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

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

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 We said at the time that the two designs would circulate in tandem, with the Elgar notes gradually being withdrawn over the next few years.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

Courtesy of Aidan Work.

Tags: England

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 Bosnia and Herzegovina:

Pick 31-32
Pick 47A
Pick 47B

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: Bosnia-Herzegovina

The Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) is reminding citizens in possession of 5-convertible marka (US$3.50) notes that they have until 31 March 2010 to exchange them at commercial banks. The note ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 2009 and as such are no longer accepted in circulation for settlement of any type of liabilities. A coin of the same denomination remains in circulation.

Tags: Bosnia-Herzegovina

On 14 December 2009, the Central Bank of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CBBH) introduced a 50-convertible marka (US$36.60) note like Pick 72, but dated 2009 and a new signature (Kemal Kozanic).

Courtesy of Kovács Sándor and Jean-Michel Engels.

Tags: Bosnia-Herzegovina

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

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

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

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

Courtesy of Rafal Nogowczyk.

Tags: Poland

The Treasury of States of Jersey has unveiled its new note series to be issued in April 2010. Printed by De La Rue with imprint, the notes can also be seen in this YouTube video. All feature a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the front. The 10-, 20-, and 50-pound notes are protected by a new hologram, and all denominations have windowed security threads, map of Jersey as a registration device, and watermark of a Jersey cow, electrotype denomination, and Cornerstones. For the first time Jèrriais, the island's native Norman French, appears on the note in addition to English and French.


1 pound (US$1.55)
Green. Front: Monument to Freedom in Liberation Square, Saint Helier; QE II. Back: La Hougue Bie Neolithic burial mound; Le Hocq in Saint Clement.


5 pounds (US$7.75)
Blue. Front: 16th century National Trust property, Le Rât Cottage, in Saint Lawrence; QE II. Back: Les Augrès Manor, home of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust; Archirondel Tower.


10 pounds (US$15.45)
Burnt sienna. Front: Hermitage of Elizabeth Castle in Saint Aubin's Bay; QE II. Back: Rene Lalique’s glass sculptures in Saint Matthew’s Church of Saint Lawrence; Seymour Tower in Grouville Bay.


20 pounds (US$30.95)
Violet. Front: Exterior view of The States (parliament building); QE II. Back: Interior view of The States chamber; La Rocco Tower (originally known as Gordon’s Tower) in Saint Jean.


50 pounds (US$77.35)
Cherry red. Front: Mont Orgueil Castle; QE II. Back: Houses on the island of La Marmotière in Les Écréhous; Ouaisné Tower.

Courtesy of Paul Walters.

Tags: Jersey

According to a post on the States of Jersey web site dated 26 January 2010, “The Treasury Minister has announced the launch of Jersey’s first new set of bank notes for 21 years. Members of the public will be able to view the designs from Tuesday 23 February at the Jersey Museum, after an official launch the day before.

“Senator Philip Ozouf announced in his department’s 2009 business plan that new notes would be issued this year. He says “These new designs highlight many different aspects of the island’s diverse architecture, history and culture and represent a fresh, new look for a new decade.

““For the first time you can see the value of each note written in French as well as in Jèrriais. I hope this will contribute to the regeneration of Jersey’s local language and help those of us who grew up in a Jèrriais-speaking household to reacquaint ourselves with our traditional language.

“”I am confident that everyone can find a favourite image from the wide range of striking designs in this new family of notes.”

“All twelve parishes are featured in the new designs, and the back of each note carries the words États de Jersey as well as the parish crests. The notes include a new image of the Queen and a number of local landmarks.

“The new notes are now being printed and will be tested in banks’ cash machines in the coming months. They will start to appear in our pockets from April 2010.”

Courtesy of Jose Manuel Peso.

Tags: Jersey

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

Courtesy of Martin Rydberg.

Tags: Sweden

According to an article dated 18 February 2010, the Banknotes Museum of Greece on the Ionian island of Corfu is housed on the first floor of the preserved building that was the first branch of the Ionian Bank (now Alpha Bank). The museum “showcases a near-complete collection of Greek banknotes, from the very first ones circulated in 1822 to the last ones withdrawn in 2002 with the advent of the euro, sketches, essays and printing plates for various Greek banknotes, archive material (documents, accounting books, checks, photographs relating to the history of the Ionian Bank), and a complete series of the last issues of the national banknotes by the euro-zone member states before their replacement by the single currency, the euro, as well as a reproduction of the modern manufacturing process of banknotes. The collection numbers more than 2,000 items.”

If anyone visits (Iroon Kypriakou Agona Square, 49100 Corfu, Tel.: 26610 41552), please post your comments below.

Tags: Greece

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

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

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

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

Courtesy of David Liu and Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Switzerland

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

Courtesy of Alex Klark.

Tags: Moldova

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

Courtesy of Håkon Hagelund.

Tags: Norway

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

I am looking for 300-dpi images of the following banknotes of Germany, Federal Republic of:

Pick 10
Pick 27

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

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

Thanks in advance for everyone's cooperation!

Tags: Germany

2005-dated note (Pick 119a)


2008-dated note

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

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

Courtesy of Thomas Krause and Andrew Quirke.

Tags: Romania, Polymer

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 Croatia:

Pick 10
Pick 11A
Pick 28x
Pick 32x

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: Croatia

According to a Croatian Times article dated 28.12.2009, the Croatian National Bank (HNB) will begin withdrawing from circulation 50-, 100-, and 200-kuna banknotes (Pick 31-33) dated 31. LISTOPADA 1993 (31.10.1993) effective 01.01.2010. The same denominations dated 2002 will remain in circulation. The 1993 banknotes will be exchangeable at the Croatian National Bank in Zagreb for an unlimited period.

Tags: Croatia

The Bank of Latvia has issued new 5- and 20-lat notes dated 2009. The 5-lat (US$10.10) note is like Pick 52, but new date. The 20-lat (US$40.35) note is like Pick 51, but new dates, new signature (Ilmars Rimsevics, Governor), and wider windowed security thread on back.

Additional information and images are requested.

Courtesy of Nazir Rahemtulla.

Tags: Latvia

On 15 December 2009, Clydesdale Bank introduced a new 100-pound (US$161) banknote featuring artist and architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh on the front and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney on the back. This is the last denomination to be issued in the new world heritage series marking the Year of Homecoming. The new notes are the first in the UK to use a new “depth image” hologram security feature in the form of a moving image behind the prominent front picture.

Courtesy of Colin Meikle.

Tags: Scotland

10,000 forint (US$50.90), 2009. Like Pick 192, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

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: Hungary

On 1 December 2009, the Czech National Bank introduced a new version of the 5,000-korun (US$287) note, now dated 2009 (offset printed in black) and with enhanced security features. The 1999 note of the same denomination remains legal tender, while the 1993 version remains exchangeable at the CNB.

The 2009 note is signed by Governor Tůma and bears series letter C. Among its new security features are “bichrome patterned iridescent metallic strip of overlapping gold and purple with recurring quartets of linden leaves and negative 5000s” to the right of the portrait on the front of the note. The note is also protected by Omron rings, 3-mm wide puce-to-green color-shifting windowed security thread with demetalized ČNB 5000 Kč, and the watermark of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk now has 5000 and sitting eagle electrotype elements.

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 Kevin Klauss and Evzen Sknouril.

Tags: Czech Republic

According to an article in the Jersey Evening Post dated 3 December 2009, the island nation will introduce a set of redesigned notes in 2010. The new notes will feature new security measures and will have the values printed in both French and Jèrriais on one side. Details about the other denominations have not been released, but the 1-pound note will feature the Liberation Statue, in Liberation Square, on the front and La Hougue Bie on the back. All but one of the new notes will be introduced in February 2010, with the new denomination of 100 pounds (US$165) issued later in the year.

Additional information and images are requested.

Tags: Jersey

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 Jersey:

Pick 6b
new notes issued February 2010

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: Jersey

1 pound (US$1.65), ND. Like Pick 40, but new signature (P. M. Shimmin, CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER) and two-character prefix.

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 Pam West.

Tags: Isle of Man

On 30 November 2009, Clydesdale Bank introduced a new 10-pound (US$16.40) world heritage banknote featuring Robert Burns on the front and Edinburgh’s old and new towns on the back. Clydesdale chief executive Lynne Peacock said: “The new £10 note reflects the excellent reputation Scotland’s people and locations have across the world. As a bank, we are extremely proud to highlight the impact of Robert Burns’s work, as well as the country’s history with the old and new towns of Edinburgh.”

The new £100 note—the last denomination to be released in this new series— is scheduled for introduction in mid-December. The new notes are the first in the UK to use a new “depth image” hologram security feature in the form of a moving image behind the prominent front picture.

Tags: Scotland

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

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

P11
P13
P14
P18
P72

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: Czechoslovakia

On 19 June 2009, the Bank of Estonia issued 2- and 10-kroon banknotes dated 2007. Aside from the new date, the notes are identical to the preceding issues, including the signatures (Andres Lipstok, President; Mart Sõrg, Noukogu Esimees). The new 2-kroon (US$0.20) notes were printed in Germany by Gieseke & Devrient and the 10-kroon (US$0.90) notes in Malta by De La Rue, both without imprints.





