answers supported by citations if possible.

Tags: Kenya

Like Pick 34, but dated 2007 with 6-digit serial number. Previously reported 2007-dated N20 has 7-digit serial number.

Courtesy of Thomas Krause.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

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.

Tags: Uganda

20 emalangeni (US$2), 01:04:2006. Like P30, but new date and signature 11 (Majorzi V. Sithole, MINISTER FOR FINANCE; Martin S. Dlamini, GOVERNOR). Printer: FRANÇOIS-CHARLES OBERTHUR.

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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

P.S. Be aware that I am still looking for scans of several Swaziland notes for my catalog. Please help if you can.

Tags: Swaziland

According to an article in The New Times dated March 6, 2009, the National Bank of Rwanda (BNR) has announced that the 100-franc note (US$0.20) will cease to be legal tender starting December 31, 2009. The notes may be exchanged for other notes and coins. BNR Governor Francois Kanimba said that the 100-franc notes currently in circulation are very old (they were first introduced in 2003) and that the central bank has stopped issuing them to the public.

Tags: Rwanda

Like P65, but new date (14.06.2007) and new signature.

Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

Tags: Egypt

100 pounds (US$17.80). Like P67, but new date (10.09.2007), new signature (El-Okdah), and new watermark (Sphinx).

Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson.

Tags: Egypt

Like P66, but new date (03.03.2008) and new signature.

Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

Tags: Egypt

The following two notes, both dated 2004, have been confirmed with a new signature variety (Frederic Rasamoely). If anyone knows the date of introduction, please share that information.





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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Madagascar

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 Seychelles:

Pick A1-A6
Pick 1-7
Pick 9
Pick 10

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: Seychelles

This note is like Pick 38, but it has a silver foil swordfish in the upper right front. Also, at 2 mm the security thread is twice as wide as that on the older note.




50 rupees (US$3)
Green, brown, and lilac. Front: Coat of arms; map; angel fish; paille en queue orchids; turtle; silver foil swordfish. Back: Cowrie shells; cars; clock tower in Victoria; yellow-fin tuna fish; tiomitio bird. Windowed security thread with demetalized CBS. Watermark: Turtle. Printer: Unknown. 150 x 75 mm. No date. Signature: Francis Chang Leng, GOVERNOR. Introduced early 2005.

Tags: Seychelles

According to a BBC News report dated January 29, 2009, while delivering the annual budget to parliament, acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced, “In line with the prevailing practices by the general public, [the] government is therefore allowing the use of multiple foreign currencies for business transactions alongside the Zimbabwean dollar.” Previously only licensed businesses could accept foreign currencies, although it was common practice in the black market.

According to a report in The Zimbabwe Times dated February 2, 2009, Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, says that Fidelity Printers can churn out only two million notes per day, an amount insufficient to meet the public’s demand for currency. Nonetheless, the country has announced that it is yet again revaluing the dollar, this time by removing 12 zeros. That means the highest denomination in the “old” money, Z$100 trillion, is now equal to Z$100. New notes are available in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and 500 dollars. They all feature a color-shift stripe with RBZ, a color-shift Zimbabwe bird, and chevrons as registration devices. The older notes will circulate in parallel until June 30, 2009.










Courtesy of Thomas Krause, Aidan Work, Abdullah Beydoun, and Paul Nahmias.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Zimbabwe

According to a BBC News report dated January 29, 2009, while delivering the annual budget to parliament, acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced, “In line with the prevailing practices by the general public, [the] government is therefore allowing the use of multiple foreign currencies for business transactions alongside the Zimbabwean dollar.” Previously only licensed businesses could accept foreign currencies, although it was common practice in the black market. Although it is not clear if the local currency will still be printed, it’s possible that this move marks the end of an era for Zimbabwe.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Zimbabwe

On December 22, 2008, Luís de Sousa, the governor of the Banco Central de Sao Tomé e Príncipe introduced a new 100,000-dobra note (US$6), the largest denomination ever for the tiny African island country. The notes are said to have 21 security features, though they have not been described.


100,000 dobras (US$5.75)
Light blue, green, and dark red. Front: Lines from Tenreiro’s poem “In Coração em África” (Courage in Africa); papagaio-cinz (gray parrot); leaves; coat of arms; compass rose; poet Francisco José Tenreiro; silver foil open book. Back: Men in costumes with shields standing before monument, celebrating Auto de Floripes in the city of Santo António on the island of Príncipe. Two security threads with demetalized BCSTP. Watermark: Rei Amador. Printer: DE LA RUE. 146 x 67 mm. 03 de Junho de 2005. Signatures: Adelino Castelo David, MINISTRO DO PLANEAMENTO E FINANCAS; Maria do Carmo Trovoada Silveira, GOVERNADORA DO BANCO CENTRAL. Introduced 22.12.2008.

Courtesy of Manuel Pires Horta Rosa.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: St. Thomas & Prince

At the beginning of this week, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced 20- and 50-billion-dollar notes, and today, just four days later, it has unveiled even larger, record-breaking denominations: 10-, 20-, 50-, and 100-trillion-dollar notes. The 10-trillion-dollar note is going into circulation immediately (January 16, 2009), with the others to be introduced gradually.










"The $10 trillion note has the image of the RBZ building and the Conical Tower at the Great Zimbabwe National Monuments," says the state-run Herald newspaper. "The $100 trillion note has the image of a buffalo and the Victoria Falls, the $50 trillion the Kariba Dam spilling and an elephant, while a mineworker drilling in an underground shaft and the GMB grain silos appear on the new $20 trillion note."

The new notes have the same security features as the existing ones: a color-shift stripe printed RBZ, a color-shift Zimbabwe Bird, and the denominations as registration devices.

The 100-trillion-dollar note (that’s 100,000,000,000,000) could buy 20 loaves of bread at current rates, but the Washington think-tank Cato Institute has estimated inflation is running at 89.7 sextillion percent—a figure expressed with 21 zeroes—so vendors adjust prices almost constantly.

Courtesy of Abdullah Beydoun, Thomas Augustsson, Wally Myers, and Frank van Tiel.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Zimbabwe

According to a Le Potential report dated December 23, 2008, the Banque Centrale du Congo intends to issue new high-denomination—1,000 to 20,000 francs—notes in the first half of 2009. At present the largest note is a 500-franc note (Pick 96) worth approximately US$1. A 20,000-franc note would be worth US$40.

Tags: Congo Democratic Republic

According to an article in The Citizen dated 8 January 2009, “The Bank of Tanzania (BoT) plans a major change of the country’s currency notes…The central bank has in a notice published in the media last month, and also posted on its website, invited tenders for the printing of the currency notes… The central bank’s invitation of tenders means that Thomas De La Rue, which has been printing Tanzanian currency, is not guaranteed continuation of the contract…The plan to change the currency, the sources said, was also partly due to the central bank’s desire to remove from the notes the signatures of two former officials implicated in various scandals. The current notes bear the signatures of former BoT Governor Daudi Ballali, who was sacked by President Jakaya Kikwete after it was revealed by an international audit firm, Ernst & Young, that the BoT lost Sh133 billion under his watch. The notes also bear the signature of former Finance Minister Basil Mramba, who is facing abuse of office charges at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam.”

