World Banknotes

Links to Other Banknote Websites

2012-03-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

PEKU's Euros - A website containing many pictures of interesting stamps and writings on different Euro notes found in circulation.

Canada P98 50 Dollars

2012-03-02T16:59:00.004-08:00

Pick: P98
Date: 1988
Colour: Red on multicolor underprint.

Birds of Canada Series.

Front: William Lyon MacKenzie King, Parliament building at right, gold optical device with denomination at upper left, arms at upper left center.

Back: Snowy owl.

Watermark: None

Printer: Unknown

Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)

Varieties
a. (BC-59a) Signature Thiessen-Crow.
*a. (BC-59a) Signature Thiessen-Crow. Prefix FHG large F.
*a. (BC-59a) Signature Thiessen-Crow. Prefix FHG small F.
*a. (BC-59a) Signature Thiessen-Crow. EHX replacement note.
b. (BC-59b) Signature Bonin-Thiessen.
c. (BC-59c) Signature Knight-Thiessen.
d. (BC-59d) Signature Knight-Dodge.

* Not listed in Krause catalog.

Catalog Value:
a. $125 - UNC, $50 - VF
a. $135 - UNC, $20 - VF
a. $150 - UNC, $20 - VF
a. $200 - UNC, $20 - VF
b. $120 - UNC, $20 - VF
c. $85 - UNC, $20 - VF
d. $70 - UNC, $20 - VF

Canada PNew 100 Dollars

2012-03-02T16:48:00.001-08:00

Pick: PNew
Date: 2011-11-14
Colour: Brown

Polymer Series.

Front: Polymer banknote. Maple leaf; Prime Minister Sir Robert L. Borden. Back: No security thread.

Back: Medical Innovation. Electrocardiogram (EKG) reading; woman looking into microscope; bottle of insulin; DNA double helix; maple leaf. Holographic stripe with Robert Borden and tower of parliament building in Ottawa.

Watermark: None

Printer: Unknown

Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)

Varieties

*a. Signature Maclem-Carney. Printed in 2011.

* Note listed in Krause Catalog.

Catalog Value:
a. $120 - UNC, $100 - VF

Canada P105 100 Dollars

2012-03-02T16:03:00.001-08:00

Pick: P105
Date: 2004
Colour: Brown and green on multicolor underprint.

Journey Series. Official first day of issue was March 17, 2004.

Front: Sir Robert Borden at left. East Block of Parliment, 100 watermark. Canadian flag and large 100.

Back: Champlain's map of Canada from 1632 and birch bark canoe. Canadian satellite Radarsat-1 and satellite map of Canada. Telecommunications antenna. Miriam Waddington's poem "Jacques Cartier in Toronto"

Watermark: Sir Robert Borden

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc.

Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)

Varieties

a. (BC-66a) Signature Jenkins-Dodge. Printed in 2003.
*a. (BC-66a) Signature Jenkins-Dodge. Printed in 2005.
*a. (BC-66a) Signature Jenkins-Dodge. Printed in 2006.
*b. (BC-66b) Signature Maclem-Carney. Printed in 2006.
*b. (BC-66b) Signature Maclem-Carney. Printed in 2009.

* Note listed in Krause Catalog.

Catalog Value:
a. $120 - UNC, $100 - VF
a. $120 - UNC, $100 - VF
a. $120 - UNC, $100 - VF
b. $120 - UNC, $100 - VF
b. $120 - UNC, $100 - VF

Canada P104 50 Dollars

2012-03-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

Pick: P104
Date: 2004
Colour: Red-orange and tan on multicolor underprint.

Journey Series. First date of issue, November 17, 2004.

Front: William Lyon MacKenzie King at left. Peace Tower of the Canadian parliament building. Canadian flag and large 50.

Back: Accomplishments of the Famous Five and Thérèse Casgrain. October 18, 1929 newspaper headlines "Women are Persons" which is the quotation from Article One of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). Scales of justice, and statue of the Famous Five. Thérèse Casgrain Volunteer Award medal.