Courtesy of Rui Manuel Palhares.

Tags: Estonia

50 pounds (US$82.50). Issued 2 November 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 Ricardo Castedo.

Tags: Scotland

5 pounds (US$8.25). To be issued 19 November 2009.


10 pounds (US$16.50). To be issued 5 November 2009.

Tags: Scotland

5 lei (US$0.45). Like Pick 9, but new date (2009).


10 lei (US$0.90). Like Pick 10, but new date (2009).


200 lei (US$18.20). Like Pick 16, but new date (2009).

Courtesy of Vadim Tislenko.

Tags: Moldova

On 19 October 2009, Clydesdale Bank introduced a new 20-pound (US$32.60) world heritage banknote featuring Robert the Bruce on the front and the historic mill house New Lanark on the back. Other denominations will gradually enter circulation over the remainder of year, beginning with the £50 note, then the £5 and the £10, with a £100 note coming out in mid-December. Each note will feature a prominant Scottish individual, whilst depicting one of the country’s five world heritage sites on the other side.

Courtesy of Alessio Amato.

Tags: Scotland

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of the poet Julius Slowacki, the National Bank of Poland issued 80,000 new 20-zloty (US$6.90) notes on 23 September 2009. The notes were issued in a folder at a price of 29-zloty each, which makes these non-circulating numismatic products.

Dated 08 STYCZNIA 2009 (08.01.2009), the front features a portrait of Julius Slowacki and a view of the Krzemieniec chalet in Ukraine where the poet was born. The back of the note depicts the portion of the reproduction of the poem "Sedation" and Sigismund III Vasa at Castle Square in Warsaw, and profiles of flying cranes.

The note is protected by a watermark of the poet's face and a registration device in the form of a pen inkwell. The note was designed by Maciej Kopecki and engraved by Przemyslaw Krajewski.

This is the third commemorative banknote from Poland.


Brown. Front: Quill and inkwell; Krzemieniec chalet in Ukraine; coat of arms; poet Julius Slowacki. Back: Flying cranes brids; statue of Sigismund III Vasa at Castle Square in Warsaw; handwritten poem “Sedation.” Solid security thread with microprinted 20 Zł. Watermark: Julius Slowacki and electrotype denomination. Printer: PWPW S.A. (Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartosciowych SA). 138 x 69 mm. Dated 8 STYCZNIA 2009 (08.01.2009). Signatures: Sławomir Skrzypek, PREZES (President); Monika Nowosielska, GŁÓWNY SKARBNIK (Main Cashier). Intro: 23.09.2009.

Courtesy of Leszek Porowski and Krzysztof Czupryński.

Tags: Poland

On 15 June 2009, Magyar Nemzeti Bank issued a new 200-forint (US$1) coin which will replace the banknote of the same denomination beginning 15 November 2009, after which time the notes will remain redeemable for 20 years.

Tags: Hungary

50 kroner (US$9.60). Like Pick 60, but new date (20)07 and new signatures.



200 kroner (US$38.45). Like Pick 62, but new date (20)07 and new signatures.

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Denmark

On 11 August 2009, Danmarks Nationalbank issued a new 50-kroner (US$9.50) note, the first in a new Danish series intended to make it even more difficult to counterfeit or copy genuine banknotes. Among the new security features is Crane’s windowed Motion thread on the back, which was first used by Sweden and is now incorporated in Mexico’s high-denomination notes. Another feature is a new, sophisticated hologram on the front that reflects light in different colors. The new banknotes will also have the traditional security features such as a watermark with electrotype 50, a solid security thread, and Omron rings.

The theme of the new banknotes is Danish bridges and the surrounding landscapes, or details from these landscapes. The artist Karin Birgitte Lund has chosen to interpret this theme in two ways: bridges as links between various parts of Denmark and as links between the past and the present. The present is represented by the bridges, the past by five distinctive prehistoric objects found near the bridges.

The front of the 50-kroner note depicts the Sallingsund Bridge. The back features a Skarpsalling vessel in a field and a map at right.



Courtesy of Alessio Amato and Paul D. Walters.

Tags: Denmark

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 Slovakia:

Pick 5a (dark paper)
Pick 5b (white paper)
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: Slovakia

On 11 August 2009, Danmarks Nationalbank issued a new 50-kroner (US$9.50) note, the first in a new Danish series intended to make it even more difficult to counterfeit or copy genuine banknotes. Among the new security features is Crane’s Motion thread, which was first used by Sweden and is now incorporated in Mexico’s high-denomination notes. Another feature is a new, sophisticated hologram that reflects light in different colours. The new banknotes will also have the traditional security features such as the watermark and the hidden security thread.

The theme of the new banknotes is Danish bridges and the surrounding landscapes, or details from these landscapes. The artist Karin Birgitte Lund has chosen to interpret this theme in two ways: bridges as links between various parts of Denmark and as links between the past and the present. The present is represented by the bridges, the past by five distinctive prehistoric objects found near the bridges. Designs of the notes can be seen here.

When will the new banknotes be issued?
The expected schedule for introducing the new banknotes is as follows:

• 50 kroner: 11 August 2009 – depicting the Sallingsund Bridge and the Skarpsalling vessel

• 100 kroner: May 2010 – depicting the old Little Belt Bridge and the Hindsgavl dagger

• 200 kroner: October 2010 – depicting Knippelsbro and a belt-plate from Langstrup

• 500 kroner: February 2011 – depicting Queen Alexandrine's Bridge and the bronze vessel from Keldby

• 1,000 kroner: May 2011 – depicting the Great Belt Bridge and the Sun Chariot

What is being done for the visually impaired?
In the interests of the blind and partially sighted, the 100- and 200-krone banknotes will have embossed print to make it easier to distinguish them from each other. Like the current series, the banknotes will differ in size, which is also helpful to the blind and partially sighted.

Tags: Denmark

1 pound (US$1.65). No date (2009). Like Pick 26, but new prefix (AEC).

Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

Tags: Jersey

Collector Kevin Forbes has reported an interesting Bank of Scotland note dated 17th JULY 1968 (Pick 109a) with serial number prefix A/1 which is predominantly green in color as opposed to the “correct” color ochre as listed in the SCWPM, seen on the same notes with serial number prefix A/3 below. Both notes are scanned on the same equipment using the same settings, so the color variance as shown is true. The question is whether this is a unique error note, or if the bank subtly changed the color of this denomination over time to distinguish it from the green 5-pound note of the same series. Anyone who collects Scotland is encouraged to check their notes for examples close to the A/1 0250641 serial number to determine if there are other notes that exhibit this color scheme. If anyone has an explanation, please share your theories by posting a comment.





Courtesy of Kevin Forbes.

Tags: Scotland

On 20 July 2009, the Bank of Albania issued a revised 200-lek (US$2.20) note dated 2007 (in small type at right center on back) and printed by TDLR without imprint. Like Pick 67, but It has Cornerstone watermarks and new signatures.




Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

Tags: Albania

50 pounds (US$82.10)
Like Pick 225, but new date (9th JANUARY 2006) and new signature (David Thorburn).

Courtesy of Kai Hwong.

Tags: Scotland

On 15 May 2009, the Bank of Albania issued a revised 5,000-lek (US$55) note dated 2007 (in small type at lower right on back) and printed by TDLR without imprint. It has Cornerstone watermarks, a holographic patch, demetalized windowed security thread, and new signatures.




Courtesy of Christof Zellweger and Michael Reissner.

Tags: Albania

The 10-lari note dated 2002 (Pick 71) has been discovered to have an error in the spelling of the denomination on the back. Specifically, it was incorrectly spelled “Fen Lari” (middle image) instead of “Ten Lari” (bottom image). This mistake was corrected in later printings also dated 2002.

Courtesy of Vadim Tislenko and Thomas Augustsson.

Tags: Georgia

2,000 forint (US$10.20), 2008. Like Pick 190, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

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: Hungary

Pam West, a dealer who specializes in British notes, sends word that Guernsey has issued a £20 (US$32) with the signature of Bethan Haines as CHIEF ACCOUNTANT. The first prefix is C900001. The note is like Pick 58, but the wording on the back is darker, the righthand underprint is moved 5 mm to the right. The note has a new 1.4-mm StarDust windowed security thread and a new watermark with a larger portrait which has more contrast. Also there are Cornerstone watermarks in the four corners. The Guernsey Fresian is depicted as a shape in silver foil, overprinted with Intaglio ink. The undated note bears a new imprint of DE LA RUE. According to visitor Kai, this note was introduced 04.06.2009.

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 Pam West.

Tags: Guernsey

20,000 forint (US$102), 2008 and 2009. Like Pick 193, but new dates, new signatures, and Omron rings.

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Hungary

2,000 forint (US$10.20), 2007. Like Pick 190, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Hungary

10,000 forint (US$50.90), 2008. Like Pick 192, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

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: Hungary

5,000 forint (US$25), 2008. Like Pick 191, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

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: Hungary

500 forint (US$2.30), 2007. Like Pick 188d, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings.