Tags: Tanzania

On January 12, 2009, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced another pair of new high-denomination notes, coinciding with the lifting of withdrawal restrictions this week. The design of the new 20-billion-dollar note includes the Chiremba balancing rocks in Epworth on the front. The back depicts the RBZ headquarters building and the Great Zimbabwe ruins. The new 50-billion-dollar note was worth US$1.25 at Monday's black market exchange rate. A week ago, Z$50 billion was worth US$2.20, and two weeks ago it was worth US$3.30.







Courtesy of Abdullah Beydoun.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Zimbabwe

1,000 francs (US$1.80), 01.02.2008. Like P31, but new date and new bank name on front.




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 banknoteshop@gmx.net.

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 Guinea:

Pick 5
Pick 15A
Pick 1-42 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!

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Guinea

In what seems to be a weekly occurrence, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced another batch of new high-denomination notes on December 19, 2008, in a futile attempt to keep ahead of the highest inflation in the world (officially at 231 million percent, but independent estimates are 500 quintillion percent). The highest denomination (for now) is a new 10-billion-dollar note worth approximately US$20 on the black market when introduced yesterday. The bank also issued new 1- and 5-billon-dollar notes. Hyperinflation in Zimbabwe is so bad that prices double daily and most goods are in short supply.








Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

On December 14, 2008, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced two new high-denomination notes.



200,000,000 dollars
Brown. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks in Epworth; cow. Back: Parliament building; Heroes’ Acre. Unknown security thread. Watermark: None. Printer: Unknown. 148 x 74 mm. 2008. Signature 5. Introduced 14.12.2008.



500,000,000 dollars
Purple. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks in Epworth; cow. Back: Palm trees; workers milking cows; miner with jackhammer. Iridescent stripe with repeating RBZ. No security thread. Watermark: None. Printer: Unknown. 148 x 74 mm. 2008. Signature 5. Introduced 14.12.2008.

Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

According to an African Press Agency report dated 10 December 2008, the Bank of Mauritius plans to introduce polymer banknotes as a cost-cutting measure. The press release from the bank in Port Louis indicates that even though it costs US$0.50 to manufacture a polymer note versus US$0.05 for a paper note, the polymer notes have a lifespan of 20 to 25 years, which makes them more cost-effective in the long term. The Bank of Mauritius will invite tenders for the manufacture of polymer 25-, 50-, and 100-rupee notes in early 2009.

Please note that the above information is based upon the APA report. I have not been able to locate the bank press release which the report cites, and strongly suspect the report is in error. Polymer banknotes certainly do last longer than paper notes, but a 20-25 year lifespan is unheard of (polymer notes haven’t even been around that long). According to Securency, the Australian supplier of polymer substrate, polymer notes can last up to four times longer than paper, which can start to wear out in as little as one year of circulation.

Tags: Polymer, Mauritius

500 shillings (US$0.40), 2008. Like P6, but new date and new signatures of Abdirahman Dualle Mahmoud and Abdi Mohamoud Gullet.

Courtesy of Pierguido Laffi and David F. Cieniewicz (www.banknotestore.com).

Tags: Somaliland

P91: 5,000 ariary (US$2.45), ND. Like Pick 84, but with Omron rings (security feature consisting of patterns of yellow circles) on front and back, and new signature (Frederic Rasamoely, GOUVERNEUR). 150 x 75 mm.

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Madagascar

500 kwacha (US$0.15)
Brown. Front: Coat of arms; dove; baobab tree; fish eagle perched on branch. Back: Elephant; workers picking cotton; Freedom Statue in Lusaka. Watermark: Fish eagle. Printer: SABN. Polymer. 140 x 70 mm. Signature 12.



5,000 kwacha (US$1.05)
Purple. Front: Coat of arms; dove; murera/acacia/mopani tree; fish eagle perched on branch. Back: Lion head; root cassave plant and leaves; Freedom Statue in Lusaka. Windowed security thread with demetalized BOZ 5000. Watermark: Fish eagle with electrotype 5000. Printer: DE LA RUE. 145 x 70 mm. 2008. Signature 12.




10,000 kwacha (US$2.10)
Aqua. Front: Coat of arms; dove; fish eagle; musuku tree; fish eagle perched on branch. Back: Porcupine; workers harvesting rice paddy; Freedom Statue in Lusaka. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Fish eagle with electrotype 10000. Printer: Giesecke & Devrient. 145 x 70 mm. 2008. Signature 12. The patch on the front is new, making this the only denomination dated 2008 that deserves its own new Pick number. All others are merely new date varieties of older issues.


20,000 kwacha (US$5.60)
Orange. Front: Coat of arms; dove; holographic patch; mukwa tree; fish eagle perched on branch. Back: Black lechwe (kobus leche) antelope; men working pneumatic drill in mine; Freedom Statue in Lusaka. Windowed security thread with demetalized BOZ 20000. Watermark: Fish eagle, electrotype 20000 plus fish eagle, and Cornerstones. Printer: DE LA RUE. 145 x 70 mm. Signature 12.



50,000 kwacha (US$10.50)
Blue. Front: Coat of arms; dove; holographic patch; fig tree in Kabwe; fish eagle perched on branch. Back: Leopard; Bank of Zambia building; Freedom Statue in Lusaka. Windowed security thread with demetalized BOZ 50000. Watermark: Fish eagle with electrotype 50000. Printer: DE LA RUE. 145 x 70 mm. 2008.

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net and Dave Murcek.

Tags: Zambia

1,000 ariary (US$2.45), 2004. Like Pick 89, but new signature (Frederic Rasamoely, GOUVERNEUR).

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Madagascar

On December 6, 2008, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announced it plans to introduce a 200-million-dollar note. This news comes just two days after the bank issued three new notes, the largest of which is a 100-million-dollar note. No word yet on when the new higher denomination will be issued into circulation.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

On December 4, 2008, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced 10-, 50-, and 100-million-dollar notes, although it’s been reported that the notes were available on the foreign currency market a day prior to their official introduction. The bank also increased the daily cash withdrawal limit to 50 million dollars for individuals and 100 million dollars for company account holders.










Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

New 50-, 100-, 200-, 500- and 1,000-shilingi notes dated 3rd MARCH 2008 have been confirmed.

On 4 March 2007, Prof. Njuguna S. Ndung’u assumed the role of governor of the Central Bank of Kenya, and it is his signature which appears on these new notes.

Courtesy of John Silver.

Tags: Kenya

1,000 cedis. 10TH JUNE 1994. Like P29, but new date.

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Ghana

5,000 leones
Like Pick 21, but new date (27TH APRIL 1996).

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Sierra Leone

On November 5, 2008, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced 100,000-, 500,000-, and 1,000,000-dollar notes. “In the measures underway, the Reserve Bank plans to introduce a number of new, higher denominations; review the cash withdrawal limits, as well as commence aggressive campaigns for increased usage of alternative means of payment,” the central bank said in a statement. The government put inflation at 230 million percent for July, the world's highest, although the Washington-based Cato Institute foundation estimates it now at 10.2 quadrillion percent.





500,000 dollars
Green. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks in Epworth; cow. Back: Palm trees; workers milking cows. No security thread. Watermark: None. Printer: Unknown. 148 x 74 mm. 2008. Signature 5. Introduced 05.11.2008.



