Northern Ireland to announce new banknotes

The Bank of Ireland UK is set to introduce new banknotes this week with updated security features. The notes, in denominations of £5, £10, £20 and £50, will look similar to current banknotes but there will be a number of differences including the introduction of a hologram dual image for £10 and £20 banknotes and a dual image and filigree for the £50 note.

The £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes will also see the introduction of a wider security thread and there will be electrotype in the watermark in the form of Bank of Ireland chevrons. The new notes are dated 1st January 2013 and the signature on the new note is Stephen Matchett, Chief Financial Officer.

Steven Donderdag 22 Augustus 2013 at 1:40 pm | | news | Geen reacties
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New additions week 33 - 2013

I received a banknote this week which had been high on my wishlist. It is by itself a beautiful note but it's also the first polymer banknote ever issued. The note (P49) has been issued by Australia in 1988 to commemorate the bicentenary of the landing in Sydney Cove and has been issued in a folder with more info on the design and history.

Steven Dinsdag 20 Augustus 2013 at 10:48 am | | new additions | Geen reacties
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Kenya ready to present new banknotes

According to the Standard Digital News Kenya is ready to present the new banknotes this week which will be issued in February 2015.

Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia said that this was after cabinet last week approved the move to have the Central Bank launch the new notes. Kimemia said that the notes will depict the Kenyan tourism, economic engagements, culture and tourism. "The new notes will portray the true image of Kenya and our cultural, economic engagements and will be flagged out this week," he said. He notes that the relevant pictures have already been approved and Central Bank given a go ahead to use them.

The constitution demands that new currency notes be in circulation by February 2015 and they will range from 10 shilling to 1000 shiling. Kenya's current constitution is against the use of an individual's image on money. Article 231(4) of the constitution states that notes and coins issued by the CBK may bear images that depict or symbolize an aspect of Kenya but shall not bear any individual's portrait.

"This will be a land mark for this country as we want to have a currency that portrays the real image of the country. It will also be a chance to market the country since they will have pictures of our economic activities and the wildlife that we have," Kimemia said. Despite the introduction of the new look currency, the old currency in use before the new law was implemented will still be used as legal tender.

Update 16 January 2014:  here's an article describing all the problems that have risen between De la Rue and the Kenyan government. The best scenario is still February 2015 for the new banknotes but it could also be January 2016 if things don't go as planned.

Steven Dinsdag 20 Augustus 2013 at 10:09 am | | news | Geen reacties
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No new banknotes for Azerbaijan in 2014 (apparently)

The Armenian website Panorama reports that in 2014 Azerbaijan will issue new banknotes with a new design.

According to this news the new faces for these banknotes would be:

  • 1 manat: Uzeira Gajibekova (composer)
  • 5 manat - Nizami Ganjevi (poet)
  • 10 manat banknote - Zeinalabdin Tagiyev (millionaire and sponsor)
  • 20 manat - Molla Panakh Vagif (poet)
  • 50 manat - Yusif Mamedaliyev (chemist)
  • 100 manat - Heydar Aliyev (former president)

In an offical statement the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) has dismissed these rumours however as false. Here are pictures of the fake design:

Steven Vrijdag 16 Augustus 2013 at 10:31 am | | news | Geen reacties
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US government has to burn $3 billion in faulty banknotes

The problems with the new US 100 dollar bill aren't over yet. Some of the new notes have had too much ink in the printing process resulting in blurred images. Because these notes were already mixed with the proper ones, the only solution was to destroy the whole batch. A batch worth 3 billion dollar...

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing still thinks that the October release is possible for the new banknote.

Steven Vrijdag 16 Augustus 2013 at 10:06 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Israel delays new banknotes

The Bank of Israel has announced that the two new banknotes of 50 and 200 NIS which were presented in April 2013 and were scheduled to be released in the 2nd half of 2013, will be delayed until the 2nd half of 2014. The other two new banknotes of 20 and 100 NIS will follow a few months afterwards. The delay is probably caused by problems in the production process judging by the language in the press release.

Update 16 May 2014: according to an article in the Globes, the 50 NIS will be issued in September 2014.

Update 24 November 2015: the new 200 NIS will be issued in December 2015 according to this press release.

50 NIS

200 NIS

Steven Donderdag 08 Augustus 2013 at 08:55 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Errors in banknotes

Here's an interesting article written by the legendary Peter Symes for Coinweek, describing the unintentional and intentional errors and oddities on world banknotes.

Steven Vrijdag 02 Augustus 2013 at 09:15 am | | links | Geen reacties
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Poland to issue commemorative polymer note

The National Bank of Poland (Narodowi Bank Polski) has announced (translation) that a commemorative banknote will be released in 2014. This will also be the country's first polymer banknote. The note commemorates the 100th anniversary of the formation of the Polish Legions by marshall and statesman Josef Pilsudski.

These legions were officialy formed with an order by Pilsudski issued on 22 August 1914. So I guess we can expect these notes to be issued at about the same date in 2014. (Update 21-1-2014: the new notes will be issued on 5 August 2014). Exactly 30.000 notes will be sold as numismatic products and will be featuring the portrait of Jozef Pilsudski designed by Andrzej Heidrich. This is a small number of banknotes so my guess is they will be sold out very quick.

