Pakistan to phase out old 50 and 1000 rupees notes

The State Bank of Pakistan has announced (PDF) it will phase out the old design 50 and 1000 rupees notes. The 50 rupees note was first issued in 1977 and the 1000 rupees in 1987.

The notes will remain legal tender after 1 November but the bank will stop issuing them from 1 November 2013.

50 rupees (1977)

© banknoteworld.com
© banknoteworld.com

1000 rupees (1987)

© banknoteworld.com
© banknoteworld.com

Steven Donderdag 31 Oktober 2013 at 08:16 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Russia presents its Olympic commemorative banknote

With just 100 days to go until the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia has started the celebrations with events throughout the country. Russia's Central Bank has officially presented the new commemorative banknote as part of the celebrations. The design for the new note was already unveiled in March of this year.

Twenty-million of the blue 100 ruble notes will be produced, with a vertical design depicting a snowboarder and several of the venues in the Sochi Olympic Park.

Update: new image of the note taken from the official site. Note appears to be much more blue than in previous published photos.

Steven Woensdag 30 Oktober 2013 at 4:42 pm | | news | Geen reacties
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Libya denies rumours of hidden symbols

The Central Bank of Libya (CBL) has denied rumours that hidden symbols, like the Jewish Star of David, can be found on the new 10 dinar note. The allegations were made by Congressman Tuati Al-Aidha on a local tv channel.

After the revolution, the CBL decided to make some changes to the 10 dinar banknote. Without altering specifications or security features, the  term "Jamahiriya" was removed and the star and the crescent of independence were  added.

picture from ebanknoteshop.com

Steven Woensdag 30 Oktober 2013 at 10:21 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Was the new $100 note designed in Word?

LOL, discover how President Obama designed the new 100 dollar banknote... in Word! (after the click)

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Steven Woensdag 30 Oktober 2013 at 08:45 am | | fun | Geen reacties
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Dominican Republic issues new 200 pesos dominicanos

MRI Bankers' guide reports that the first notes of 200 pesos dominicanos have been released by the Central Bank of the Dominican Republic. This move follows the decision made in 2010 that all banknotes dated 2011 will be denominated pesos dominicanos instead of the old name pesos oro.

The old pesos oro notes will remain valid and in circulation until all the old notes are replaced with the new ones. In the last series of banknotes the denominations of 100, 500, 1000 and 2000 pesos dominicanos have already been issued. With the issuing of the new 200 pesos dominicanos note only the 10, 20 and 50 pesos oro remain to be replaced.

Update: here is an image of the new note.

A video showing the new note: 

Steven Woensdag 30 Oktober 2013 at 08:26 am | | news | Geen reacties
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New additions week 43 - 2013

Two new notes this week which I found in the Big Pile of Rubbish-box at the local coin dealer. Though most of the items in this box are nothing more than toilet paper, I always manage to find something I still want.

  • German Empire, 50 Mark - P41
  • Germany Weimar Republic, 10 Mark - P67a1

Steven Vrijdag 25 Oktober 2013 at 09:02 am | | new additions | Geen reacties

Video: how many countries are there?

Every collector of banknotes who tries to get one note from every country has asked himself this question: just how many countries are there? Or in the case of us collectors: how many countries have there ever been who have issued paper money? The answer to the last question could be 361 according to some lists. Here's my list.

This however depends on your definition of what a country is. The Youtube channel CGPGrey (recommanded for a subscription!) has researched this question and made an entertaining video about it. 

Steven Vrijdag 25 Oktober 2013 at 08:44 am | | links | Geen reacties
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Maldives issues new 100 rufiyaa banknote

The Maldives Monetary Authority has announced the introduction of a new 100 rufiyaa banknote. The new note has updated security features compared to the last print of 100 rufiyaa banknotes in 2004. The old 100 rufiyaa notes will remain legal tender.