1,000,000 dollars
Blue. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks in Epworth; cow. Back: Great Zimbabwe ruins; cattle. Windowed security thread with demetalized RBZ and Zimbabwe bird hologram. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird Type C with electrotype 1000 [sic]. Printer: Unknown. 153 x 76 mm. 2008. Signature 5. Introduced 05.11.2008.

Additional information requested.

Courtesy of Mirsad Delic and Garry Craig.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

1 pound (US$0.20), ٢٠٠٥/١/٤ (2005/1/4), ٢٠٠٦/٣/٥ (2006/3/5), ٢٠٠٧/١/٣١ (2007/1/31), and ٢٠٠٧/٣/٢٥ (2007/3/25). Like P50, but new dates. Signature 22: Farouk Abdel Baky El Okda II.

The note dated 2007/1/31 has a new watermark.

Courtesy of Menelaos Stamatelos, Southeastern Numismatics and Pierguido Laffi.

© 2009: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Egypt

On October 13, 2008, just two weeks after issuing 10,000- and 20,000-dollar notes, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has introduced a new, even higher denomination, the 50,000-dollar note.



50,000 dollars
Green. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks in Epworth. Back: Farmer plowing field on mechanical tractor; miner with jackhammer. Iridescent stripe. No security thread. Watermark: None. 153 x 76 mm.

Courtesy of Jim Rubycored Chen.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

50 kwacha. Like Pick 45, but dated 31st OCTOBER 2007.

Courtesy of David Murcek.

Tags: Malawi

2,000 francs (US$11.35)
Blue. Front: Camel caravan; young girl. Back: Statue with spear and shield; government building. Solid security thread. Watermark: Coat of arms with electrotype BCD. No date. Signature unknown. 160 x 80 mm. Introduced August 2008.

This new 2,000-franc note is like Pick 40, but with the name of the issuer on front changed from Banque Nationale de Djibouti to Banque Centrale de Djibouti. Also, the text at top and bottom on back has also been altered.

If anyone knows who the signatory is, please share that information.

Images courtesy of Manuel Rodriguez.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Djibouti

On September 29, 2008, less than two months after revaluing its currency and issuing a new series of notes in which the highest denomination was 1,000 dollars, Zimbabwe issued 10,000- and 20,000-dollar notes. These notes were printed locally by Fidelity Printers in Bulawayo. The 10,000-dollar appears to be printed on paper originally supplied by Giesecke & Devrient for use on 1,000-dollar notes, as evidenced by the fact that the electrotype watermark is 1000 and does not match the denominations printed on the note. The 20,000-dollar note lacks a security thread and watermark and is thought to be printed on paper from a Chinese supplier.




10,000 dollars
Brown. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Harvester and tractor. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype denomination of 1000. 153 x 76 mm. 2008. Signature 5. Introduced 29.09.2008.




20,000 dollars
Brown. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Victoria Falls; Kariba dam. Iridescent stripe. No security thread. Watermark: None. 153 x 76 mm. 2008. Signature 5. Introduced 29.09.2008.

Images courtesy of Nick Brice.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

50 dinar (US$40.70)
Brown and tan. Front: Muammar al-Gaddafi. Back: Buidling. Holographic stripe. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Unknown. Printer: Unknown. No date. Signature unknown. Introduced 25.09.2008.

Courtesy of Tuyet Nhung Le.

Tags: Libya

These 100- and 200-lilangeni notes were issued to commemorate the 40th birthday of King Mswati III (born 19.04.1968). They are the first notes in the world to use intaglio halftone technology, creating photo-like portraits.



100 emalangeni (US$10)
Brown. Front: Shield and spears; King Mswati III; Parliament House building in Lobamba; coat of arms with lion, shield, and elephant; The King’s 40th Birthday text. Back: Bank seal; rock formation; 40th Independence Anniversary text. Holographic stripe. Solid security thread with demetalized CENTRAL BANK OF SWAZILAND. Watermark: Shield and spears. Printer: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT - GERMANY. 157 x 70 mm. 19.4.2008. Signature 10b. Introduced 05.09.2008.


200 emalangeni (US$20)
Green. Front: Shield and spears; King Mswati III; Parliament House building in Lobamba; coat of arms with lion, shield, and elephant; THE KING’S 40TH BIRTHDAY text. Back: Bank seal; straw huts; 40TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY text. Holographic stripe. Solid security thread with demetalized CENTRAL BANK OF SWAZILAND. Watermark: Shield and spears. Printer: GIESECKE & DEVRIENT - GERMANY. 160 x 70 mm. 19.4.2008. Signature 10b. Introduced 05.09.2008.

Courtesy of Claudio Marana.

Tags: Swaziland

On August 1, 2008, in an effort to simplify calculations in economic transactions, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe revalued its currency, striking ten zeros from the old Zimbabwe dollar. The move came just a week after the introduction of a 100 billion-dollar special agro-cheque—not enough to buy a loaf of bread—which became worth ten dollars under the new system. Concurrent with the revaluation, a new series of banknotes was also issued, and old coins were also reintroduced after years of obsolescence. The new notes will circulate with the older bearer cheques and special agro-cheques, which will remain legal tender until January 31, 2009, instead of December 31, 2008, the expiration date printed on the bearer cheques.




1 dollar
Violet. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Falls; water buffalo. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype 1. 2007. Signature Gideon Gono. Introduced 01.08.2008.



5 dollars
Brown. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Dam; elephant. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype 5. 2007. Signature Gideon Gono. Introduced 01.08.2008.



10 dollars
Green. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Farmer plowing field on mechanical tractor; three grain silos. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype 10. 2007. Signature Gideon Gono. Introduced 01.08.2008.



20 dollars
Red. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Tailings pile; miner with jackhammer. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype 20. 2007. Signature Gideon Gono. Introduced 01.08.2008



100 dollars
Blue. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Palm trees; Great Zimbabwe ruins. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype 100. 2007. Signature Gideon Gono. Introduced 01.08.2008.



500 dollars
Purple. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Milking dairy cows; cattle. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype 500. 150 x 75 mm. 2007. Signature Gideon Gono. Introduced 01.08.2008.


1,000 dollars
Gold. Front: Chiremba balancing rocks. Back: Buildings. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Zimbabwe bird with electrotype 1000. 153 x 76 mm. 2007. Signature Gideon Gono. Introduced 17.09.2008.

According to a ZNCNews story dated September 8, 2008, shortly after the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe recently allowed selected merchants to quote prices in foreign currency for an 18-month experiment, Zimbabwe’s attorney general’s office warned retailers that they could be prosecuted for demanding payments in foreign currency. The office explained that the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Act clearly states that the banknotes issued by the central bank are legal tender for any payment within Zimbabwe.

Images courtesy of Nick Brice and Garry Craig.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

10 emalangeni (US$1), 01:04:2006. Like P29, but new date and signature 11 (Majorzi V. Sithole, MINISTER FOR FINANCE; Martin S. Dlamini, GOVERNOR). Printer: FRANÇOIS-CHARLES OBERTHUR.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Swaziland

1,000 rupees (US$38.70), 2007. Like P59, but new date and new signatures (Yandraduth Googoolye, FIRST DEPUTY GOVERNOR; Rundheersing Bheenick, GOVERNOR; Ahmad Jameel Khadaroo, SECOND DEPUTY GOVERNOR).

Images courtesy of Steve Milner.