This appears to be the earliest date of this denomination with Omron rings. However, this denomination was subsequently issued dated 2008 in varieties with and without Omron rings.

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: Hungary

On 29 May 2009, the Bank of England announced that it would issue a new 50-pound note in early 2011. The new £50 note (US$82) will feature portraits of 18th century entrepreneur Matthew Boulton and engineer James Watt. Bank of England Governor, Mervyn King, said, “Just as the Bank of England plays an essential role in the economy as the United Kingdom’s central bank, so too did Boulton and Watt’s steam engines and their many other innovations as essential factors in the nation’s Industrial Revolution. So many of the advantages society now enjoys are due in large part to the vital role of engineering and the brilliance and foresight of people such as Boulton and Watt whose development and refinement of steam engines gave an incredible boost to the efficiency of industry.”

“The unique and rare opportunity that the Bank has through its banknotes to acknowledge and promote awareness of our nation’s heritage of artistic, social and scientific endeavour is an honour for us. The Bank’s choice of Boulton and Watt, a reminder of the invaluable contribution from engineering and the entrepreneurial spirit to the advancement of society, I think, well reflects this.”

The Boulton and Watt £50 banknote will be the second note in the Series F family which began with the introduction of the Adam Smith £20 note on 13 March 2007. Therefore its overall appearance will be similar. But for the first time two portraits will appear together on the reverse of the note, those of Boulton and Watt, along with the image of a steam engine and the Soho (Birmingham) Manufactory. As with the Adam Smith £20 banknote however, continuity is provided with the current portrait of Her Majesty The Queen, which was first used in 1990 and which will be retained on the front of the note. Further details of the design and the range of security features to be included on the new note will be revealed when the new note is launched.

Tags: England

On 1 June 2009, the Bulgarian National Bank introduced a revised BGN 5 banknote. The new 2009 issue has the same dimensions, coloring, and graphical design as the 1999 note, with some minor changes. Both notes will circulate in parallel. In keeping with a tradition which it started following the introduction of the 100-lev note issued 8 December 2003, the bank has sold the first 100 notes (serial numbers БА 0000001 to БА 0000100) for BGN 6.6 each, a 20% premium over face value.



5 leva (US$3.55), 2009. Like Pick 116, but new date, new signatures, new holographic anti-copy stripe, new windowed security thread, added latent image, БНБ electrotype added to the watermark, and additional bifluorescence.

Courtesy of Krassimir Dimitrov, Andrew Roberts, and Stefan Tzvetkov.

Tags: Bulgaria

Labour MSP Margaret Curran has written to the Royal Bank of Scotland, the Bank of Scotland, and the Clydesdale Bank urging them to consider issuing a commemorative banknote to mark the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. No word yet on whether any of the banks will take up the idea.

Tags: Scotland

1,000 lek (US$10.55)
Like Pick 69, but new date (2007), new signatures, and Cornerstone watermarks. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint).

Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson.

Tags: Albania

500 forint (US$2.15), 2008. Like Pick 188, but new date, new signatures, and Omron rings added to front and back in watermark field.

The 500-forint notes dated 2008 without Omron rings were issued bearing prefixes EA, EB, EC, ED. It appears the bank is resetting the prefixes back to EA for the newer issues.



1,000 forint (US$4.30), 2009. Like Pick 195, but new date, new signatures, Omron rings added to front and back in watermark field, black serial numbers instead of red ones, and a silver-holographic security thread instead of a golden-holographic one.

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: Hungary

On 1 April 2009 the Czech National Bank introduced a revised 500-korun note (US$25.50) with improved security features. Existing 500-korun notes dated 1995 and 1997 will remain legal tender. The new notes are dated 2009, carry the signature of bank governor Tuma, use serial number starting with prefix E, and contain the following new/revised security features:

• rose printed in gold-to-green OVI
• Omron rings
• watermark now includes electrotype 500 and primrose flower
• windowed security thread is now 3-mm wide with cross-hatched demetalized ČNB 500 Kč and it changes color from puce-to-green
• additional UV elements

Courtesy of Marian Klubert and Christof Zellweger.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Czech Republic

200 francs (US$177). Like P73, but new date (2006) and new signatures (presumably Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass and Dr. Jean-Pierre Roth).

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

Tags: Switzerland

Like P72, but new date (2008) and new signatures.

Courtesy of Dmitriy Litvak.

Tags: Georgia

20 franken (US$16.90), 2005. Like Pick 69, but new date.

Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Switzerland

10 franken (US$8.45), 2006. Like Pick 66, but new date.

Courtesy of Michael Reissner.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Switzerland

20 pounds (US$28), 20TH DECEMBER 2007. Like P354, but new date. Printer: THOMAS DE LA© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced. RUE AND COMPANY LIMITED.

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: Scotland

According to a TotallyJewish.com article dated March 5, 2009, “A new British banknote featuring a portrait of the Chief Rabbi is to be issued later this year in an effort to literally 'restore faith in the economy'. Sir Jonathan Sacks is one of five senior religious leaders whose images will appear on UK currency as part of a series of measures to tackle the credit crunch. The initiative was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Bank of England this week.”

This “news” item struck me as highly unlikely, so I wrote to the Bank of England for confirmation or denial. As I suspected, the TotallyJewish.com item is either false or was intended as satire. Here is the full response I received from Malcolm Shemmonds, a media representative at the BoE:

“I'm afraid that the news concerning this supposed new banknote issue by ourselves is totally untrue. There are no plans to circulate any new Bank of England notes in the immediate future. However, the Bank of England has a rolling banknote design programme and we may well decide to revise the design of our other notes in due course to reflect the same security features and theme (British historical figures) that have been incorporated within our current banknote series.

“By way of background, you may be interested to know that we decide whom to feature on our banknotes on the basis of an enduring contribution to the advancement of society. Having said that, the choice of whom to celebrate on the banknotes is never easy, and any candidate will naturally have both staunch supporters and detractors. The final choice of who appears on our notes rests with the Governor of the Bank of England.”

Tags: England

On February 16, 2009, the Bank of Albania issued a revised 500-lek note. It is dated 2007 and is apparently printed by TDLR based upon its use of Cornerstone watermarks. The note is like the 2001 issue, but has new signatures and a windowed security thread with demetalized text.

Updated versions of the 200- and 5,000-lek notes have also been issued in 2009.



500 lek (US$4.85)
Blue. Front: Prime Minister Ismail Qemali; two-headed independence flag; fountain pen. Back: Desk and chairs in office where independence declared; telegraph machine which transmitted declaration; house where event took place. Windowed security thread with demetalized 500. Watermark: Ismail Qemali and Cornerstones. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 145 x 68 mm. 2007. Signatures unknown. Introduced 16.02.2009.

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 Michael M. Reissner and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Albania

10 denari (US$0.20), ЈАНУАРИ 2008 (January 2008). Like Pick 14, but new date and signature (Petar Goshev, Governor).

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: Macedonia

These convertible marka notes are like the preceding issues, but new date (2008), new signature (Kemel Kozarić, GUVERNER), and windowed security threads.

Reportedly 50 and 100 KM notes dated 2007 were also issued in both Fed. BiH and Serb Rep. varieties. IIf anyone has these notes, please send scans so that they can be confirmed.

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 Claudio Marana and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Bosnia-Herzegovina

20 pounds (US$28.30), ND. Like Pick 45, but new signature (P.M. Shimmin, Chief Financial Officer).

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 Ömer Yalcinkaya.

Tags: Isle of Man

100 franken (US$85), 2004. Like Pick 72, but new date.

Courtesy of Christof Zellweger.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Switzerland

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 Malta:

Pick 1-10
Pick 14

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: Malta

50 lei (US$5.20), 2008. Like P14, but new date, and caption on back corrected: MĂNĂSTIREA HÎRBOVĂT. 121 x 61 mm.


100 lei (US$10.35), 2008. Like P15, but new date, and caption on back corrected: CETATEA TIGHINA. 121 x 61 mm.

Courtesy of Vadim Tislenko.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Moldova

5 lari (US$3), 2008. Like P70, but new date and new signatures. 115 x 61 mm.

Courtesy of Krassimir Dimitrov.

Tags: Georgia

On January 19, 2009, the Latvijas Banka introduced a revised 500-lat note dated 2008. It incorporates the same upgraded security features as the 100-lat note issued on May 21, 2007.



500 latu (US$935), 2008. Like P48, but new date, new signature, varifeye window, heat-sensitive denomination in lower left front (see below).



Courtesy of Cleophas Elmakias Schockemohle and Frank van Tiel.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Latvia

At Edinburgh Castle on January 14, 2009, First Minister Alex Salmond and the Clydesdale Bank’s chief operating officer David Thorburn announced that a new series of banknotes had been designed to celebrate the best of Scotland’s heritage, people, and culture, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns and the Year of Homecoming 2009. The new notes will enter circulation in late autumn 2009.