The new security features include:

  • a corner watermark with aslant lines on each corner of the note
  • a watermark highlight with the value 100 appearing in an additional bright watermark
  • a 3mm wide security thread with a "100 MMA" decorative pattern running continuously which changes colour from red to green according to the viewing angle
  • a new date and signature dated 20 Safar 1434, 2 January 2013 signed by Governor Dr Fazeel Najeeb.

The official presentation video after the click.

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Steven Woensdag 23 Oktober 2013 at 09:43 am | | news | Geen reacties
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European Union announces new 10 euro note

The European Central Bank has officially confirmed that a new 10 euro banknote will be issued in 2014. This will be the second in the new Europa series after the introduction of the new 5 euro earlier this year.

No word yet on the design of the note of course, but looking at the updated design of the new 5 euro note I wouldn't expect big changes.

Steven Woensdag 23 Oktober 2013 at 09:30 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Cuba to abolish two-currency system

Cuba has announced it will abolish the two-currency system currently being used in the country. From the BBC website:

Since 1994 Cuba has had two currencies, one pegged to the US dollar and the other worth only a fraction of that. The more valuable convertible peso (CUC) was reserved for use in the tourism sector and foreign trade. Now its value will be gradually unified with the lower-value CUP, ending a system resented by ordinary Cubans.

The Cuban economy is almost entirely state-run and the tourism sector has boomed since the collapse of the Soviet Union plunged Cuba into economic isolation and hardship. The two-currency system was supposed to protect Cuba's fragile economy but angered locals paid in the much lower-value CUP and denied access to goods only available for those with convertible pesos.

The policy exacerbated the creation of a two-tier class system in Cuba which divided privileged Cubans with access to the lucrative tourist and foreign-trade sectors from those working in the local economy - all-too-visibly contradicting Cuba's supposedly egalitarian society. The council of ministers has approved a timetable for implementing "measures that will lead to monetary and exchange unification", the official Communist Party newspaper Granma said.

Unification is "imperative to guarantee the re-establishment of the Cuban peso's value and its role as money, that is as a unit of accounting, means of payment and savings", it said. It gave no details of how quickly the change would be implemented, though Reuters news agency quoted Cuban economists as saying it would take about 18 months.

© banknoteworld.com

Steven Woensdag 23 Oktober 2013 at 09:23 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Bulgaria to replace 2 levs note with coin

The Bulgarian National Bank has announced that it will replace the 2 levs note with a coin. The reason for this move is to cut costs. Printing the 2 levs note provides for 1.2 million losses annually. The announcement for the replacement of the note with a coin came together with the announcement that the BNB has signed a joint venture printing deal with François-Charles Oberthur International SA. Oberthur is the worlds third largest banknote producer, printing banknotes for more than 70 countries. 

No date has been given when the 2 levs note will be replaced. 

© banknoteworld.com

Steven Woensdag 23 Oktober 2013 at 09:09 am | | news | Geen reacties
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French Pacific Territories get new banknotes in 2014

Wallis and FutunaFrench PolynesiaNew CaledoniaIt's not every day we hear news from the French Pacific Territories. The special collectivities of France are a group of island nations in the Pacific and its banknotes are issued by the Institut d'Emission d'Outre-Mer (IEOM). The Territories consist of French PolynesiaNew Caledonia and Wallis and Futuna. The design of the banknotes hadn't changed much since 1969 but that is about to change. The IEOM has announced that new banknotes with a brand new design will be issued from 20 January 2014. 

The colorful new banknotes will show elements from the islands' cultural and natural heritage. They will be issued in denominations of 500, 1000, 5000 and 10,000 francs. The old and new notes will circulate side by side for a very limited time until 30 September 2014. From 1 October 2014 only the new notes will be legal tender. 

> Flyer with more information
> Video with information about the security features

500 francs

1000 francs

5000 francs

10,000 francs

Steven Dinsdag 22 Oktober 2013 at 08:28 am | | news | Geen reacties
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India to issue updated 10 rupees

The Reserve Bank of India will shortly issue (press release) a new 10 rupees note incorporating the rupee symbol on the obverse and reverse, without inset letter in both the numbering panels, in the Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 bearing the signature of Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan, Governor, Reserve Bank of India, and the year of printing '2013' printed on the reverse of the banknote.