Tags: Mauritius

100 maloti (US$12.80), 2007. Like LSL100 dated 2006, but new date (larger type), new signature (Moeketsi Senaoana, GOVERNOR), wider windowed security thread with CBL 100 added, and larger coat of arms watermark with electrotype 100 added.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Lesotho

10 dollars (US$1.30), ND (2007). Like P4, but 8-digit serial number with A prefix commencing with A20000001. Printer: François Charles Oberthur Fiduciare (without imprint).


20 dollars (US$2.55), ND (2007). Like P6, but 8-digit serial number with J prefix commencing with J25000001. Printer: François Charles Oberthur Fiduciare (without imprint).


100 dollars (US$12.80), ND (2007). Like P12, but 8-digit serial number with T prefix commencing with T29000001. Printer: De La Rue (without imprint).

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Namibia

5,000 cedis (US$0.50), 4th AUGUST 2006. Like P34, but new date.

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 Chris Twining.

Tags: Ghana

According to a Reuters report dated 29 March 2008, Somalia’s central bank plans to revamp the country’s currency because of a flood of fake notes printed by warlords and businessmen. Addressing donors meeting in neighbouring Kenya, the bank’s director general, Sharif Mohamed Hassan, said “greedy” individuals had pumped counterfeit cash into the market for years, driving the local unit to its lowest ever level. “The present situation of counterfeit money is catastrophic,” he said. “It’s a priority to provide the market with a stock of new banknotes with good security features. Of course this is not easy, as the fake notes are printed in many areas that are not properly controlled.” He said Somalia’s new notes would be produced by a “world renowned” money printer, but did not give a timetable.

Additional information and images requested.

Tags: Somalia

According to a Panapress article dated April 4, 2008, with inflation running wild at 165,000%, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced 25- and 50-million dollar bearer cheques on April 3.






50,000,000 dollars, 2nd April 2008. Expires 30th June 2008. Issued April 3, 2008. Purple. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), solid security thread, and Zimbabwe bird as watermark with RBZ as electrotype. Three elephants on back.

Images courtesy of Nick Brice and Hartmut Fraunhoffer.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

1,000 naira (US$8.60), 2007. Like NGN1,000 issued October 12, 2005, but new date. 151 x 78 mm.

Courtesy of Jane White (www.banknotes4sale.com).

Tags: Nigeria

500 naira (US$4.30), 2007. Like P30, but new date, new signatures, and new titles.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Nigeria

1,000 kwacha (US$0.25), 2008. Like P45, but new date and new printer imprint. Printer: SABN (South African Bank Note). Polymer.

Courtesy of Bwananick.

Tags: Zambia, Polymer

According to a March 2, 2008, article in the The Sunday Times, every week German security printer Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) delivers to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) banknotes with a face value of Z$170 trillion, for which it receives more than €500,000 (US$763,000). A source at the RBZ claims G&D delivers 432,000 sheets of banknotes every week to Fidelity printers in Harare, where they are stamped with the denomination. Each sheet contains 40 notes and the current production is entirely in Z$10m notes, the country’s highest denomination, initially issued January 18, 2008. G&D has printed Zimbabwe’s notes since the 1970s.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

10,000 kwacha (US$2.65), 2007. Like P45, but new date. Printer: DE LA RUE.


50,000 kwacha (US$13.10), 2007. Like P47, but new date. Printer: DE LA RUE.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Zambia

1,000,000 dollars, 1st January 2008. Expires 30th June 2008. Issued January 18, 2008. Brown. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), solid security thread, and Zimbabwe bird as watermark with RBZ as electrotype. Village, two women with poles on back.




5,000,000 dollars, 1st January 2008. Expires 30th June 2008. Issued January 18, 2008. Blue and violet. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), solid security thread with repeating RBZ, and Zimbabwe bird as watermark with RBZ as electrotype. Mountain range on back.




10,000,000 dollars, 1st January 2008. Expires 30th June 2008. Issued January 18, 2008. Red, purple, and green. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), solid security thread, and Zimbabwe bird as watermark with RBZ as electrotype. Tigerfish and Kariba Dam on back.

Images courtesy of Nick Brice.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

10 pula (US$1.70), 2007. Like P24, but new date. Printer: De La Rue.

Images courtesy of Antonio Tangredi (www.tangrediworldnotes.com).

Tags: Botswana

25 piastre (US$0.05), ٢٠٠٥/١٠/٣١ (2005/10/31), ٢٠٠٧/٩/٢٤ (2006/9/24), and ٢٠٠٧/٦/١١ (2007/6/11). Like P57d, but new dates.




50 piastre (US$0.10), ٢٠٠٥/٥/١٢ (2005/5/12) and ٢٠٠٧/٦/٢١ (2007/6/21). Like P62, but new dates.




1 pound (US$0.20), ٢٠٠٧/٣/٢٥ (2007/3/25). Like P50, but new date.




5 pounds (US$TK), ٢٠٠٧/٩/٥ (2006/9/5). Like P63, but new date.




10 pounds (US$TK), ٢٠٠٧/١١/٢٢ (2006/11/22). Like P64, but new date.




20 pounds (US$3.50), ٢٠٠٧/٧/١٤ (2006/8/14). Like P65, but new date.




100 pounds (US$18.25), ٢٠٠٧/٦/٤ (2007/6/4) and ٢٠٠٧/٦/١٣ (2007/6/13). Like P67, but new dates.

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: Egypt

250,000 dollars, July 2007. Expires 30th June 2008. Issued December 20, 2007. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), solid security thread with repeating RBZ, and Zimbabwe bird as watermark with RBZ as electrotype. Great Zimbabwe ruins on back.




500,000 dollars (US$16.65), 1st July 2007. Expires 30th June 2008. Issued December 20, 2007. Green, light blue, and brown. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), solid security thread with repeating RBZ, and Zimbabwe bird as watermark with RBZ as electrotype. Three elephants on back.




750,000 dollars (US$25), 31st December 2007. Expires 30th June 2008. Issued December 20, 2007. Violet, light blue, and brown. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), holographic foil at left with giraffes, solid security thread with repeating RBZ 1000, and Zimbabwe bird as watermark with 1000 as electrotype. Elephant and falls on back.

Images courtesy of Nick Brice.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

2,000 francs (US$3.70), 31-10-2007. Issued mid-December 2007. Violet. Satellite dish and tower on front. Coffee beans on back. Holographic stripe at left, BNR as electrotype watermark and latent image, 2000 as registration device, fluorescent fibers, microtext, windowed security thread with 2000 repeating, signatures (Francois Kanimba, Governor; unknown, Vice Governor). Printer: De La Rue.142 x 72 mm.

Courtesy of Evzen Sknouril.

Tags: Rwanda

On December 6, 2007, Denis Paul, a 41-year-old professional hunter and lodge owner from Bulawayo, was arrested on charges of defacing 10-cent bearer cheques by stamping them with his business details, then handing them out as business cards at the World Tourism Market fair in London in November.

According to the state-controlled Herald newspaper, “The ZTA (Zimbabwe Tourism Authority) alleges that Paul had discouraged foreign tour operators from coming to Zimbabwe while claiming that the country’s currency was so useless that it was only fit to be used as business cards.” Zimbabwe has the world’s highest inflation rate, making the 10-cent notes worthless immediately upon issuance.

