Russia issues Crimean commemorative note

Don't we all remember how Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine and added it to the Russian motherland? Most of the western world cried out condemning the move. Russia on the other hand defended the move and just did what it wanted to do anyway.

Pretty soon after the annexation there was news of a commemorative banknote by the Central Bank of Russia celebrating the Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. Now that new 100-ruble note is here and Russia... I can see what you did there! Trying to win the western opinion back by isuing an absolutely gorgeous banknote!

The vertically orientated banknote doesn't seem to have a clear frontside and backside but perhaps I'm mistaken. The following description is from the press release:

"The banknote is printed on light-yellow colored cotton paper. One side of the note is devoted to Sevastopol, the other one – to Crimea. A wide security thread is embedded into the paper. It comes out on the surface on the Sevastopol side of the banknote in the figure shaped window. Multitone combined watermark is located on the unprinted area in the upper part of the banknote.

Ornamental designs run vertically along the banknote. The Sevastopol side of the note features the Monument to the Sunken Ships in the Sevastopol bay and the fragment of the painting by I.K. Aivazovsky «Russian squadron on the Sevastopol roads».

The Crimea side of the note features the decorative castle Swallow’s Nest. In the lower part of the Sevastopol side of the banknote in the green stripe there is a QR-code linking to the Bank of Russia webpage containing historical information relating to the commemorative banknote. The predominant color of the note is olive green. Dimensions 150 x 65 mm. In circulation since 23.12.2015"

© www.cbr.ru
"© www.cbr.ru"

Thanks to Triaff Nikitin

Steven Wednesday 23 December 2015 at 09:04 am | | news | Two comments
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Peru changes its currency to 'sol'

The Congress of Peru has decided to change the name of the national currency from "nuevo sol" to just "sol" according to this article. The nuevo sol was the new name for the currency from 1 July 1991 when it replaced the old "inti".

The Banco Central de Reserva del Perú (Central Bank of Peru) hasn't made clear yet when new banknotes with the new denomination will be issued.

Steven Friday 18 December 2015 at 09:24 am | | news | No comments
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Libya to introduce redesigned 5- and 10-dinar notes?

Banknotenews.com has an interesting article on new Libyan banknotes which might be issued from 13 December 2015. These are new 5- and 10-dinar notes with a different design than what was previously announced. This might be caused by a big robbery in 2013 where 55 million dinars worth of new notes with the previous design were stolen. Pictures below are from Banknotenews.com:

The new design:

© www.banknotenews.com
© www.banknotenews.com

© www.banknotenews.com
© www.banknotenews.com

The old 'new' design:

© www.banknotenews.com

Steven Friday 11 December 2015 at 11:21 am | | news | No comments
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Swiss 50-franc note to be issued from 12 April 2016

The day when the world can see the new Swiss banknotes is finally coming! The Swiss National Bank (SNB) has announced that the first note of the new series, the 50-franc note, will be issued on 12 April 2016. From a statement for the press:

"On 14 August 2015, the SNB announced that it would begin issuing the new Swiss banknote series in April 2016. The first denomination to be released will be the 50-franc note. Today, we can announce the exact issue date. The new 50-franc note will be presented to the public for the first time at a news conference on 6 April 2016, and will first be issued on Tuesday, 12 April 2016. The new notes will be put into circulation continuously from that date onwards. A large-scale information campaign will inform the general public about the new note and on ways to check its authenticity. The remaining banknotes in the series will be issued subsequently at half-yearly or yearly intervals. The SNB will announce each new issue date well in advance. The current eighth banknote series will continue to be legal tender until further notice. The date on which the current series is to be withdrawn from circulation will also be announced well in advance."

The new Swiss banknote series has had lots of delays and difficulties during production. But now it seems we can finally see if the new banknotes look anything like the beautiful winning drafts from designer Manuela Pfrunder.

Steven Friday 11 December 2015 at 09:17 am | | news | No comments
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RBS asks the public to nominate Scots for the new £10

The Royal Bank of Scotland is asking the public to choose a new face for its new 10-pound polymer banknote. More specifically the RBS is asking for a Scottish historical figure who has contibuted to the field of science and innovation. The new polymer note is scheduled to be issued in the second half of 2017. 