The design of these notes to be issued is similar to the 10 rupees banknotes in the Mahatma Gandhi Series issued in 2005. All the banknotes in the denomination of 10 rupees issued by the RBI in the past will continue to be legal tender.

(images below from the 2009 version of the 10 rupees note)

Steven Vrijdag 18 Oktober 2013 at 09:02 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Send in nominations for Banknote of the Year 2013

Just a quick reminder for all members of the IBNS to send in your nominations for Banknote of the Year 2013. This annual award has been won by Kazakhstan in 2011 and 2012 and their 2000 Tenge note which was released earlier this year has already been nominated for this year (along with the Mexican 50 peso and the 5 euro).

If you want some other winner and if you're a member of the IBNS (highly recommanded!) then please visit this page and send in your nominations. 

The rules:

Banknotes nominated must have been issued to the public (specimens and non-circulating currencies are inelligble) for the first time during the year of the award, and must have artistic merit and/or innovative security features. When nominating a note, please provide your reasons for nomination, and if possible, a scan of the front and back of the note. Nominations for the award will be accepted up to the 31st January of the following year.

Personally I'm waiting for the new Canadian 5 dollar note which will be issued 7 November of this year and which, in my humble opinion, looks absolutely stunning.

Steven Donderdag 17 Oktober 2013 at 09:51 am | | links | Geen reacties
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Collecting $1 notes

There are countless subjects within the field of collecting banknotes which you can specialize in: one from each country, a specific country, birds, polymer, etc. etc. Coinweek looks at one subject in particular: the collecting of American $1 dollar notes.

Steven Dinsdag 15 Oktober 2013 at 11:55 am | | links | Geen reacties
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Fiji wins Best Regional Banknote of the Year Award

The Reserve Bank of Fiji has won (press release) the Best Regional Banknote of the Year Award for the new flora and fauna series. At the Reconnaissance International Limited Asian Middle East and African High Security Printing Seminar (what a name!) the award was presented to the Deputy Governor of the RBF, mr. Inia Naiyaga.

The whole series which went into circulation on 2 January 2013 is indeed beautiful and can be admired in this post I wrote in December 2012.

Steven Dinsdag 15 Oktober 2013 at 09:16 am | | news | Geen reacties
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New additions week 41 - 2013

Thanks to a very generous donation I received 21 new banknotes last week. Including two notes from a country I've wanted in my collection for some time: Belgian Congo. Among the notes were some Notgeld issues from Germany's Weimar Republic which I won't list below, mainly because it's not a real part of my collection. They're nice to have but I don't pursue them like 'normal' banknotes and only add them to my collection when I receive them by chance for free.

So the new 'real' banknotes are:

  • Sweden, 10 Kronur (P52d)
  • Egypt, 5 Piastres (P165a)
  • Rwanda, 20 Francs (P6b)
  • Rwanda, 100 Francs (P8b)
  • Czechoslovakia, 5 Korun (P82a)
  • Germany, 5 Mark (P56b1)
  • Germany, 10000 Mark (P70)
  • Germany, 20000 Mark (P85a)
  • Germany, 1 Mark (P192a)
  • Belgian Congo, 5 Francs (p13B)
  • Belgian Congo, 10 Francs (P14E)

Steven Dinsdag 15 Oktober 2013 at 08:48 am | | new additions | Geen reacties

USA issues new 100 dollar

The USA have finally issued the new version of one of the most used banknotes in the world: the 100 dollar note. There were several problems in the production process but the world now has a new Benjamin.

The new note features several new security features and design updates. Most noticeable are the 3D blue ribbon and the colour changing seal with the Liberty Bell. Below are links to educational material from the official NewMoney.gov site.

