Mujand delivers new series... and more!
If you've been reading this blog a while you'll know I'm a big fan of the fantasy notes by the Mujand Trading Company. Its creator and designer Celsus Solar has created a whole new world based on the fictional planet Blissdane Naïve. If you thought the gravitational waves yesterday were interesting then wait until you read the stories from the different nations so far. Each nation has its own set of banknotes which tell the story and also show some of the characteristics of each nation.
The Poneet Island series now has a little offspring, in the form of series F2: the tobacco note. If you happen to be a thematic collector and you collect 'naked women on banknotes' (hello Cook Islands) than this is definitely one for you. The colorful polymer note features the Tobacco Czar of Leaf Gathering on the front (also winner of the greatest title in the world by the way!) and the topless Tobacco Twins on the back. You can read their elaborate story over here.
Apart from the ongoing series from Blissdane Naïve the Mujand Trading Company now has two more commercial series to choose from. The first is a polymer note commemorating the 180th anniversary of the state of Texas. This refers of course to 1836 when Texas gained its independence from Mexico and became the Republic of Texas. In 1845 it joined the United States of America as the 28th state but announced its secession in 1861 when it joined the Confederate States of America only to rejoin the USA in 1865 after the Civil War.
But this note commemorates the first time Texas gained its independence. The front of the notes shows Stephen F. Austin, who is known as the Father of Texas. The state's capitol is named after him, among many other places and institutions. The back of the note shows the Capitol Building in Austin, the State Bird (the Northern Mockingbird), and the State Flower (the Bluebonnet). Could this perhaps be the first note in a 50-note series? I certainly hope so though I understand why the Texas' based Mujand Trading Company chose this state for this note.
Another new set is one I'm very excited about, not in the least because it features my native language Dutch! This set is for Mauritius. Now Mauritius is of course an exisiting island which issues its own banknotes. But this set is from a particular time in history when the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC in Dutch) first colonized the island and named it after one of the nations leaders Prince Maurice (or Maurits in Dutch) of Orange. The colony was not a big success so the island was abandoned in 1710. These days the former colony is mostly remembered in the Netherlands for the fact that the colonization led to the extinction of the dodo bird (which is featured on the blue 50-gulden note).
To commemorate this period in history this set of banknotes has been issued. The whole theme and imagery on the notes makes it look like the Dutch East India Company has been issuing these notes. To me that's a fascinating concept: just think what the US banknotes would have looked like if the British had defeated Washington in the 18th century.
The colorful set has all the makings of a tropical banknote series: bright colors and exotic birds, plants and flowers. It reminded me a lot of the award winning series of Samoa. The front of the note shows several extinct birds which reminds us of the dangers to nature when humanity gets involved. The back of the notes show Dutch sailing ships used by the Dutch East India Company and scenes from the history of Mauritius.
To be honest: the present-day island of Mauritius could have done a better job choosing these notes as the national currency since they look way better than the official banknotes in my opinion. I can also attest to the fact they look great on your screen but in real life the colors and details of these notes can ony be described as spectacular.
All these notes can be bought exclusively through the eBay store of Yuri111 or at the eBay store of fantasy_notes_and_more. If you want to know more about the other notes by the Mujand Trading Company than please visit the website.
Disclaimer: these fantasy banknotes were provided for review purposes. The text is entirely mine and was not paid for or asked for in any way.
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