From the website: "People can nominate as many different people as they want either online ( www.rbs-communities.co.uk ) or on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/royalbankofscotland )

In order to be considered, nominees must be historical figures who are Scottish or have made a significant contribution to Scotland in the field of science and innovation.

So long as there is a good reason for the nomination, the person does not have to be famous.

A shortlist will be announced in January, with a further vote to decide the person whose portrait will be featured on the notes. This shortlist will be compiled on merit rather than volume of nominations."

The nomination process is open to anyone, with all suggestions to be made by 20 December. Here's a list of Scottish scientists to provide some inspiration.

Steven Monday 07 December 2015 at 3:16 pm | | news | No comments
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Eritrea introduces new banknote series

Tesfanews reports that Eritrea has issued a new series of banknotes. From the website:

"The National Bank of Eritrea recently issued a legal notice No. 124/2015 that all Nakfa currency notes in circulation must be exchanged for new government-issued notes. This decision by the country’s central financial institution is expected to have a major positive impact on the economy.

The nationwide currency replacement program is not meant to change the value of the money, as the exchange will be on a one-to-one basis. Instead, it was aimed at stimulating the economy by regulating circulation of the national currency. 

The redemption program have started since 18th November this month and will continue until the end of this year. Effective the first day of January 2016, the old Nakfa currency notes will have no value.

The new Nakfa notes have similar designs but less color contrast than the old notes. With some added security features, the new currency notes have a printing date of 24 May 2015 while the 100 Nakfa bills are printed on 24 May 2011.

Eritreans overwhelmingly welcomes the introduction of the new currency notes. However, individuals and organization who were working outside of the formal economy by hoarding large sums of money for informal foreign currency exchange, money laundering, counterfeiting, and contraband purposes have reasons to worry as the new measures will squeeze them out  and turn their Nakfa empire into a worthless pile of paper."

The images (sadly not in the best quality) of the new notes:






Steven Tuesday 01 December 2015 at 9:29 pm | | news | No comments
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Trinidad and Tobago has issued a redesigned $50

The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago has issued an updated design of its award winning 50-dollar note. The new note has three updated features from the original design. One of them is the introduction of tactile features for the visually-impaired.

Because the other two new features haven't been made public by the bank there were some concerns that the notes were counterfeit. Perhaps more details will be provided in the future. 

© www.trinidadexpress.com

Update 5-12-2015: the other banknotes are also getting a facelift to help the visually-impaired. The add-ons are: 

  • 1 dollar: Triangle
  • 5 dollars: Triangle inside a triangle
  • 10 dollars: Square
  • 20 dollars: Square inside a square
  • 50 dollars: Raised circle
  • 100 dollars: X

Steven Tuesday 01 December 2015 at 9:14 pm | | news | No comments
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Clydesdale Bank to introduce new 20-pound note

The Scottish Clydesdale Bank is introducing a new 20-pound note which is signed by Clydesdale Bank’s chief operating officer Debbie Crosbie, the first woman to sign a Scottish banknote. 

The new Scottish 20-pound notes will feature Robert the Bruce, who was king from 1306 to 1329, on one side, and a picture of the historic mill house at UNESCO World Heritage Site New Lanark on the other side.

© Daily Telegraph - Robert Perry 2015

Steven Tuesday 01 December 2015 at 8:57 pm | | news | No comments
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Albert Pick (15 May 1922 - 21 November 2015)

Banknotenews.com reports that Albert Pick has passed away. Most famous for creating the first edition of the Standard Catalog of World Paper Money and the Pick-numbering system he was one the 'Founding Fathers' of our hobby.

Steven Tuesday 01 December 2015 at 8:51 pm | | news | No comments

Kazakhstan to issue new 20,000-tenge

The National Bank of Kazakhstan will introduce a new 20,000-tenge note on 1 December according to this press release. The size of the note is 155x79 mm and the color is blue-gray. The date of issue, 1 December, is the 'Day of the First President of Kazakhstan'. Until now the highest denomination in Kazakhstan was the 10,000-tenge note but a 38% drop in the value of the tenge in the last three months prompts a higher denomination. The new note had already been made in 2013 so perhaps it was on the shelf for this occasion?  