The new family of banknotes celebrates famous Scots on the front and the five World Heritage Sites in Scotland on the back, drawing on the Homecoming themes of Burns, Great Minds and Innovation, Culture and Heritage. The new designs are:


£5: Scientist Sir Alexander Fleming and St. Kilda


£10: Poet Robert Burns and The Old and New Towns of Edinburgh


£20: King Robert the Bruce and New Lanark


£50: Suffragette Elsie Inglis and The Antonine Wall


£100: Architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and the Heart of Neolithic Orkney

These notes will be the first in the UK to have a new “depth image” security hologram, whatever that means. From the images released to the press, it appears only the 100-pound note has a hologram on front to the right of the portrait. Also, the notes bear the signature of David Thorburn.

Tags: Scotland

500 kronor (US$63.40), (200)7. Like P65, but new date and new signatures.




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: Sweden

On 29 December 2008, the Bank of Albania issued its first-ever 2,000-lek note. Also, on 14 November 2008, the bank issued a revised 1,000-lek note. Both are dated 2007 and apparently printed by TDLR based upon their use of Cornerstone watermarks.



1,000 lek (US$11.25)
Green. Front: Writer and priest Pjeter Bogdani; sun. Back: Catholic church in Vau i Dejës; Bogdani’s vision of the heliocentric system. Windowed security thread with demetalized 1000. Watermark: Pjeter Bogdani and Cornerstones. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 151 x 72 mm. 2007. Signatures unknown. Introduced 14.11.2008.

Additional information and images requested.




2,000 lek (US$22.50)
Purple. Front: MBRETI GENT (Gentius, last king of Illyria); three ancient coins; coat of arms. Back: Medicinal plant, gentiana lutea (great yellow gentian, or bitter root); AMFITEATRI I BUTRINTIT (ancient Butrint amphitheater near Sarandë). Hologram. Windowed security thread with demetalized 2000. Watermark: Gentius and Cornerstones. Printer: TDLR (w/o imprint). 160 x 72 mm. 2007. Signatures unknown. Introduced 29.12.2008.

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 Michael M. Reissner, Cleophas Elmakias Schockemohle, and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Albania

As of January 1, 2009, Slovakia is adopting the euro. While I am sad to see another country abandon its unique notes, I must remember that it was the impending introduction of the euro that first sparked my interest in the hobby of collecting banknotes. Perhaps Slovakia’s move will create a whole new generation of collectors. In recognition of this historic event, I’m pleased to present the following images of the banknotes of National Bank of Slovakia.



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

Tags: Slovakia

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 Moldova:

Pick 8 dated 1997
Pick 8-18 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: Moldova

On 9 December 2008, the National Bank of Georgia introduced 10- and 50-lari notes dated 2008. The notes are similar to earlier issues of the same denominations, but have enhanced security features. The new 10-lari note has two relief inscriptions of the nominal value 10 imprinted above the oak-leaf on the front. Also, the numeral 10 is printed with OVI for a color-changing optical effect when the banknote is tilted.



Courtesy of Thomas Augustsson and Dmitriy Litvak.

Tags: Georgia

On 8 December 2008, the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) issued a revised 10-lev (US$6.50) note similar to the existing 1999 note (Pick 117), but with new date, signatures, and security features, including a red-to-green windowed security thread with demetalized text, watermark with electrotype bank initials, latent image, and UV elements.




Courtesy of Krassimir Dimitrov.

Tags: Bulgaria

500 forint (US$2.30), 2008. Like Pick 188d, but new date and new signatures (Dr. Karvalits Ferenc; Simor András; Dr. Király Júlia).

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Hungary

On 3 November 2008, the National Bank of Poland introduced a new 10-zloty note to commemorate the 90th anniversary of regaining independence. 80,000 notes were packaged in a folder and sold for PLN15. The note was engraved by Maciej Kopecki.


10 zloty (US$3.35)
Pink and orange. Front: Coat of arms; Belweder Palace; Commander Józef Piłsudski. Back: White eagle; Monument of the Heroic Deed of Polish Legions in Kielce. Solid security thread with microprinted 10 Zł. Watermark: Piłsudski and electrotype denomination. Printer: PWPW S.A. (Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartosciowych SA). 138 x 69 mm. 4 CZERWCA 2008 (04.06.2008). Signatures: Sławomir Skrzypek, PREZES (President); Monika Nowosielska, GŁÓWNY SKARBNIK (Main Cashier). Introduced 03.11.2008.

Courtesy of Krzysztof Czupryński, Rafal Nogowczyk, and Leszek Porowski.

Tags: Poland

On 21 October 2008, the National Bank of Poland announced that it would issue a 10-zloty note to commemorate the 90th anniversary of regaining independence. The front of the note will depict Commander Józef Piłsudski and the front façade of the Belweder Palace. The back of the note contains the Emblem of the Polish Republic—the White Eagle—as designed in 1919, as well as the Monument of the Heroic Deed of Polish Legions in Kielce.




Courtesy of Rafal Nogowczyk and Leszek Porowski.

Tags: Poland

20 pounds (US$39.25), 1st MAY 2007. Like P137, but new date and new signature.

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

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

Tags: Northern Ireland

25 krooni (US$2.50), 2007. Introduced 26.06.2008. Like P84, but new date, new signatures (Andres Lipstok, President; Mart Sõrg, Nõukogu esimees), and rectangle with denomination in UV ink moved from lower center on back to lower center right on back. Printer: (Gieseke & Devrient). 140 x 69 mm.

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net and Frank van Tiel.

Tags: Estonia

10 lats (US$19.40)
Violet. Front: River Daugava; oak-leaf. Back: Traditional Latvian bronze bow-broach; coat of arms. Windowed security thread. Watermark: Folk-maid wearing a traditional head-dress. Printer: Giesecke & Devrient (w/o imprint). 130 x 65 mm. 2008. Signature: Ilmars Rimsevics, Governor. Introduced 01.10.2008.

Information courtesy of Dmitry Litvak.

Images courtesy of Tuyet Nhung Le.

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

Tags: Latvia

10 krooni (US$1), 2008. 30,000 notes introduced in special folder with 1-kroon coin for EEK200 (US$19.95) on 20.06.2008, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia and the 16th anniversary of the re-introduction of the kroon. Front: Girl in national costume holding sheaves of wheat based upon design by Günther Reindorff for 1928 EEK10 (P63), but new date, new signatures (Andres Lipstok, President; Mart Sõrg, Noukogu Esimees), plus watermark and registration device at right. Back: Designed by Vladimir Taiger; depicts Tamme-Lauri oak at Urvaste and coat of arms. Security features include 90th anniversary logo as watermark, 1918 and 2008 as latent images, intaglio printing, microtext, and fluorescent ink. 140 x 69 mm.

Tags: Estonia

20 korun (US$1), 20. OKTÓBRA 2006. Like P20, but new date and new signatures. Series S. Printer: Giesecke & Devrient. 128 x 65 mm.

Courtesy of Claudio Marana.

Tags: Slovakia

10 pounds (US$19.70), 19th SEPTEMBER 2006. Like P353, but new date. Printer: THOMAS DE LA RUE AND COMPANY LIMITED. The signature of the group chief executive remains that of Fred Goodwin.

Images courtesy of Claudio Marana.

Tags: Scotland

200 lei (US$19.25), 2007. Like P16, but new date. 133 x 66 mm.

Images courtesy of Michael Reissner.

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

Tags: Moldova

1,000 korun (US$60.65), 2008. To be issued April 1, 2008. Like P15, but new date, new signature (Tůma, GUVERNER), and many additional security features, including bichrome patterned iridescent strip of overlapping gold and blue, Omron rings, 1000 and linden leaf added as electrotype watermark, 3.0-mm windowed puce-to-green security thread with hatched ČNB 1000 Kč, and additional UV features. Designer: Oldřich Kulhánek. Printer: State Printing Office, Prague. 158 x 74 mm.

Courtesy of Claudio Marana.

© 2009: Images may be freely reproduced.

Tags: Czech Republic

On December 29, 2006, the Bank of Lithuania announced plans to order 50 million 10-litas notes, 45 million 50-litas notes, and 50 million 100-litas notes.

On March 5, 2008, both the 10- (US$4.40) and 100-litas (US$43.95) notes dated 2007 were issued with additional security features. Previous 10-litas notes dated 1997 and 2001, as well as 100-litas notes dated 2000, remain legal tender.


10 litas (US$4.40), 2007. Issued March 5, 2008. Like P65, but iridescent stripe to right of portraits with denomination as latent image, and no microperforation. Printer: Giesecke & Devrient.


100 litas (US$43.95), 2007. Issued March 5, 2008. Like P62, but holographic stripe, denomination at left front in green-to-magenta OVI, denomination as electrotype watermark, and paper tinted green. Printer: François-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire.

Images courtesy of Valdemar Griskevic.

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

Tags: Lithuania

According to a February 12, 2008 report in Drinks International, the Bank of Ireland will issue 5-, 10-, and 20-pound notes, the backs of which feature the Diageo’s Bushmills whiskey distillery in celebration of the distillery’s 400th anniversary. Stephen Kirkpatrick, chief executive of Bank of Ireland Northern Ireland, said: “Because Bank of Ireland is one of the leading business banks in this region, we felt our new notes should feature a business that is symbolic both of our heritage and of our skill in crafting products for a global market.”