In the press release they show the picture below but I'm not so certain this is the proposed design for the new note. What you see in the picture is the 5.000.000 zlotych note from 1995 which was never officially issued because of the revaluation of the zlotych. Perhaps they will use this design but with another value?

That particular note upclose:

Steven Dinsdag 30 Juli 2013 at 08:58 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Brazil issues new 2 and 5 reals notes

The Banco Central do Brasil has issued two new banknotes completing the second series of real notes. On 29 July 2013 the 2 and 5 reals were issued. A press release can be found here (translation).

More information on the second series can be found on this site.

Front and back of the 2 reals:

Front and back of the 5 reals:

Steven Dinsdag 30 Juli 2013 at 08:41 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Morocco will start issuing new series on 15 August 2013

The central bank of Morocco, Bank Al-Maghrib, has announced that four redesigned banknotes will be released on 15 August 2013 of 20, 50, 100 and 200 dirhams (see update 2 below!).

The front of the notes shows the image of King Mohammed VI and an image of the royal crown which changes colour when you tilt the note. Each note also shows a Moroccan door to the left of the portrait of the King. The themes of the new series are solidarity, development and modernity, diversity and openness. Other design elements:

Update 1 - 2 August 2013: Controversy has risen (translation) among the Amazigh or Berber community that their language, which has been acknowledged as one of the official languages in Morocco after the new constitution of 2011, has been omitted from the new banknotes. The Amazigh community calls upon the Bank Al-Maghrib to rectify this.

Update 2 - 2 August 2013: More details have been published on the dates the four new banknotes will be issued (the last two dates are unconfirmed but are based on the occassion they help to celebrate):

  • 200 dirham: 15 August 2013 - 14th anniversary of the coronation of King Mohamed VI
  • 100 dirham: 21 August 2013 - Youth Day and birthday of King Mohammed VI
  • 50 dirham: 6 November 2013 - anniversary of the Green March
  • 20 dirham: 11 January 2014 - independance day



Steven Vrijdag 26 Juli 2013 at 09:23 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Jane Austen to appear on the new 10-pound note

The rumours are true: the Bank of England has officially confirmed that writer Jane Austen (1775-1817) will be featured on the next 10-pound banknote. With this news the BoE seems to address the widespread criticism of having no women (other than the Queen) on English banknotes with the introduction of Sir Winston Churchill on the 5-pound note who will replace Elizabeth Fry.

Features of the design on the reverse of the Jane Austen note will include:
  • The quote – “I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!” from Pride and Prejudice (Miss Bingley, Chapter XI).
  • Portrait of Jane Austen. Commissioned by James Edward Austen Leigh (Jane Austen’s nephew) in 1870, adapted from an original sketch of Jane Austen drawn by her sister, Cassandra Austen.
  • An illustration of Miss Elizabeth Bennet undertaking “The examination of all the letters which Jane had written to her”– from a drawing by Isabel Bishop (1902-1988).
  • The image of Godmersham Park. Godmersham was home of Edward Austen Knight, Jane Austen's brother. Jane Austen visited the house often and it is believed that it was the inspiration for a number of her novels.
  • Jane Austen’s writing table – the central design in the background is inspired by the 12 sided writing table, and writing quills, used by Jane Austen at Chawton Cottage.

The new note with Jane Austen will be issued in 2017, one year after the Churchill banknote which will be issued in 2016.

Update 2 August 2013: Not everybody is delighted with the choice for Jane Austen. Here's the (quite funny) criticism from a literary point of view.

Below is the artists impression of the new design based on the features mentioned above:

Update 7 February 2017: could this be an image of the actual note?

source - banknotenews.com

Steven Donderdag 25 Juli 2013 at 08:28 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Modified 50 dollar note for the Bahamas

The Bahamas have recently issued a modified version of the 50 dollar banknote. In the new series dated 2012, Ragged Island has been added to the map shown on the note, which was missing from the 2006 version. The new notes were printed by Giesecke & Devrient.

Photos © www.mriguide.com
Photos © www.mriguide.com

Steven Woensdag 17 Juli 2013 at 08:41 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Drowned banknotes

Due to the recent flooding in Germany lots of banknotes have become worthless. Dutch newspaper Volkskrant has published a photo special showing the drowned banknotes.

Warning: contains shocking pictures for collectors!

Steven Dinsdag 16 Juli 2013 at 12:46 pm | | links | Geen reacties

Ethiopia chooses new printer

The National Bank of Ethiopia has selected the french company Francois-Charles Oberthur (Oberthur Technologies) for the printing of 196.8 million five Birr notes, worth three billion Birr (about 122.8 million euro). 

Oberthur has been in business for almost 200 years. The company's namesake was an engraver who founded Impremier Oberthur Technologies, in 1818. Impremerie Oberthur was regrouped as Oberthur Technologies, in 2007, specialising in security-based smart card technologies and notes printing. It employs over 6,000 people worldwide.

Steven Dinsdag 16 Juli 2013 at 08:43 am | | news | Geen reacties
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New additions week 28 - 2013

This beautiful new banknote from Guernsey arrived this week. More info in this recent post

Stockphoto: not the actual banknote in my collection.

Steven Zondag 14 Juli 2013 at 07:58 am | | new additions | Eén reactie