If found guilty, Paul could face up to a year in prison.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

20 emalangeni (US$2), 01.04.04. Like P30, but new date and signature 11 (Majorzi V. Sithole, MINISTER FOR FINANCE; Martin S. Dlamini, GOVERNOR). Printer: FRANÇOIS-CHARLES OBERTHUR.

Images courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Swaziland

2,000 ariary (US$1.10), 2007. Like P83, but with addition of Omron rings on front and back, “MAP” overprint on new signature (Frederic Rasamoely, GOUVERNEUR), addition of “Madagascar naturellement” above watermark, and replacing upper left serial number with “MADAGASCAR ACTION PLAN 2007-2012.”

Images courtesy of Ronny Hick.

Tags: Madagascar

10,000 cedis (US$1.05), 4th August 2006. Like P35, but new date. Signature remains Dr. Paul A. Acquah, GOVERNOR.

Images courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Ghana

10 emalangeni (US$1), 01.04.04. Like P29, but new date and signature 11 (Majorzi V. Sithole, MINISTER FOR FINANCE; Martin S. Dlamini, GOVERNOR). Printer: FRANÇOIS-CHARLES OBERTHUR.

Images courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Swaziland

100 naira (US$0.80), 2007. Like P28, but new date, new signatures, and 6-digit serial number.

200 naira (US$1.60), 2007. Like P29, but new date, new signatures, and 6-digit serial number.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Nigeria

100 maloti (US$15.30), 2006. Like P19, but new date and new signature (E. M. Matekane, GOVERNOR).

Images courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Lesotho

10 maloti (US$1.55), 2005 and 2006. Like P15, but new dates and new signature (E. M. Matekane, GOVERNOR).

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Lesotho

100 pula (US$17.10), 2005. Like SCWPM 26, but new date.

Images courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Botswana

The Central Bank of Kenya has issued all denominations with dates of 1st APRIL 2006 and bearing the signature of the bank’s former governor, Andrew K. Mullei.

On March 4, 2007, Prof. Njuguna S. Ndung’j assumed the role of governor, so expect new signature varieties to surface as soon as old note stocks are depleted.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Kenya

On 16 October 2007, allAfrica.com reported that the Bank of Uganda intends to issue a special 10,000-shilling (US$5.75) note ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM) scheduled to take place in Kampala, November 23-25, 2007.

“The note will be available for the public to transact business and for special collectors. It will, however, be in limited supply,” said Juma Walusimbi, BoU communications director. “The currency note will also be a special package offered to the heads of government who will attend CHOGM. The bank wants to be part of Uganda’s effort to host this very important international meeting,” he said, adding that it was normal practice for central banks to issue commemorative coins and notes for important occasions.

Courtesy of David White.

Tags: Uganda

1,000 francs (US$0.90), 01-05-2006. Like SCWPM 39, but new date and new signatures.

If you can identify the signatories for this note, please share this information.

Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Burundi

The Central Bank of Nigeria has issued new date varieties for the two highest denominations of its new family introduced on February 28, 2007, but which previously bore the date of 2006.

20 naira (US$0.15), 2007. Like the 2006 NGN20 reported in IBNS Journal 46.1 p23, but new date.

50 naira (US$0.40), 2007. Like the 2006 NGN50 reported in IBNS Journal 46.1 p23, but new date.

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

2 pounds (US$1), July 9 2006. Light blue. Civilization theme represented by pottery on front and musical instruments on back. Pigeon and electrotype denomination wmk, 2-mm windowed security thread, iridescent stripe, CBS latent image, microlettering, jug as registration device, intaglio printing, UV inks, tactile marks. 144 x 64 mm.

Images courtesy of Ronny Hick.

Tags: Sudan

Cape Verde issues new 1,000-escudos note Read More...

Tags: Cape Verde

On September 25, 2007, Manou Bheenick, governor of the Bank of Mauritius, announced a design competition for a new family of banknotes to be issued in 2009 to celebrate the bank’s 40th anniversary. Under the theme of “Banknotes—Mirrors of our Motherland,” this eighth series of notes should relate to the islands’ history, culture, ecology, industry, architecture, and landscape. Rs30,000 will be awarded to the winner of the best design as chosen by a jury of eight local artists. The competition is open to Mauritian nationals only, and proposals must be submitted by October 31, 2007.

The bank will also conduct a study on the Mauritian people’s preferences about the patterns to include on these new notes. “The idea is to know what the Mauritian people want to see on the banknotes,” said Bheenick.

Tags: Mauritius

100 shillings (US$0.10), 2002. Like SCWPM 5c, but new date. Signature 3 (Abdirahman Dualle, GUDDOOMIYAH; Abdi Mohamoud Gullet, LACAGHAYAHA).

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Somaliland

10,000 francs (US$2.55), 2007. Issued June 11, 2007. Green, blue, and brown. Portrait of young girl at left, arms at center, three shells and pineapple at lower right. Field with trees in background at center, “Lady of Maali” rock formation on Mount Loura at right on back. Watermark of a young girl with the letters RG (Republic of Guinea), 3-mm red-to-green windowed security thread printed GNF 10000, registration device, UV printing, and signatures (unknown, MINISTRE DES FINANCES; Aboubakar Kagbe Toure, GOUVERNEUR BANQUE CENTRALE). 153 x 78 mm.

Images courtesy of Ronny Hick.

Tags: Guinea

200 pounds (US$35), 2007/4/3. Issued May 7, 2007. The Mosque of Qani Bay 908 H (1503), scribe wmk along with electrotype denomination, signature 21b (Farouk El Okdah, Governor), 1.5-mm solid security thread, 3-mm windowed security thread, Omron rings, OVI circle in upper left, 200 as latent image and registration device. The Seated Scribe 5th Dynasty on back. 175 x 80 mm.

Courtesy of Samia Mehilba and Dr. Ali Mehilba.

Tags: Egypt

On May 3, 2007, the Bank of Ghana unveiled the following new family of notes was scheduled for issuance on July 1, 2007.  On the front they all feature the printed date of 1st JULY 2007, an image of Independence Arch, the signature of Governor Dr. Paul Acquah, and a conjoined portrait of the “Big Six:” Kwame Nkrumah, Ebenezer Ako Adjei, Edward Akufo-Addo, Joseph Boakye Danquah, Emmanuel Odarkwei Obetsebi-Lamptey, and William Ofori Atta. All of the notes have the following security features: windowed security thread, novel serial numbers, registration device, portrait of Tetteh Quarshie and cocoa pod as wmk, denomination as latent image and intaglio printed in gold ink, and iridescent band.





1 Ghana cedi (US$1.10), June 2007. Akosombo Dam on back. 137 x 65 mm.





5 Ghana cedis (US$5.40), June 2007. University of Ghana on back. 141 x 68 mm.





10 Ghana cedis (US$10.80), June 2007. Headquarters of the Bank of Ghana on back. Hologram. 145 x 71 mm.





20 Ghana cedis (US$21.55), June 2007. Supreme Court Building on back. Red-to-green windowed security thread and hologram. 149 x 74 mm.





50  Ghana cedis (US$53.90), June 2007. Christianborg Castle, the seat of government, on back. Red-to-green windowed security thread and hologram. 153 x 77 mm.