Interestingly enough, although all three notes bear the same date, the lowest denomination bears the signature of David McGowan, but the two other notes issued just one month later bear the signature of Stephen Kirkpatrick and a different title.



5 pounds (US$9.90)
Purple. Front: Bank of Ireland seal (Hibernia seated); six county shields. Back: Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim. Solid security thread. Watermark: Medusa head. 136 x 70 mm. 20th APRIL 2008. Signature: David McGowan, Chief Executive UK. Introduced 22.04.2008.



10 pounds (US$19.85)
Blue. Front: Bank of Ireland seal (Hibernia seated); six county shields. Back: Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim. Solid security thread. Watermark: Medusa head. 143 x 75 mm. 20th APRIL 2008. Signature: Stephen Kirkpatrick, Chief Executive NI. Introduced May 2008.




20 pounds (US$39.70)
Dark green. Front: Bank of Ireland seal (Hibernia seated); six county shields. Back: Old Bushmills Distillery in County Antrim. Solid security thread. Watermark: Medusa head. 150 x 80 mm. 20th APRIL 2008. Signature: Stephen Kirkpatrick, Chief Executive NI. Introduced May 2008.

Images courtesy of Kai Hwong.

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

Tags: Northern Ireland

According to a 8 January 2008 press release, the Czech National Bank “is preparing to issue a new version of the 1,000 CZK [US$57] banknote. The new note contains additional protective elements (a watermark, a protective strip, a bichrome iridescent strip, etc.), which will help the public to better distinguish counterfeit banknotes from genuine ones. A draft decree containing a description of the differences between the 2008 version of the 1,000 CZK notes and the 1993 and 1996 versions of the same denomination and a description of the new protective elements is currently being circulated for interdepartmental comments. The banknotes will be put into circulation on 1 April 2008.”

Courtesy of Evzen Sknouril.

Tags: Czech Republic

20 pounds (US$39.10), 24th JUNE 2006. Front like P229E, back like P221, 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 Barry Boswell (www.collectpapermoney.co.uk).

Tags: Scotland

5 pounds (US$10.45), 1st JANUARY 2007. Like P335, but new date, new typeface for Ulster Bank Limited, Royal Bank of Scotland logo added, and new signature (Cormac McCarthy, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE). Printer: DE LA RUE.



10 pounds (US$19.60), 1st JANUARY 2007. Like P336, but new date, new typeface for Ulster Bank Limited, Royal Bank of Scotland logo added, and new signature (Cormac McCarthy, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE). Printer: DE LA RUE.



20 pounds (US$39.25), 1st JANUARY 2007 and 1st JANUARY 2008. Like P337, but new dates, new typeface for Ulster Bank Limited, Royal Bank of Scotland logo added, and new signature (Cormac McCarthy, GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE). Printer: DE LA RUE.

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 Barry Boswell and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Ireland

200 kroner (US$33.20), 2006. Like P50, but new date, and new new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director).




500 kroner (US$92.10), 2005. Like P51, but new date, and new new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director).

1,000 kroner (US$184.20), 2004. Like P52, but new date, and new new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director).

Images courtesy of Jan Ove.

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

Tags: Norway

100 kroon (US$9.45), 2007. Issued 10 January 2008. Like P82, but new date, new signatures (Andres Lipstok, President; Mart Sõrg, Nõukogu esimees), wider (2 mm vs. 1.2 mm) security thread fluoresces blue under UV light, and rectangle with denomination in UV ink moved from front to back. Printer: (Gieseke & Devrient).

Courtesy of Michael Perelman.

Tags: Estonia

20,000 forint (US$116), 2007. Like P193, but new date and new signatures (Henrik Auth, Zsigmond Járai, Surányi György).

Images courtesy of Kevin Klauss.

Tags: Hungary

On December 22, 2007, the Trans-Dniester Republican Bank issued a new series of banknotes. The new notes feature the same people and places as the old notes, but the images have been modified to extend to the border. Furthermore, anti-counterfeiting features have been enhanced with the inclusion of a windowed security thread on all denominations. The existing 200- and 500-rublei notes will not be issued as part of this series as they already contain sophisticated security features. Both the new and old series will circulate without restrictions.


1 rouble (US$0.10), 2007. Portrait of Russian General Alexander Suvorov. Kitskansky Bridgehead memorial complex on back. 129 x 56 mm.


5 rublei (US$0.60), 2007. Portrait of Russian General Alexander Suvorov. KVINT distillery administrative building on back. 129 x 56 mm.


10 rublei (US$1.20), 2007. Portrait of Russian General Alexander Suvorov. Novo-Nyametsky monastery on back. 129 x 56 mm.


25 rublei (US$2.95), 2007. Portrait of Russian General Alexander Suvorov. Bendery fortress and memorial to Russian warriors on back. 129 x 56 mm.


50 rublei (US$5.95), 2007. Portrait of Ukrainian Poet Taras Shevchenko. Trans-Dniester Parliament building on back. 129 x 60 mm.


100 rublei (US$11.85), 2007. Portrait of Moldavian Prince Dmitry Kantemir. Cathedral of Christmas in Tiraspol on back. 129 x 60 mm.

Thanks to banknoteshop@gmx.net for bringing this to my attention.

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

Tags: Transdniestria

In December 2007, the National Bank of Serbia announced a design competition open to the public to create a new banknote series containing nine denominations: 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 5,000 dinars. The new notes aren’t expected to be issued until 2010.

Tags: Serbia

10 pounds (US$20.85), 16th APRIL 2007. Like P226, but new date.

Tags: Scotland

100 kroner (US$18.20), 2006. Like P49, but new date.

Images courtesy of Mirsad Delic.

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

Tags: Norway

A £5 banknote from the Great Train Robbery of 1963 was auctioned off as lot 144 at George Kidner’s Lymington saleroom on November 22, 2007. The note belonged to Stan Davies, the Bournemouth detective who helped catch two of the culprits in the infamous caper. The £5 note was part of the recovered stolen loot, and Davies claims to have received special approval from the Bank of England to buy the note as a souvenir for £5 1s 9d a year after the robbery. Cherry Lund, from George Kidner auctioneers’ Wimborne office, said “It is likely to attract a lot of interest, along with Mr. Davies’ notebook from the time of the robbery, photographs, slides and press cuttings. The items are expected to fetch between £80 and £120.”

When the hammer came down, the lot fetched £1,800.

Images courtesy of George Kidner Auctioneers and Valuers.

Tags: England

5 lats (US$10.55), 2007. Like P49, but new date, new signature (Rimsevics, Governor), and new security features, including two relief inscriptions of the nominal value imprinted above the oak-leaf registration device, parallelagram of LATVIJAS BANKA microprinting beneath large 5 in OVI at left. Starting serial number suffix apparently R with replacement notes presumably continuing to use Z suffix. 130 x 65 mm.

Images courtesy of Jacek Tylicki.

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

Tags: Latvia

50 kronor (US$7.95), (200)4. Issued March 15, 2006. Like P62, but new signatures (Jan Bergqvist and Lars Heikensten), 2-mm wide solid security thread with repeating 50, holographic stripe, microtext, Omron rings, 50 as registration device and electrotype watermark, irridescent stripe on back. Printer: Tumba Bruk. 120 x 77 mm.

Images courtesy of Thomas Augustsson.

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

Tags: Sweden

1,000 kronor (US$160), (200)5. Issued March 15, 2006. Like P60, but new signatures (Jan Bergqvist and Lars Heikensten), design bleeds to border, windowed Motion security thread, 2-mm wide solid security thread with repeating 1000, holographic stripe, microtext, 17th century warship in UV ink, Omron rings, 1000 as registration device and electrotype watermark, irridescent stripe on back. Printer: Tumba Bruk. 160 x 82 mm.

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

Tags: Sweden

200 rublei (US$23.70), 2004. Like P40, but with Ukrainian E on series prefix AA (top) corrected to I on series prefix AB (bottom) as 6th character, 1st word, 3rd line of text on front, and I instead of backwards N as 8th character, 2nd word, 3rd line.

Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

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

Tags: Transdniestria

20 lev (US$14.95), 2007. Issued 12.11.2007. Like P118, but new date, new signature (governor), windowed security thread, fluorescent image, and modified watermark.

Images courtesy of Kevin Klauss.

Tags: Bulgaria

10 pounds (US$19.60), 1ST DECEMBER 2006. Like P26, but new date and new signature (Tim Bristow, FINANCIAL AND DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY).


20 pounds (US$39.25), 1ST DECEMBER 2006. Like P27, but new date and new signature (Tim Bristow, FINANCIAL AND DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY).





50 pounds (US$104.50), 1ST DECEMBER 2006. Like P28, but new date and new signature (Tim Bristow, FINANCIAL AND DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY).

Gibraltar has also issued new 20-pound notes with the same date and signature as above.

Images courtesy of Morris Lawing (deceased) and Christof Zellweger.