Watermark: William Lyon MacKenzie King

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc.

Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)

Varieties

a. (BC-65a) Signature Jenkins-Dodge. Printed in 2004.
a. (BC-65a) Signature Jenkins-Dodge. Printed in 2006.
*b. (BC-65b) Signature Jenkins-Carney. Printed in 2008.
*c. (BC-65c) Signature Maclem-Carney. Printed in 2011.

* Note listed in Krause Catalog.

Catalog Value:
a. $65 - UNC, $50 - VF
a. $65 - UNC, $50 - VF
b. $65 - UNC, $50 - VF
c. $65 - UNC, $50 - VF

Sri Lanka P105 100 Rupees

2012-03-01T17:19:00.001-08:00

Pick: P105
Date: 1.1.1991
Colour: Orange and dark brown on multicolor underprint.

Front: Decorative urn at right.

Back: (Vertical) Tea leaf pickers, two Rose-ringed Parakeets at bottom.

Watermark: Chinze

Printer: TDLR

Size:

Varieties

a. Without dot on value in Tamil at left. 1.1.1991.

b. With dot on value in Tamil at left. 1.1.1991.

Catalog Value:
a. $50 - UNC
b. $12.50 - UNC

Canada P97 20 Dollars

2012-02-28T17:42:00.003-08:00

Pick: P97
Date: 1991
Colour: Deep olive-green and olive-green on multicolor underprint.

Birds of Canada Series. Though dated 1991 the first date of official issue was June 29, 1993.

Notes with signature Bonin-Thiessen were issued with and without back plate numbers.

Front: Green foil optical device with denomination at upper left, Queen Elizabeth II, Parliament library at right, arms at upper left center.

Back: Common loon.

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc.

Size: 137 × 74 mm

Varieties
a. (BC-58a) Signature Thiessen-Crow. Prefix without serifs.
a. (BC-58a) Signature Thiessen-Crow. Prefix with serifs.
*a. (BC-58a) Signature Thiessen-Crow. Prefix AIX, EIX replacement note.
b. (BC-58b) Signature Bonin-Thiessen. With back plate number.
*b. (BC-58b) Signature Bonin-Thiessen. Without back plate number.
*b. (BC-58b) Signature Bonin-Thiessen. Prefix AIX, replacement note.
c. Signature Knight-Thiessen.
d. Signature Knight-Dodge.

* Not listed in Krause catalog.

Catalog Value:
a. $50 - UNC, $20 - VF
b. $50 - UNC, $20 - VF
c. $50 - UNC, $20 - VF
d. $30 - UNC, $20 - VF

Singapore P9 1 Dollar

2012-02-28T17:08:00.001-08:00

Pick: P8
Date: ND (1976).
Colour: Blue-black on multicolor underprint.

Front: Black-naped tern at left, city skyline along bottom, arms at upper right.

Back: National Day parade passing large building at center right.

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: BWC.

Size:

Varieties
None

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P8A 10,000 Dollars

2012-02-28T17:05:00.003-08:00

Pick: P8A
Date: ND (1973).
Colour: Green on multicolor underprint.

Front: Orchids (Aranda Majulah) at center, arms at at right. Signature Hon Sui Sen. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: The Istana (Presidential residence) at left center.

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: TDLR.

Size:

Varieties
None

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P17 10,000 Dollars

2012-02-28T17:02:00.003-08:00

Pick: P17
Date: ND (1980).
Colour: Green on multicolor underprint

Front: White-bellied Sea Eagle at left, city skyline along bottom, arms at upper right

Back: 19th century Singapore River scene above, modern view below on
back.

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: TDLR.

Size:

Varieties
a. Issued note.
s. Specimen, punched hole cancelled.

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

South Korea P57 50000 Won

2012-02-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

Pick: 57
Date: 2009 Issued 2009-06-23
Colour: Orange and Yellow.

The release of the 50,000 won note stirred some controversy among shop owners and those with visual impairments due to its similarity in color and numerical denomination with the 5,000 won note.