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Ghana

5 pounds (US$2.50), July 9 2006. Issued May 2007. Pink. Future prospects theme, with modern architecture and satellite on front, hydroelectric dam, solar panel, and wind turbine on back. Pigeon and electrotype denomination wmk, 2-mm windowed security thread, iridescent stripe, latent image, microlettering, scales as registration device, intaglio printing, UV inks, tactile marks. 150 x 69 mm.

For more information, visit the Central Bank of Sudan.

Images courtesy of Olexandr Danishenko.

Tags: Sudan

20 pounds (US$10), July 9 2006. Issued May 2007. Dark red. Industrial progress theme, with three pyramids, irrigation wheel, and drilling platform on front, factory, satellite dishes, and fruit on back. Falcon and electrotype denomination wmk, 2-mm windowed security thread, iridescent stripe, latent image, microlettering, wrench as registration device, intaglio printing, UV inks, holographic stripe, and tactile marks. 160 x 75 mm.

For more information, visit the Central Bank of Sudan.

Images courtesy of Aziz Al Sati.

Tags: Sudan

500 francs (US$0.10), 2006. Like Pick 36, but new date, Cornerstone watermarks, solid security thread, full bleed color (no white borders), and smaller size. 133 x 63 mm.
 
Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Guinea

100 francs (US$0.20), 01-09-2003. Like Pick 29, but new date, date at front lower left, and bank name, counterfeiting warning, and denomination in English in addition to French.

Courtesy of David F. Cieniewicz (www.banknotestore.com).

Tags: Rwanda

The International Bank Note Society (IBNS) is proud to announce the winner of the 2007 IBNS Bank Note of the Year, awarded to the finest banknote issued in 2006. This year’s award goes to the 1,000-franc note issued by the Banque Centrale des Comores, the central bank of the Comoros, an archipelago located between Madagascar and the east coast of southern Africa. Commendations go to the 10,000-tenge note from Kazakhstan and 100-dollar note from the Solomon Islands.

The IBNS Bank Note of the Year is awarded to the banknote which, in the eyes of the judges, has a high level of artistic merit, an imaginative design, and features that present the best of modern security printing (taking into account the value of the note). The Comoran 1,000-franc note impressed the judges with innovative design, well-balanced color, and sensible use of modern security features.

The front of the 1,000-franc note is dominated by a coelacanth, a pre-historic fish long thought to be extinct, that was found living in the waters off the Comoros in recent years. Its discovery put the Comoros at the centre of the scientific world for a short time and remains one of the small country’s claims to fame. Below the piscine curiosity is an aerial view of several islands that make up the country. Predominantly blue, there are red and green elements to the design on the front of the note.

Poetry is common to the entire series of notes to which the 1,000 franc belongs, with a verse appearing on the front and the back of each note. The verse on the front of the 1,000-franc note can be translated from French as:

From our feelings, what you expect I understood
For it is a love that is so absolutely exclusive
That, not to lose you, I hereby consent.
Truthfully, it will be a love
That our times have never seen.

Continued on the back of the note is a further verse which translates as:

I claim these different names which are ours
and if I speak the rainbow
It is to better greet our Indian Ocean sea-mother
whose waves of pleasures brings
to insularity abundance and joy

The final line below the verse identifies the author, Mab Elhad, and the book in which his verse appears: Kaulu la Mwando (meaning First Word in the Comoran language). The book was published in 2004 and the verses of the author, a Comoran policeman, celebrate his Comoran life and nationality.

The back of the award-winning note is dominated by a Comoran man in a canoe, surrounded by red and blue designs of differing character. While the name of the issuing authority is in Arabic on the back of the note, the warning to counterfeiters is in French (reflecting the nation’s French past).

Despite a low face value (approximately US$2.70 at current exchange rates), the 1,000-franc note sports an impressive array of security features. Portions of the design are printed with the intaglio process, imparting a tactile element to the raised ink, along with the latent image created by the BCC embossed above the signatures. Counterfeiting is made more difficult through the use of microtext, incorporation of a perfect-registration device, and the inclusion of Omron rings. The paper contains an embedded security strip that fluoresces under UV light, and a watermark of a crescent moon, four stars, and the letters BCC. Finally there is an iridescent band on the front of the note that can be seen only when tilting the note at an angle to the light.

While the elements of the design, the security features, and the production of the note are not unusual as individual elements, it is the sum of the whole that lifts the note above the ordinary and which made this note a clear winner as the IBNS Bank Note of the Year.

Every nation should strive to create individual masterpieces for their paper money; unfortunately this is not always the case. However, with the issue of the new series by the Comoros, it is pleasing to see that at least one issuing authority is successful in meeting the expectations of banknote enthusiasts around the world. The IBNS congratulates the Banque Centrale des Comores and the designers of its 1,000-franc note.

Tags: Comoros

50 pounds (US$8.85), 2007/4/16. Like SCWPM 66, but new date.

Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

Tags: Egypt

5 kwacha (US$0.05), 1st December 2005. Like Pick 36, but new date and new signature.

Courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Malawi

5 kwacha (US$0.05), 1st March 2004. Like Pick 36, but new date and new signature.

Courtesy of Menelaos Stamatelos, Southeastern Numismatics.

Tags: Malawi

5,000 francs (US$9.15), 01-04-2004. Purple, violet, and pink. Gorilla, holographic stripe, latent image, electrotype BNR and bank logo as wmk, 5000 as registration device and in OVI, signatures (unknown, Visi-Guverineri wa mbere; unknown, Guverineri). Containers and windowed security thread on back.146 x 73 mm.

Courtesy of Menelaos Stamatelos, Southeastern Numismatics.

Tags: Rwanda

20 pounds (US$3.50), 2006/1/26. Like Pick 65, but new date and signature 22.

Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

Tags: Egypt

500 dollars, 2004. Like Pick 11, but new date, BB prefix, and new signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor).

Courtesy of Sean Morgan.

Tags: Zimbabwe

P37b: 1,000 francs (US$0.20), 2006. Like Pick 37, but new date, Cornerstone watermarks, and smaller size. 139 x 68 mm.






P38b: 5,000 francs (US$0.90), 2006. Like Pick 38, but new date, Cornerstone watermarks, and smaller size. 151 x 76 mm.
 
Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Guinea

On March 1, 2007, Zimbabwe introduced a new Z$5,000 (US$20) temporary bearer cheques to replace the expired version of this denomination. These note carries the issue date of 1st February 2007, with an expiration date of 31st July 2007. 147 x 74 mm.

A new Z$50,000 has also been released, with a date of 1st March 2007.

Images courtesy of Nick Brice.

Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission.

Tags: Zimbabwe

50,000 dollars (US$200), 1st March 2007. Expires 31st July 2007. Red and brown. RBZ logo, signature (Dr. G. Gono, Governor), and RBZ as electrotype watermark. Elephant and falls on back.

Images courtesy of Nick Brice.

Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission.

Tags: Zimbabwe

On February 28, 2007, the Central Bank of Nigeria issued redesigned notes for the denominations of 5, 10, 20, and 50 naira.





5 naira (US$0.05), 2006. Issued February 28, 2007. Purple. Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa portrait, coat of arms, arms and CBN as wmk, signature 14 (Charles C. Soludo, Governor; unknown, Director of Currency and Branch Operations), microprinting, register device. Three male drummers; denomination in Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba; and striped map on back. 130 x 72 mm.