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

Tags: Gibraltar

A £5 banknote from the Great Train Robbery of 1963 was set to be auctioned as lot 144 at George Kidner’s Lymington saleroom on November 22, 2007. The note belonged to Stan Davies, the Bournemouth detective who helped catch two of the culprits in the infamous caper. The £5 note was part of the recovered stolen loot, and Davies claims to have received special approval from the Bank of England to buy the note as a souvenir for £5 1s 9d a year after the robbery. Cherry Lund, from George Kidner auctioneers’ Wimborne office, said “It is likely to attract a lot of interest, along with Mr. Davies’ notebook from the time of the robbery, photographs, slides and press cuttings. The items are expected to fetch between £80 and £120.”

Images courtesy of George Kidner Auctioneers and Valuers.

Tags: England

1,000 korun (US$42.20), 1. AUGUSTA 2007. Like SCWPM 42, but new date and new signatures (Ivan Sramko and Milena Korenova).

Tags: Slovakia

According to an 18 October 2007 Reuters report, “Bulgaria won the right to spell the euro common currency as ‘evro’ in its Cyrillic language…The EU newcomer has fought hard for the right to spell the euro according to Cyrillic rules despite the European Central Bank’s insistence that the euro be spelled the same way across the 27-nation bloc. The Black Sea country argued that ‘evro’ is the correct transliteration of ‘euro’ into Cyrillic…The question of whether Bulgaria will be able to use ‘evro’ on banknotes if it enters the single currency zone—something that is not expected until well after 2010—remains open.”

Tags: Bulgaria

200 korun (US$8.45), 1. JÚNA 2006. Like SCWPM 41, but new date and new signatures (Ivan Sramko and Ján Mathes).

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Slovakia

1,000 forint (US$5.70), 2007. Like SCWPM 189, but new date and new signatures (Dr. Karvalits Ferenc; Simor András; Dr. Király Júlia).

Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Hungary

200 forint (US$1.10), 2007. Like SCWPM 187, but new date and new signatures.

Images courtesy of Michael Reissner.

Tags: Hungary

100 dinara (US$1.70), 2006. Like SCWPM 41, but new date, repositioned registration device, and Republic of Serbia coat of arms instead of National Bank of Serbia logo on back.

Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Serbia

Shetland Museum acquires rare £5 proof from 1820s Read More...

Tags: United Kingdom

Estonia to issue new date 25-, 100-, and 500-kroon notes Read More...

Tags: Estonia

20 lats (US$39.10), 2007. Like Pick 51, but new date, new signature (Rimsevics, Governor), and wider windowed security thread on back.

Information courtesy of Gunars Troska.

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

Tags: Latvia

2,000 korun (US$93.65), 2007. Issued July 2, 2007. Like Pick 22, but new date, new signature (Tuma, GUVERNER), and many additional security features, including bichrome patterned iridescent strip of overlapping gold and blue, series other than A and B, Omron rings, 2000 and small ornament added as electrotype wmk, 3.0-mm windowed puce-to-green security thread with hatched CNB 2000 Kc, and additional UV features. Printer: State Printing Office, Prague.

Courtesy of Czech National Bank.

Tags: Czech Republic

The Bank of Scotland announced that it intends to release a new family of banknotes in the autumn of 2007 (they are all dated 17th SEPTEMBER 2007). The new notes—printed by De La Rue—will retain the color scheme and physical size as the current series. This is the first new complete family of notes issued by the bank since 1995. The old notes will be slowly withdrawn from circulation.

The front of the new notes all share a portrait of Sir Walter Scott at center, and to the left a larger image of the Bank of Scotland’s head office on The Mound, Edinburgh. The notes also bear new signatures (Dennis Stevenson, Governor; Colin Matthew, Treasurer), Scott as watermark along with the numerals of the denomination as an electrotype watermark, Cornerstone watermarks, microprinting, four thistles in UV ink, the bank logo as registration device, intaglio printing, and vertical and horizontal novel serial numbers.


5 pounds (US$10). Blue. Thin windowed security thread, iridescent band at right. Brig o’ Doon over the Doon River near Alloway in Ayrshire on back. 135 x 70 mm.    


10 pounds (US$20). Brown. Thin windowed security thread, iridescent band at right. Glenfinnan Viaduct on the West Highland Railway line between Fort William and Mallaig on back. 142 x 75 mm.


20 pounds (US$40). Pink. Wide windowed security thread that changes red to green when tilted, hologram of bank logo and denomination. Forth Bridge in Queensferry on back. 149 x 80 mm.


50 pounds (US$100). Green. Wide windowed security thread that changes red to green when tilted, hologram of bank logo and denomination. Falkirk Wheel rotating boat lift on back. 156 x 85 mm.


100 pounds (US$200). Red. Wide windowed security thread that changes red to green when tilted, hologram of bank logo and denomination. Kessock Bridge over the Moray and Beauly Firths between Inverness and the Black Isle on back. 163 x 90 mm.

Images courtesy of the Bank of Scotland.

Tags: Scotland

Armenia issues revised 20,000-dram note Read More...

Tags: Armenia

20 litu (US$7.80), 2007. Issued June 11, 2007. Like Pick 66, but new date, iridescent strip with LTL and 20 as PEAK (printed embossed anticopy key), and no mircoperforations. Printer: Giesecke & Devrient GmbH. 135 x 65 mm.

Images courtesy of Valdemar Griskevic.

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

Tags: Lithuania

500 dinars (US$8.30), 2007. Issued June 4, 2007. Like Pick 43a, but new date and Republic of Serbia coat of arms instead of National Bank of Serbia logo.
 
Images courtesy of Igor Dolasevic.

Tags: Serbia

200 hryvnias (US$39.85), 2007. Issued May 28, 2007. Lesya Ukrainka as portrait and wmk, security thread, 200 as registration device, tactile bars for the sight-impaired, plus UV, IR, and magnetic elements. Tower of the Lutsk lock on back. 148 x 75 mm.
 
Images courtesy of Mikhail Istomin. Information courtesy of Dmitri Kharitonov.

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

Tags: Ukraine

5 liri (US$15.65), L.1967. Like Pick 46, but new signature (Michael C. Bonello, Gvernatur). SCWPM has incorrect middle initial of P in listing for Pick 47c.

Tags: Malta

50 kroner (US$8.30), 2005. Like Pick 46, but new date (on back), new signatures (Svein Gjedrem, Governor; Trond Eklund, Cashier’s Department Director), wider security thread printed Norges Bank, and Omron rings on front.






200 kroner (US$33.20), 2004. Like Pick 50, but new date (last four digits of number in lower left on front), and new signatures.

© 2007: Neither information nor images from this site may be reproduced without permission.

Tags: Norway

100 lats (US$194), 2007. Issued May 21, 2007. Like Pick 47, but new date, new signature (Rimsevics, Governor), and new security features, including serial number repeated in red in upper front left, horizontal band with 100 in greyish-brown print, 100 at lower left in larger reddish-brown OVI (also heat sensitive), vertical translucent band to left of portrait, transparent window with red semicircle of the Sun and Ls, silver Sun semicircle between the transparent window and the registration device, wider windowed security thread (with holograms and Ls 100), and 100 Ls as latent image in ornamental band on back right margin. Replacement notes suffix Z.

Courtesy of Girts Eisters (IBNS member 9639) and Frank van Tiel.

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

Tags: Latvia

10 denari (US$0.22), 2007. Like Pick 14, but new date and signature (Petar Goshev, Governor). This appears to be unchanged from the 2006 variety previously reported.

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 Ömer Yalcinkaya.

Tags: Macedonia

10 pounds (US$20), ND. Like Pick 44, but new signature (P.M. Shimmin, Chief Financial Officer).

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 Claudio Marana and Ömer Yalcinkaya.

Tags: Isle of Man

On April 5, 2007, the Bank of England announced that in autumn Spinks of London will auction several low numbered new £20 notes (Pick 392), with the proceeds donated to two educational charities, the National Literacy Trust’s Reading is Fundamental and Chance to Shine.

Tags: England

Like previously-reported 50 franken dated (20)04, but with new signature for Un membre de la Direction générale.

Images courtesy of Menelaos Stamatelos, Southeastern Numismatics.

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

Tags: Switzerland

1,000 korun (US$39.25), 25 Augusta 2005. Like Pick 42, but new date, and new signatures (Ivan Šramko, Governor; Jan Mathes, Executive Director, Currency Division). Printer: De La Rue.

Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.
Signature information courtesy of Peter Jarabek (National Bank of Slovakia).

Tags: Slovakia

Today the Bank of England issued a new £20 featuring Adam Smith, one of the fathers of modern economics. This is the first design in a new series of notes from the bank known collectively as “Series F.”

The new notes will circulate in parallel with the current £20 (Pick 390), which will be progressively withdrawn from circulation. Measuring 149 x 80 mm, the new £20 is the same size as the current note. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is retained on the front, but the new note features a brighter color purple, as well as a large silver holographic strip, a registration device, additional intaglio printing, improved watermark, and more UV features to deter counterfeiters. The new note bears the signature of Andrew Bailey, Chief Cashier.