The front of the note shows the Kazakh Eli monument commemorating Kazakhstan's independence, and on the other side is the presidential palace.

Other notes in this series have won awards for IBNS Banknote of the Year so obviously the design appeals to some people (myself not included I'm afraid). Will this be another winner?  


Steven Tuesday 01 December 2015 at 8:38 pm | | news | No comments

Argentina won't see new 500-peso note in January 2016

Argentina has a new president, Mauricio Macri, and he has made a statement on the country's banknotes which is of course interesting for us collectors. He stated that the country needs a new 500-peso note but in contrast with his appointed Interior Minister he denied that the new note will be issued in January 2016.

The biggest problem for that plan is the fact that the new head of the National Bank of Argentina, Federico Sturzenegger, has to be appointed first. But the current head of the national bank has been appointed until 2019 so that's a bit of a problem.

Steven Sunday 29 November 2015 at 08:24 am | | news | No comments
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Guyana plans commemorative 50-dollar note in 2016

The Bank of Guyana has plans to introduce a new 50-dollar commemorative note. The new note will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country. The Bank of Guyana is expected to release the new note around April or early May 2016 in time for the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary on 26 May 2016. No news on the design yet I'm afraid. 

Steven Sunday 29 November 2015 at 08:18 am | | news | No comments
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Oman issues new commemorative banknote of 1 rial

The Central Bank of Oman has issued a new commemorative banknote of 1 rial on 18 November 2015 commemorating the 45th National Day. From the website: "On the occasion of the 45th National Day 2015, the Central Bank of Oman is pleased to announce to the Public the issue of a New Commemorative Banknote of R.O. 1 denomination with effect from Wednesday, 18th November 2015.

This new banknote shall be in circulation as legal tender along with the existing banknotes. Describing the technical aspects and the appearance of the newly issued RO 1 bank note, the press release from the bank indicated that the new note bears a portrait of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said and the facsimile signature of His Majesty at the centre of the note.

In addition there’s a water mark portrait of His Majesty on the right side of the note, the National Emblem (coat of arms) at the centre, “Central Bank of Oman” in Arabic on top of the note.

Similarly, the serial numbers are seen on right and left side of the note with the denomination in Arabic on right and on left side of the note. The wording “45th National Day” in Arabic can be sighted at the right bottom of the currency note.

The Al Alam Palace is featured at the right side of the note, while the recognition feature for the blind persons can be seen on both sides of the note.

The vertical windowed security thread in two metallic colours is embossed at the left side of the note."

This note sure has interesting colors doesn't it? I really wonder what it will look like for real and at a face value of just over 2 euro or dollars this shouldn't be that difficult to get.

© Central Bank of Oman
© Central Bank of Oman

Steven Wednesday 18 November 2015 at 3:54 pm | | news | No comments
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Peru issues three updated banknotes

The Banco Central de Reserva del Perú (Central Bank of Peru) has issued the last three banknotes from the revised and updated new series. The design has basically been kept the same but the security features have been updated. One new feature is a special security thread with moving parts that can be seen when the note is tilted.

The new notes will circulate side-by-side with the old notes.

© www.huarmeyperu.com

Steven Friday 13 November 2015 at 11:20 am | | news | No comments
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Iraq has new 50,000-dinar note

The Central Bank of Iraq announced it has issued a new 50,000-dinar banknote.

From Iraq Tradelink News: "In a statement, the bank said that the issuance of the new banknote is to "restructure the Iraqi currency and providing a high value currency in circulation"." Earlier the CBI had already announced its intention to issue high-value currency in both Arabic and Kurdish languages. Update: The press release and its translation can be read here (thank you to John Raine!). 

The front of the note shows a water wheel on the Euphrates river and the Gali Ali Beg waterfall in Kurdistan. The back has fishermen on canoes, ducks, water buffalos and a reed house. One of the security devices is the Malwiya Tower, a spiral minaret at the Great Mosque of Samarra.

Image from www.banknotenews.com
Image from www.banknotenews.com

Steven Friday 13 November 2015 at 11:11 am | | news | No comments
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