The site mba-in-finance.org has compiled some interesting facts about US money. Big image after the click:

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Steven Dinsdag 08 Oktober 2013 at 08:21 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Is this the new commemorative note from Lebanon?

What at first glance appears to be a bad photoshop job is rumoured to be the new commemorative note from Lebanon. The 50,000 livre note is supposed to come out on Independence Day, 22 November 2013. The pictures below are from banknotenews.com who got them from the eBay-seller mentioned in the watermark.

I don't know about this one. The design seems very amateuristic to say the least. We'll have to wait for an official announcement by the Central Bank of Lebanon I guess.

Steven Vrijdag 04 Oktober 2013 at 08:36 am | | news | Geen reacties
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New additions week 39 - 2013

At the World Paper Money Fair I bought 17 new notes from 12 new countries. I now have 606 banknotes in my collection. Just 6 more countries and I also have 200 countries in my collection! All the new additions from this weekend:

  • Bahamas, 1 dollar, P50
  • Belize, 5 dollar, P67d
  • Cape Verde, 200 escudos, P68
  • Central African States, 1000 francs, P102Cg
  • Finland, 1 Markka, P98a
  • French Pacific Territories, 500 francs, P1b
  • Gambia, 5 dalasis, P20a
  • Iran, 5000 rials, P150
  • Lesotho, 10 maloti, P15f
  • Luxembourg, 20 francs, P54a
  • Morocco, 10 dirham, P57b
  • Slovakia, 20 korun, P20a
  • Slovakia, 50 korun, P21a
  • Sweden, 20 kronur, P63a
  • Tanzania, 20 shillingi, P9
  • West African States, 500 francs, P210Bn
  • Uganda, 1000 shilling, P49

Steven Woensdag 02 Oktober 2013 at 10:05 am | | new additions | Geen reacties

World Paper Money Fair Maastricht 2013 (2)

Last weekend was the bi-annual World Paper Money Fair Maastricht in the lovely town of Valkenburg aan den Geul in the deep, very deep south of the Netherlands. The trip is about 400 km back and forth for me. I've driven those distances before in the USA but 400 km in the Netherlands is quite different from 400 km in the USA. 

I was at the fair for the first time last year but I didn't really enjoy myself then because of all the high prices dealers asked for their banknotes. This year I went with different expectations. I had a clear budget, a goal (new countries) and I was determined to just enjoy the expensive banknotes for their looks and concentrate on the cheaper notes for buying.

This proved to be a succes. The first stall I visited and the first beautiful note I looked at was a whopping €12,000 worth! That note was just a little above my budget so I decided to move on. A few hours later I had bought as many notes as my budget permitted and after a lunch in the beautiful neighborhood I drove back home. I will definitely come back in the spring of 2014!

Steven Woensdag 02 Oktober 2013 at 09:42 am | | articles | Geen reacties

World Paper Money Fair Maastricht 2013

This weekend I visited the World Paper Money Fair Maastricht in Valkenburg a/d Geul. In short: I liked it a lot and I've bought some great new banknotes. A more extensive review will follow tomorrow!

Steven Dinsdag 01 Oktober 2013 at 09:46 am | | articles | Geen reacties
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Solomon Islands issue new 50 dollar note

The Central Bank of the Solomon Islands has issued a new banknote of 50 dollar according to this article. This is the first banknote of a new series. The Bank said the redesigned note is expected to bring a whole new dimension and sophistication in terms of design durability and security features. The note is designed and made bij De la Rue. From their website:

"On the front of the note, local basket weave designs are intended to represent the swirling movement of shoals of fish whilst indigenous fauna and flora - including an iguana, lizard and snake - are shown on the back.  The most prominent security feature is De La Rue's Optiks super wide security thread with a transparent window."

The picture below from banknotenews.com is the only one I've found so far. What is that with Central Banks and the introduction of new notes? A picture says more than a thousand words!

Steven Dinsdag 01 Oktober 2013 at 09:38 am | | news | Geen reacties
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