A portrait of Smith appears on the back of the new note, along with an engraving showing “The division of labour in pin manufacturing” with the parenthetical quote “and the great increase in the quantity of work that results” drawn from his major work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. The image of Adam Smith is based on a likeness of the portrait of him by James Tassie — Scottish National Portrait Gallery — and reproduced by permission; and the image of pin manufacturing is based on an original image, and by permission of The British Library. Adam Smith (1723 - 1790) is the first economist and the first Scotsman to appear on a Bank of England note.

Pick 392: 20 pounds (US$38.60)). Issued March 13, 2007. Bright purple. Series F. QEII portrait, holographic stripe, registration device, additional intaglio printing, improved wmk, and more UV features. Signature: Andrew Bailey, Chief Cashier. Portrait of economist Adam Smith and illustration of “The division of labour in pin manufacturing” on back. 149 x 80 mm.

Tags: England

2 leva (US$1.35), 2005. Like Pick 115, but new date, new signatures, and series B. 116 x 64 mm.

For more information, visit the Bulgarian National Bank.

Images courtesy of Menelaos Stamatelos, Southeastern Numismatics.

Tags: Bulgaria

10 pounds (US$19.45), 14th March 2006. Like Pick 226, but new date.

Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

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

Tags: Scotland

1 pound, no date. Like Pick 26, but serial number prefix comprised of three, not two, characters.

Courtesy of Jose Manuel Peso.

Tags: Jersey

According to a February 26, 2007, press release, the Swiss National Bank is preparing a new family of banknotes designed by Zurich-based graphic artist Manuela Pfrunder, who placed second in the SNB’s design competition in November 2005.

Pfrunder’s original designs for the six denominations (the 10 Swiss franc is shown above) will require extensive reworking, both artistically and technically, before production begins in mid-2008.

Images courtesy of Swiss National Bank.

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

Tags: Switzerland

Danmarks Nationalbank is hosting an exhibition from 11 January to 2 February 2007, during which time the public can view draft proposals (two of which are reproduced above) for new banknotes designed by eight prominent Danish artists:

Kaspar Bonnén
Stig Brøgger
Erik Hagens
Peter Holst Henckel
Leif Kath
Karin Birgitte Lund
Morten Schelde
Nina Sten-Knudsen

For more information, visit the Dansmark Nationalbank site.

Tags: Denmark

The central Bank of Estonia has issued a new series of 2- and 10-krooni bank notes with a few renewed security features. Existing notes of the same denomination remain legal tender.

"Until now the latest Estonian bank notes were the 25-kroon notes printed in 2002. The new 2- and 10-kroon bank notes will not be the last ones Eesti Pank will issue before the euro changeover. At present, we are also preparing to order additional 25-, 100- and 500-kroon bank notes," said Andres Lipstok, Governor of Eesti Pank.





2 krooni (US$0.15), 2006. Issued 3 January 2007. Like Pick 70, but new date, new signatures (Andres Lipstok, Governor; Mart Sõrg, Chairman), and K. E. von Baer as watermark. Printer: (Giesecke & Devrient). 140 x 69 mm.






10 krooni (US$0.85), 2006. Issued 3 January 2007. Like Pick 77, but new date, new signatures (Andres Lipstok, Governor; Mart Sõrg, Chairman), Jakob Hurt as watermark, tactile feature for visually impaired in the lower right, and serial numbers now on back. Printer: (De La Rue). 140 x 69 mm.

Courtesy of Michael Perelman.

Tags: Estonia

Slovenia adopts the euro tomorrow, so it’s fitting that we report on a half dozen previously unlisted date/signature combos:







200 tolars (US$1.10), 15. Januar 2004. Issued August 2, 2004. Like Pick 15, but new date and signatures (Mitja Gaspari, Guverner; Samo Nucic, Clan Sveta Banke).

1,000 tolars ($5.50), 15. Januar 2004. Issued August 2, 2004. Like Pick 32, but new date and signatures as above.

5,000 tolars (US$27.50), 15. Januar 2004. Issued August 2, 2004. Like Pick 33, but new date and signatures as above.

10,000 tolars (US$55), 15. Januar 2004. Issued April 4, 2005. Like Pick 34, but new date and signatures as above.



500 tolars (US$2.75), 15. Januar 2005. Issued June 20, 2005. Like Pick 16, but new date and signatures (Mitja Gaspari, Guverner; Ivan Ribnikar, Clan Sveta Banke).

1,000 tolars (US$5.50), 15. Januar 2005. Issued June 20, 2005. Like Pick 32, but new date and signatures as above.

Information and images courtesy of Stane Straus and Christof Zellweger.

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

Tags: Slovenia

10 leu (US$0.75), 2006. New date.

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

Tags: Moldova

On December 29, 2006, the Bank of Lithuania announced plans to order 50 million 10-litas notes, 45 million 50-litas notes, and 50 million 100-litas notes.

Both the 10- (US$3.80) and 100-litas (US$38.15) notes will contain additional security features, and therefore the new year of issue will be 2007. The 50-litas (US$19.05) notes will be unchanged from the 2003 design (Pick 67).

Images courtesy of Bank of Lithuania.

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

Tags: Lithuania

10 denari, 2006. Like Pick 14, but new date and signature (Petar Goshev, Governor).

Images courtesy of Olexandr Danishenko.

Tags: Macedonia

5,000 forint (US$25.70), 2006. Like Pick 191, but new date and new signatures (Péter Adamecz, Zsigmond Járai, Dr. György Surányi).
 
Images courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Hungary

10,000 forint (US$51.45), 2006. Like Pick 192, but new date and new signatures (Péter Adamecz, Zsigmond Járai, Dr. György Surányi).
 
Courtesy of banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Hungary

20 pounds (US$39.15), 25th March 2006. Issued December 21, 2006. Like Pick 228f, but RB prefix, new bank logo, Bruce’s original heraldic shield plus 700th anniversary 1306 - 2006 at right, and 700th anniversary of the enthronement of Robert the Bruce as King of Scots, which took place at Scone Palace on 25 March 1306 on back.

Courtesy of Noteboy.

Tags: Scotland

1,000 forint (US$5.25), 2005. Issued April 10, 2006. Like Pick 189, but new dates, new signatures (Péter Adamecz, Zsigmond Járai, Dr. György Surányi), copper holographic stripe, and iridescent stripe.

1,000 forint (US$5.25), 2006. Issued April 10, 2006. Like Pick 189, but new dates, new signatures (Henrik Auth, Zsigmond Járai, Dr. György Surányi), copper holographic stripe, and iridescent stripe.

According to my sources, a small batch of these notes were dated 2005 but now these are very hard to obtain and the majority of notes are dated 2006. The two dates also bear different signature combinations.
 
Courtesy of Magyar Nemzeti Bank and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Tags: Hungary

According to an article in The Baltic Times dated December 20, 2006: “Due to the ever-retreating prospects of joining the euro currency zone, the central Bank of Estonia has announced it will print a new round of bank notes. The currency supply was expected to be phased out and replaced by the euro. But the bank said the nation would need a new injection of notes prior to Estonia’s entering the eurozone. The first to be replenished will be the two and 10 kroon banknotes – which may come as a surprise to many Estonians, who find their wallets overflowing with the near-worthless paper money.”

No word on when the new notes would be released, nor what changes will be made to the design of same. The 2-kroon note (Pick 70a) is worth US$0.15 and the 10-kroon note (Pick 77a) is worth US$0.85.

Tags: Estonia

Pick 119: 5 pounds, 1st January 2006. New date and new signatures (Dennis Stevenson, Governor; Colin Matthew, Treasurer).

Images and information courtesy of John Martin (IBNS member 6727).

Tags: Scotland

Pick 122: 200 lei, 1 decembrie 2006. Orange. Lucian Blaga (1895-1961) as portrait and wmk, poppies, open book with page from poems Self-portrait and 9 May 1895, coat of arms, NBR logo, signatures (Mugur Isarescu, Governor; unknown, Head Cashier), transparent window with pen and 200 embossed, denomination in gold-to-green OVI, registration device, security thread, and microperforations. Neolithic statue of the Thinker of Hamangia, rainbow, water mill with NBR latent image, sessile oak, NBR logo, vertical serial number in black, horizontal novel serial number in red, and iridescent stripe on back. Polymer. 150 x 82 mm.

Tags: Romania, Polymer

According to a November 28, 2006, article in the Norway Post, the Norges Bank will cease printing Norwegian banknotes in 2007. Central Bank director Harald Boehn says the bank is unable to produce notes as economically as printers abroad.

Norges Bank has entered into agreements for the delivery of notes with De La Rue in the UK and Francois-Charles Oberthur Fiduciaire in France. The contracts apply for the period 2007 – 2012. The first deliveries will probably be made in 2008.

Norges Bank expects to save in the order of NOK 10 million annually during the contract period. An expert on economic history, professor Francis Sejersted, questioned the decision to save “small sums” instead of continuing the tradition of producing the national symbols domestically.

In related news, security printer De La Rue announced interim pretax profits were up 59% on the strength of “exceptional” bank note printing volumes. DLR is involved in printing notes for 150 countries. For an excellent examination of how companies like De La Rue attempt to win over the business of central banks, I strongly suggest reading Moneymakers: The Secret World of Banknote Printing.