10 naira (US$0.10), 2006. Issued February 28, 2007. Red. Alvan Ikoku portrait, coat of arms, arms and CBN as wmk, signature 14 (Charles C. Soludo, Governor; unknown, Director of Currency and Branch Operations), microprinting, register device. Two women carrying bowls on their heads; denomination in Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba; and striped map on back. 130 x 72 mm.





20 naira (US$0.15), 2006. Issued February 28, 2007. Green. General Murtala R. Muhammed portrait, coat of arms, arms in clear window, signature 14 (Charles C. Soludo, Governor; unknown, Director of Currency and Branch Operations), microprinting, register device. Ladi kwali (pottery works); denomination in Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba; and striped map on back. Polymer. 130 x 72 mm.





50 naira (US$0.40), 2006. Issued February 28, 2007. Blue. Faces of woman and three men, coat of arms, arms and CBN as wmk, signature 14 (Charles C. Soludo, Governor; unknown, Director of Currency and Branch Operations), microprinting, register device. Three men cleaning fish; denomination in Hausa, Ibo, and Yoruba; and striped map on back. 130 x 72 mm.
 
Courtesy of Ronny Hick.

Tags: Nigeria, Polymer

500 escudos (US$5.95), 25 de Feverelro de 2007. Green, yellow, and red. Roberto Duarte Silva, chemical symbols, registration device, novel serial numbers, signatures (unknown, O Governador; unknown, O Administrador). Trapiches - Ilha de Santa Antão on back. Vertical format.

Images courtesy of Claudio Marana.

Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission.

Tags: Cape Verde

1,000 rupees (US$30.70), 2006. Like Pick 59, but new date.

Information and images courtesy of Paul van Bodegraven.

Tags: Mauritius

50 rupees (US$1.55), 2006. Like Pick 50, but new date.

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.

Images courtesy of Chris Twining.

Tags: Mauritius

5,000 francs (US$13.15), 2006. President Djohr, security thread, Omron rings, holographic stripe, watermark, and registration device. Tree, shore, and nautilus on back.

Information and images courtesy of Paul van Bodegraven.

Tags: Comoros

The Central Bank of Sudan issued the first three denominations of a new family of six Sudanese pound bank notes on January 9, 2007. The design of the new currency reflects the unity, cultural diversity, peace, and industrial development in Sudan. The 2-, 20-, and 100-pound notes are scheduled for issuance in May.





1 pound, July 9 2006. Issued January 9, 2007. Yellow, tan. Dove and building. Doves on back. Wmk, windowed security thread, CBS latent image, microlettering, sunburst as registration device, intaglio printing, UV inks, iridescent stripe. 139 x 64 mm.





10 pounds, July 9 2006. Issued January 9, 2007. Lilac. Tree, clasped hands, cattle, mountains, and camel. People’s Palace on back. Wmk, windowed security thread, latent image, microlettering, map as registration device, intaglio printing, UV inks, holographic stripe. 155 x 69 mm.





50 pounds, July 9 2006. Issued January 9, 2007. Yellow. Rhino, elephant, water buffalo, zebra, and giraffe. Camels, goats, and cattle on back. Wmk, windowed security thread, latent image, microlettering, fish as registration device, intaglio printing, UV inks, holographic stripe. 165 x 74 mm.

For more information, visit the Central Bank of Sudan.

Information and images courtesy of Evžen Šknouril.

Tags: Sudan

The Bank of Ghana has released a 20,000-cedis (US$2.10) note dated 4th August 2006. It appears to be identical to Pick 36, except for the new date. The previously cataloged dates are 2nd September 2002 and 4th August 2003.

Images courtesy of Marcel Goudbeek (IBNS member 9246).

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Ghana

According to a November 13, 2006, article in The Daily Star, Farouq Al-Oqda, chairman of the Central Bank of Egypt, said during the recent Annual Arab Banking Conference 2006 held in Beirut that a 200-pound bank note will be issued in March 2007 and another 500-pound note will accompany July 23rd celebrations. Low-value notes like the 5- and 10-piaster have almost been informally abolished. “The state didn’t directly cause these little banknotes to diminish; but people’s attitudes did. For example, we always neglect the 5 piaster change as if it is no longer of any value,” explains Dr Hoda Zakaria, professor of political sociology at Zaqaziq University.

Tags: Egypt

A new variety of Somalia’s 1,000 shilling-note dated 1996 has been reported (above, top). This new notes differs from the previously reported Pick 37a (above, bottom) and 37b in that it uses different font for the serial numbers.

Furthermore, please note the most recent Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Volume III, 12th edition fails to mention that the left-hand signature of the bank chairman on Pick 37a (1990) differs from that on Pick 37b (1996).

For a detailed examination of all the signature varieties and different fonts used on Somali currency, visit Peter Symes’ excellent Reference Site for Islamic Banknotes.

Courtesy of Jose Manuel Peso (IBNS member 8180).

Tags: Somalia

The most recent Standard Catalog of World Paper Money, Volume III, 12th edition, lists four dates of Kenya’s 50 shilling-note as Pick 41a. However, significant differences have been discovered in this and other recent denominations from Kenya.

The note dated 2nd February 2004 (above, top) has a windowed security thread that is wider than the one on the note dated 1st April 2003 (above, bottom), and this thread appears further to the right. Furthermore, the 2nd February 2004 note also has the denomination “50” visible in the watermark area under normal reflected light. This electrotype watermark appears on all subsequent date varieties (2nd August 2004, 1st June 2005, and 1st April 2006), all of which have a signature combination that differs from that which appears on the first two date varieties (the Governor is the same; only the Member signatory differs).

It has been reported that all Kenyan notes from 2004 onwards have the denomination as electrotype watermarks. It is also reported that all Kenyan notes from 2005 onwards have watermarks of stripes in all four corners. If confirmed, De La Rue is the likely printer because Cornerstone watermarks are a DLR trademark.

Malawi’s 20- and 200-kwacha notes dated 2004 were given new Pick numbers due to the addition of the denomination to the watermark. If the same standard applies to Kenya, the notes dated 2004 onwards deserve their own Pick numbers, too.

Courtesy of Jose Manuel Peso (IBNS member 8180).

Tags: Kenya

Collector Steve Milner (IBNS member 8137) has discovered a new variety in the Zimbabwe $10,000 note dated 1st August 2006 that differs slightly from the first release with AA serial number prefix (above, bottom). The new AB prefix variety has a space between “10” and “000” in the denominations printed in all four corners (above, top).

Also Steve informs me that Inside IBNS No. 4/06 erroneously reported that all new bearer cheques share the same expiry date of 31st July 2007. In fact, the $100 (Pick 38) and $500 (Pick 39) expire 31 December 2007. Furthermore, the cent issues (Pick 29 - 32) have an extra 500 in the watermark whilst all the dollar issues have RBZ.

Finally, Steve writes: “I am a IBNS member from the Perth chapter. My collecting interests are southern Africa, GB, replacements, and Australia. I have attached a couple of interesting Zimbabwe $100,000 bearer cheques. One is a replacement note (ZB prefix) for the “normal” note issued 1 June 2006. The other has an issue date of 1 October 2005 and the serial AA (AB also known to exist). This issue was apparently printed but not issued until after June 2006.

“I am trying to obtain both notes and the replacement for the earlier version, which I presume exists but has not been confirmed.