Front: Shin Saim-dang (1504-1551), painter, author, and mother of the great philosopher Yul-gok, also known as Yi I (1536-1584). Tree branches, grape leaf, berries, and eggplant. Holographic stripe with demetalized BANK OF KOREA 50000. Windowed Motion security thread. Solid security thread with demetalized 한국은행 50000.

This is the first time, a woman is featured on a South Korean banknote.

Back: (vertical): Bamboo tree and Japanese apricot tree as shown in paintings. The reverse of the note features two outstanding paintings produced in mid of Jeseon Dymasty namely Wolmaedo and Poongjukdo. Wolmaedo is a painting of a Mumetree by Eo Mongryong and Poongjukdo is a painting of Bamboos by Lee Jeong.

Watermark: Shin Saim-dang and electrotype 5 within pentagon.

Printer: Korea Minting & Security Printing Corporation

Size: 154 x 68 mm

Varieties

None

Catalog Value:

$60 UNC

Singapore P8 1000 Dollars

2012-02-26T14:04:00.001-08:00

Pick: P8
Date: ND (1967-75).
Colour: Purple on multicolored underprint.

Front: Lilac-brown colored flowers (Dendrobium Kimiyo Kondo) at center, arms at right. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: Victoria Theatre and Empress Palace

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: TDLR.

Size:

Varieties

a. Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San (1967).

b. Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1970).

c. Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1973).

d. Red signature seal Type II at center. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1975).

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P7 500 Dollars

2012-02-26T13:58:00.002-08:00

Pick: P7
Date: ND (1972).
Colour: Dark green, lilac on multicolor underprint.

Front: Pink flowers (Dendrobium Shangri-la) at center. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: Government offices at St. Andrew's road.

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: TDLR.

Size:

Varieties
None

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P6 100 Dollars

2012-02-26T13:55:00.001-08:00

Pick: P6
Date: ND (1967-73)
Colour: Blue and violet on multicolor underprint.

Front: Red flowers (Cattleya Orchid) at center, arms at right. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: Sailing vessels along Singapore waterfront.

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: BWC

Size:

Varieties

a. Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San (1967).

b. Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1970).

c. Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1972).

d. Red signature seal Type II at center. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1973).

s. Specimen.

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P5 50 Dollars

2012-02-26T13:51:00.001-08:00

Pick: P5
Date: ND (1967-73)
Colour: Blue on multicolor underprint

Front: Violet flowers (Vanda Rothschildiana Orchid) at center, arms at lower right. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: Singapore seafront and Clifford Pier.

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: TDLR.

Size:

Varieties

a. Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San (1967).

b. Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1970).

c. Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1972).

d. Red signature seal Type II at center. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1973).

s. As d. Specimen.

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P4 25 Dollars

2012-02-26T13:48:00.002-08:00

Pick: P4
Date: ND (1972).
Colour: Dark brown on multicolor underprint.

Front: Yellow flowers (Renanthopsis Aurora Orchid) at center, arms at upper rightSingapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: Supreme Court building.

Watermark: Lion's head.

Printer: TDLR.

Size:

Varieties
None

Catalog Value:
UNC -

40% of South Korea's W50,000 Banknotes Used by Black Market Economy

2012-02-25T15:53:00.000-08:00

Where Are the Missing W50,000 Banknotes?

Chosun Iibo - Feb 21, 2012

Korea South Banknotes Pick New 50000 Won ND2009

50,000 Won = 45 USD

A large number of the new W50,000 banknotes that went into circulation in June of 2009 are unaccounted for. Some 56.36 million W50,000 bills have been issued since 2009, with a value of W28 trillion (US$1=W1,123), but as of the end of January, four out of 10 of the bills have gone missing.

When the bills were first printed, there were concerns that they could be used to amass slush funds or to stash away to dodge taxes. The missing bills suggest that these concerns were well-founded.

