If you are a member of the International Bank Note Society you can vote for the Banknote of the Year 2019! This year no less than 22 banknotes have been nominated. In random order:
The result of the voting will be announced at the IBNS Board Meeting in Valkenburg in April 2020. My top 3 banknotes of 2019 are:
#1 - Switzerland - 1,000 francs
#2 - Macau - 20 petacas
#3 - Samoa - 10 tala
The Reserve Bank of Australia will issue a redesigned 100-dollar note in the second half of 2020. As with the existing banknote, the new 100-dollar note features Sir John Monash and Dame Nellie Melba.
From the press release: "Sir John Monash was an engineer, soldier and civic leader. He was a significant figure in the building-construction industry. Monash is also widely recognised for his service as a commander in the First World War. He led the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) during its successful campaigns in 1918 and subsequently managed the repatriation of Australian soldiers and presided over the AIF Education Scheme, which assisted with their transition to civilian life. Monash was instrumental in building the Shrine of Remembrance – which features on the banknote – in his hometown of Melbourne. He also served as the vice-chancellor of Melbourne University from 1923 to 1931.
Dame Nellie Melba was an internationally renowned soprano who performed in Australia, Europe and the United States of America in the late 19th and early 20th century. The banknote includes an image of Melba in costume as Rosina in Rossini's Barber of Seville and the monogram from the cover of her homecoming concert tour program of 1902. In addition to performing, Melba made important contributions to the arts through teaching at the Melba Memorial Conservatorium of Music, now the Melba Opera Trust, in her home town of Melbourne. She also published the Melba Method (1926), an educational resource for singers.
As with the previously released denominations, the new banknote includes representations of Australian flora and fauna. The $100 features the Australian Masked Owl (Tyto novaehollandiae) and Australia's national floral emblem, the Golden Wattle (Acacia pycnantha), which is native to south-eastern Australia and southern inland areas of New South Wales. The wattle frames the edges of the top-to-bottom window on the banknote, which features a number of dynamic security elements such as the flying owl, and a reversing number '100'."
The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago introduced a new 100-dollar note on 9 December 2019. This was the first note of the new polymer series.
On 21 February 2020 the bank showed the rest of the series to the world. These new polymer notes will be issued in September 2020.
The Bank of England has issues its new 20-pound banknote with an image of painter Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851). The Turner note is printed on polymer. The reverse of the note includes:
- J.M.W. Turner's self-portrait, painted c. 1799 and currently on display in the Tate Britain.
- One of Turner's most eminent paintings The Fighting Temeraire; a tribute to the ship HMS Temeraire which played a distinguished role in Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
- The quote - "Light is therefore colour" from an 1818 lecture by Turner referring to his innovative use of light, shade, colour and tone in his pictures.
- Turner's signature from his will, the document with which he bequeathed many of his paintings to the nation.
Below the new banknote. I think it turned out really well with lots of interesting details.
The Central Bank of Namibia has announced a commemorative banknote for introduction on 21 March 2020. The commemorative occassion is Namibia's 30th independence anniversary.
Details on the design will be announced later.
The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe could introduce notes with higher denominations in the next few months. This according to an article on Pindula News. The higher denominations could be 10-, 20- and 50-dollar notes.
Could this be the first step towards the next hyperinflation?