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

Tags: Norway

The (Scottish) Clydesdale Bank has issued a new £10 dated 14th March 2006, signed David Thornburn, Chief Operating Officer. At first glance it appears to be just a new date variety, but it is actually a new plate. Close examination reveals that the bank logo at center on the front has been redesigned with a much larger CB (compare detail above from Pick 226e at left with new note at right).

Images and information courtesy of John Martin (IBNS member 6727).

Tags: Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland has issued a new £5 dated 20th January 2005. The signature of the group chief executive remains that of Fred Goodwin, as on Pick 352d dated 27.6.2000.

Images and information courtesy of John Martin (IBNS member 6727).

Tags: Scotland

As of today, Northern Ireland’s Ulster Bank is now accepting orders for a limited edition £5 (US$8) note featuring legendary football (soccer) star George Best. The bank plans to issue one million commemorative notes to coincide with the first anniversary of the death of the celebrated Northern Irishman and Manchester United star at age 59 due to multiple organ failure following decades of alcohol abuse.

Today the first note — with the serial number 0000001 — was presented to the soccer legend’s sister, Barbara McNarry, and the last — numbered 1,000,000 — was given to his father, Dickie Best. An unknown quantity of other notes (more than 12, less than 100) with serial numbers significant to George’s career have been given to the George Best Foundation for auction.
Application forms are now available from Ulster Bank branches in Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland or online from this web site. The commemorative notes will be available for purchase at any Ulster Bank branch in Northern Ireland starting November 27.

More information can be found in this article from U TV Live.

Images courtesy of Frank van Tiel.

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

Tags: Ireland

Today the Governor of the Bank of England, Mervyn King, announced that Adam Smith, one of the fathers of modern economics, will replace Sir Edward Elgar on the back of the new £20 note to be introduced in the spring of 2007. This is the first design in a new series of notes from the bank known collectively as “Series F.”

The new notes will circulate in parallel with the current £20 (Pick 390), which will be progressively withdrawn from circulation. Measuring 149 x 80 mm, the new £20 will be the same size as the current note. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II will be retained on the front, but the new note will feature a brighter color purple, as well as a large silver holographic strip, a registration device, additional intaglio printing, improved watermark, and more UV features to deter counterfeiters. The new note will bear the signature of Andrew Bailey, Chief Cashier.

A portrait of Smith appears on the back of the new note, along with an engraving showing “The division of labour in pin manufacturing” with the parenthetical quote “and the great increase in the quantity of work that results” drawn from his major work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations. The image of Adam Smith is based on a likeness of the portrait of him by James Tassie — Scottish National Portrait Gallery — and reproduced by permission; and the image of pin manufacturing is based on an original image, and by permission of The British Library. Adam Smith (1723 - 1790) is the first economist and the first Scotsman to appear on a Bank of England note.

Tags: England

Northern Ireland’s Ulster Bank today announced that it will release a limited edition £5 (US$8) note featuring legendary football (soccer) star George Best. The bank plans to issue one million commemorative notes in November to coincide with the first anniversary of the death of the celebrated Northern Irishman and Manchester United star at age 59 due to multiple organ failure following decades of alcohol abuse.
Application forms will be available from Ulster Bank branches in Northern Ireland & Republic of Ireland or online from this web site starting November 13. The commemorative notes will then be available to purchase at any Ulster Bank branch in Northern Ireland starting November 27.

More information can be found in this article from The Belfast Telegraph.

Images courtesy of Frank van Tiel.

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

Tags: Ireland

500 forint, 2006. Issued 20.10.2006, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution and war of independence. Front like Pick 188, but new back with Parliament building, the tri-color national flag with a hole, registration device, and three dots in upper right-hand corner for the partially sighted. Watermark contains inscription of “50. EVFORDULO 1956. OCTOBER 23.”
 
Information and images courtesy of Magyar Nemzeti Bank and banknoteshop@gmx.net.

Special thanks to Cleophas Elmakias Schockemohle for bringing this to my attention.

Tags: Hungary

100 dinar, 2006. Issued October 20, 2006. Like Pick 41, but with new coat of arms and signature (Radovan Jelasic, guverner) on back. Blue, green, and ochre-yellow. Scientist Nikola Tesla, magnetic induction calculation formula, electrical discharge, and Tesla’s electric induction device. Tesla (from the photograph of Nikola Tesla from his Museum in Belgrade), electromagnetic engine, and “Tesla’s Dove” on back. 143 x 68 mm.
 
Images courtesy of National Bank of Serbia.

Tags: Serbia

50 zlotych, 16 padziernika 2006. Issued October 16, 2006, the 28th anniversary of Karol Wojtya’s election to the papacy. Designed by Andrzej Heidrich and engraved by J.M. Kopecki. John Paul II holding crucifix-topped staff at right, world map in background. Signatures (Leszek Balcerowicz, Prezes; Mariusz Mastalerz, Glówny Skarbnik). Wmk of papal seal, security thread printed “50 ZL”, microlettering of countries visited by pope, Peter’s keys as registration device, “JP II” as latent image, papal seal fluoresces red and green under UV light, “JP” prefix. Inauguration of John Paul II with cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, a quotation from Letter to Poles, Jasna Góra Monastery and church on back. 2 million pieces issued in special folder for 90 zlotych. Printer: Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartociowych SA (with “PWPW S.A.” imprint). 144 x 72 mm.
 
More details can be found on the National Bank of Poland web site.
 
Images and information courtesy of Krzysztof Rene, Tomasz Jazwinski, and Jacek Tylicki.

Tags: Poland

5 lats, 2006. Issued October 12, 2006. Like Pick 49, but new date, new signature (Rimsevics, Governor), and new security features, including two relief inscriptions of the nominal value imprinted above the oak-leaf registration device, parallelagram of “LATVIJAS BANKA” microprinting beneath large “5” in OVI at left. Starting serial number suffix apparently “R” with replacement notes presumably continuing to use “Z” suffix.

Read the official press release from the Bank of Latvia.

Images courtesy of Girts Eisters (IBNS member 9639).

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

Tags: Latvia

500 hryvnia, 2006. Issued 15 September 2006. Signature 4: Stelmah. Grigory Skovoroda as portrait and wmk, fountain in center. Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and seal, Pythagorian triangle on back. 154 x 75 mm.
 
Images courtesy of  Yury Akhtemenko.

Tags: Ukraine

10 hryvnia, 2006. Issued August 25, 2006. Like Pick 119, but new date and signature 4 (Stelmah) instead of signature 5 (Tigipko). Hetman Ivan Stepanovych Mazepa (1644 - 1709) as portrait and wmk. Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Kiev Monastery of the Caves), books, candle, inkwell, pen, paper, tambourine, and lute on back. 124 x 66 mm.
 
Images courtesy of Mikhail Istomin.

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

Tags: Ukraine

20 dinar, 2006. Issued July 18, 2006. Green, ochre-yellow, and black. Signature: Radovan Jelasic, guverner. Petar II Petrovi Njego, with a line sketch of the Cetinje monastery at right. Figure of Petar II Petrovi Njego, detail from the decorative miniature featured on the first Slavic Octoechos, printed in Cetinje in 1494, mountain range of Komovi on back (vertical format). 135 x 64 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.

Images courtesy of Chris Twining.

Tags: Serbia

Beginning July 18, 2006, the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) began withdrawing from circulation 10-, 20-, and 1,000-dinar bank notes issued by the National Bank of Yugoslavia (Pick 153, 154, and 158, respectively). These notes will cease to be legal tender on January 1, 2007, but notes of the same denominations issued by the NBS shall continue to circulate.

There is also an unconfirmed report that Serbia is readying a new series of notes to be printed on high-quality heavy paper with a design similar to the British pound.

Tags: Serbia

1,000 dinar, 2006. Issued July 18, 2006. Like Pick 44, but with new Serbian coat of arms below serial number on back (vertical format), and new signature: Radovan Jelasic, guverner. 151 x 72 mm.
 
Images courtesy of Igor Dolasevic.

Tags: Serbia

50 leva, 2006. Issued 03.07.2006. Like Pick 119, but series B, new signatures: Ivan Iskrov, Governor; Stefan Tzvetkov, Chief Cashier. New security features include latent image of “50” to the left of Pencho Slaveykov’s collar, golden to green OVI on National Library building under Slaveykov’s signature. Printer: BNB Printing Works, Bulgaria. 136 x 76 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.

Images courtesy of Chris Twining.

Tags: Bulgaria

10 dinar, 2006. Issued May 19, 2006. Ochre-yellow, brown, and green. Signature: Radovan Jelasic, guverner. Vuk Stefanovic Karadic, the creator of contemporary Serbian alphabet, his writing kit, and an open book (exhibits from the standing collection of the Museum devoted to Vuk S. Karadic and Dositej Obradovic). Members of the First Slavic Congress held in Prague in 1848 and vignette of the letters Karadic introduced on back (vertical format). 131 x 62 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.

Images courtesy of Chris Twining.

Tags: Serbia

Pick 8: 1 leu, 2006. New date.
 
Images courtesy of Gary Snover.

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

Tags: Moldova