According to the Bank of Korea on Monday, the amount of W50,000 banknotes that have been printed totaled W28.2 trillion, up 32.5 percent or W7 trillion over the past year. That has increased since January last year when it surpassed W20 trillion. And W50,000 bills now account for 53.6 percent of the total number of bills in circulation, up 10 percentage points over the past year.

By contrast, the amount of W10,000 bills in circulation totaled W19.8 trillion as of the end of last month, down W2.5 trillion from last year. It amounted to W20.1 trillion until February last year but fell to W19.2 trillion the next month and ceded the top spot to W50,000 bills.

The explosive demand for W50,000 bills stems from their widespread use as cash gifts for special occasions like weddings and anniversaries, replacing the W100,000 bank checks which had been frequently used. Before the W50,000 bills were circulated, a total of W7 trillion worth of W100,000 bank checks were printed each month, but that plummeted after the W50,000 bills were printed to W3.4 trillion in December 2011.

But some attribute the surge in the number of W50,000 bills to increased demand from the black economy, involving bribes, gambling and illicit transfers of wealth. A key example is an W11 billion stash of cash discovered under a plot of farmland in North Jeolla Province last year that consisted mostly of W50,000 bills. The cash was the proceeds of an illegal online gambling operation.

Supporting such suspicions is the low collection rate of the W50,000 banknotes compared to other bills. The collection rate refers to the number of bills that are printed and later collected again by the BOK. In the case of W50,000 bills, it is less than 60 percent, meaning four out of every 10 of them are stashed away somewhere. For W10,000 and other bills, the collection rate is more than 90 percent.

Singapore P3 10 Dollars

2012-02-25T15:21:00.003-08:00

Pick: P3
Date: ND (1967-72).
Colour: Red on multicolor underprint.

Front: Lilac flowers (Dendrobium Marjorie Orchid) at center, arms at lower right. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: Four hands clasping wrists over map of Singapore at left center.

Watermark: Lion's head.

UV: left design, leaves, watermark area legend fluoresce yellow.

Printer: TDLR.

Size:

Varieties

a. Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San (1967).

b. Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1970).

c. Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1972).

d. Red signature seal Type II at center. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1973).

s. As d. Specimen.

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P2 5 Dollars

2012-02-25T15:17:00.001-08:00

Pick: P2
Date: ND (1967-73).
Colour: Green and light red underprint

Front: Light orange flowers (T. M. A. Orchid) at center, arms at upper right Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil in circle.

Back: Boats on the Singapore River.

Watermark: Lion's head

Printer: BWC

Size:

Varieties

a. Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San (1967).

b. Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1970).

c. Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1971).

d. Red signature seal Type II at center. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1972).

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P1 1 Dollar

2012-02-25T15:10:00.006-08:00

Pick: P1
Date: ND (1967-72).
Colour: Blue on multicolor underprint.

Front: Light red flowers (Janet Kaneali Orchid) at center, arms at right. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil on top.

Back: Apartment buildings.

Watermark: Lion's head.

UV: left design, leaves, watermark area legend fluoresce yellow.

Printer: BWC

Size:

Varieties

a. Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San (1967).

b. Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee (1970).

c. Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1971).

d. Red signature seal Type II at center. Signature Hon Sui Sen (1972).

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Ceylon P16 1 Rupee

2012-02-25T14:54:00.000-08:00

Pick: P16
Date: 01.05.1917 - 02.10.1939
Colour: Green, blue, and violet

Front: Guilloche pattern.

Back: Guilloche pattern

Watermark: None.

Printer: Thomas De La Rue & Company.

Size: 115 x 64 mm.