“An interesting point now concerns the 1 February 2006 issue of the $50,000 bearer cheque. This issue started with the serial AC. Is there a previous issue with the serials AA and AB dated sometime in 2005?

“This an interesting conundrum for collectors of southern African notes or ‘emergency issues’ as these bearer cheques are often called. Any information from your readers will be most welcome.”

Tags: Zimbabwe

P91: 5,000 ariary (US$2.45), ND (2006). Issued October 2006. Like Pick 84, but with Omron rings (security feature consisting of patterns of yellow circles) on front and back. 150 x 75 mm.

In addition to the note reported above, Madagascar plans to add Omron rings to the 2,000- and 10,000-ariary notes to be issued in the coming months.

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Madagascar

5,000 dinars, 2002/AH1422. Peach and pink, orange on back. “BS” latent image in upper left, dome with tower wmk, registration device, holographic strip at far right. People’s Palace in Khartoum. Sail boat, headquarters of the Bank of Sudan, windowed security thread on back. 140 x 65 mm.

Images courtesy of Morris Lawing (deceased).

Tags: Sudan

500 francs, 2006. Issued September 2006. Pink, blue, green, and m/c. Lemur at center. Security thread, registration device, four stars with half-moon wmk. Signatures: unknown, Le President Du Conseil D’Administration; unknown, Le Gouverneur. Flowers on back. Printer: Banque de France (without imprint).
 
Information and images courtesy of Paul van Bodegraven.

Tags: Comoros

According to a September 27, 2006, report in the Sudan Tribune, the governor of the Bank of Sudan, Sabir Mohamed al-Hassan, estimated that changing the national currency from the dinar to the pound would cost US$150 million. The new currency is expected by year’s end, and its design will reflect the unity, cultural diversity, peace, and industrial development in Sudan.

Tags: Sudan

As if suffering the world’s worst inflation (1,200% annualized rate) weren’t punishment enough, Reuters South Africa reports that Zimbabweans failed to exchange more than 10 trillion Zimbabwe dollars (US$40 million) worth of old bank notes (such as the one shown above) prior to the August 21 deadline.

Adding insult to injury, Central Bank Governor Gideon Gono quipped, "I can tell you that 10 trillion (in old bank notes) is still out there and it has become manure."

© 2008: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission from owen [AT] banknotenews [DOT] com.

Tags: Zimbabwe

1,000 shillings, ND (2006). Issued 8 August 2006. Like Pick 36 (above, left), but with portrait of President Julius K. Nyerere corrected to show the shirt button on the “masculine” side (above, right). 135 x 66 mm.

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 Chris Twining.

Tags: Tanzania

The following text is from a press release issued by the Central Bank of The Gambia on 14 July 2006:
“As part of continuing efforts to improve the security, durability and aesthetic quality of The Gambia’s banknotes, the Central Bank of The Gambia is pleased to announce the introduction of new design legal tender banknotes with effect from Thursday, 27 July 2006.

“According to international best practice, central banks introduce significant banknote design and security feature changes every six to eight years. This continuous cycle of design change enables central banks to be proactive in meeting threats from counterfeiters and maintaining public confidence in their currencies. The Gambia’s banknote design upgrade was postponed because of the scheduled implementation of monetary union in the West African Monetary Zone by July 2005 and the planned eventual introduction of a single currency for the Zone. However, in May 2005, the deadline for the launch of monetary union was rescheduled to December 2009. Since then, the Central Bank has been collaborating with its banknote printers, De La Rue Currency [www.delarue.com], to upgrade The Gambia’s banknotes.
“The Gambian currency has undergone a series of changes since it was introduced in 1971. These include reduction in size, use of more sophisticated inks and dyes, improved security features and printing techniques, and the introduction of higher denomination notes, the D50 and D100. The last major design change was done in 1996 when the portrait of the former Head of State [Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara] was replaced with generic images.
“The new design banknotes will be similar to the current family of banknotes [Pick 20 - 24] to maintain continuity but will include improvements in the design, paper thickness and security features.
“The design of the banknotes would be modified to remove all the ‘white paper’ areas. The notes would be printed all over. This makes the notes less susceptible to accumulating dirt and would thus last longer. In addition, the box-like borders, especially on the back of the notes, have been removed to give the notes a more ‘open design’ look. The Gambia’s banknotes have contained these borders since 1971. This makes them look outdated. An ‘open design’ gives the banknotes a more modern look. The vignette on the back of the D10 banknote now features the Central Bank building.
“In addition to design changes, steps have also been taken to improve durability. The most important of these is to increase the paper thickness. In addition, the D5 and D10 would be coated with a special varnish after printing. This should extend the average circulation life of the banknotes. The security features of the D100 would also be upgraded by the inclusion of a silver foil on the front of the note with the image of 100 embossed into the foil. The Central Bank will continue to honour the existing banknotes at face value as long as they remain in circulation. The new family of banknotes will circulate side by side with the current existing banknotes. The current existing banknotes will continue to be legal tender until such a time as the stock is retired from circulation. As notes are returned to the Central Bank through the usual distribution channels, those in poor condition will be phased out of circulation. It is anticipated that this gradual phasing out will take several years to complete. A program of gradual introduction of the new design banknotes is considered the most cost-effective and practical means of undertaking this important exercise.”

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 Chris Twining.

Tags: Gambia

1,000 rupees, 2004. New date. Issued July 12, 2006.

Tags: Mauritius

50 pula (US$8.45), 2005. Issued mid-March 2006. Like P22 with enhanced security features: additional intaglio printing, silver dual-image hologram alternates between 50 and a kingfisher, 50 and rearing zebra as main watermark and Cornerstone watermarks in each corner, red-to-green StarChrome windowed security thread printed BOB 50. Serial number at right is now vertical. Beige and green on m/c underprint. President Seretse Khama (1921 - 1980) at left, malachite kingfisher at center, arms on right. Man in canoe, fish-eagle, and Okavango Delta on back. Printer: De La Rue (with imprint).
 
Images courtesy of Andrew Roberts.

Tags: Botswana

10,000 shillings, 2005. Issued 02.01.2006. Green and red on m/c unpt. Musical instruments at left. Owen Falls dam, kudo on back. Like Pick 41 with upgraded security features. “10000” in bottom left corner in magenta to green OVI. “10000” added to existing wmk. of crested crane. New Cornerstone wmk. of diagonal bars in four corners. On back, color of kob (antelope) was bright brown, is now dull brown. Likewise, color of grass was brown, is now green, and the end of horizontal bar below kob was brown, is now green. “TEN” and “SHI” printed in red, with rest of word in green. Printed on high-quality cotton paper with protective coating. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 156 x 76 mm.

Tags: Uganda

50 kwacha, 2006. New date. Signature 12. Printer: SABN.

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 Chris Twining and Menelaos Stamatelos.

Tags: Zambia

10,000 francs, 2006. Yellow, vanilla, and m/c. Friday mosque in Moroni at left, Al-Habib Seyyid O. Bin Sumeit at center. Solid security thread, thick metallic band, registration device, microprinting, four stars with half-moon wmk. Signatures: unknown, Le President Du Conseil D’Administration; unknown, Le Gouverneur. Cananga tree ylang-ylang flowers and turtle on back. Printer: Banque de France (without imprint).
 
Information and images courtesy of Alessandro Ferri and Paul van Bodegraven.

Tags: Comoros