Varieties
a. 1st May 1917. Signature R. E. Stubbs & Bernard Senior.
a. 23.03.1918.
a. 08.12.1919. Signature Graeme Thomson & Bernard Senior.
a. 1st December 1920. Signature Graeme Thomson & Bernard Senior.
a. 01.10.1921. Signature Graeme Thomson & Bernard Senior.
a. 01.09.1922. Signature B. Horsburgh & W. W. Woods.
a. 01.09.1923. Signature C. Clementi & F. J. Smith.
a. 01.10.1924. Signature C. Clementi & W. W. Woods.
b. 01.10-1925-02.10.1939.
b. 1st October 1925.
b. 1st December 1925. Signature E. B. Alexander & W. W. Woods.
b. 1st June 1926. Signature A. G. M. Fletcher & W. W. Woods.
b. 1st September 1927. Signature A. G. M. Fletcher & F. J. Smith.
b. 1st September 1928. Signature A. G. M. Fletcher & W. W. Woods.
b. 1st July 1929. Signature F. G. Tyrrell & W. W. Woods.
b. 10th September 1930. Signature B. H. Bourdillon & W. W. Woods.
b. 9th July 1931. Signature W. W. Woods & F. G. Tyrrell.
b. 1st August 1932. Signature W. W. Woods & W. E. Wait.
b. 2nd July 1934. Signature H. J. Huxham & W. E. Wait.
b. 26th June 1935. Signature C. H. Collins & G. S. Wodeman.
b. 18th June 1936. Signature H. J. Huxham & M. M. Wedderburn.
b. 24th July 1937. Signature C. H. Collins & R. M. M. Worsley.
b. 10th November 1938. Signature H. J. Huxham & G. S. Wodeman.
b. 2nd October 1939. Signature H. J. Huxham & G. S. Wodeman.
bs. Horizontal CANCELLED perf. Dated 2nd October 1939.

This note is available with straight cut or perforated left edge.

Catalog Value:
a.

Ceylon P35 2 Rupees

2012-02-24T17:43:00.001-08:00

Pick: P35
Date: 20.12.1941 - 01.03.1949
Colour: Violet and brown.

Front: King George VI. George VI (14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death. He was the last Emperor of India, and the first Head of the Commonwealth.

Back: Sigiriya Rock, lake, and trees. Sigiriya (Lion's rock) is a large stone and ancient rock fortress and palace ruin in the central Matale District of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs, and other structures. Sigiriya is also renowned for its ancient paintings (frescos), which are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves of India.

Watermark: Chinthe.

Printer: Unknown, India

Size: 127 x 76 mm

Varieties
a. 1ST FEBRUARY 1941. Signature H. J. Huxham & C. H. Collins. Straight edge.
a. 20TH DECEMBER 1941. Signature H. J. Huxham & C. H. Collins.

a. 19TH SEPTEMBER 1942. Signature H. J. Huxham & C. H. Collins.
a. 4TH AUGUST 1943. Signature H. J. Huxham & C. H. Collins.
a. 24TH JUNE 1945. Signature O. E. Goonetilleke & C. E. Jones.
a. 7TH MAY 1946. Signature O. E. Goonetilleke & C. E. Jones.
a. 1st MARCH 1949. Signature C. E. Jones & T. D. Perera.
s. Specimen.

This note is available with straight cut or perforated left edge.

Catalog Value:
a.

Nelson Mandela banknotes to be issued by South Africa

2012-02-24T15:43:00.001-08:00

Saturday, February 25, 2012

South Africa is to issue a complete set of banknotes bearing the image of its first black president, Nelson Mandela.

Mr Mandela, now 93, was released from prison on 11 February 1990 after 27 years in prison.

President Jacob Zuma said the banknotes were a "humble gesture" to express South Africa's "deep gratitude".

Mr Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for his campaign against white minority rule (apartheid). He was elected president the following year.

Known affectionately by his clan name "Madiba", he has now retired from public life.

Speaking at the central bank in Pretoria, President Jacob Zuma called Mr Mandela's release "the beginning of a new era of hope".

"With this humble gesture, we are expressing our deep gratitude as the South African people, to a life spent in service of the people of this country and in the cause of humanity worldwide," he said.

Advance notice of the news conference at the central bank had briefly rattled the markets, jittery about the state of South Africa's economy.

No date for the release of the new notes has yet been announced. Production has already begun, but the latest edition of the currency will only be distributed towards the end of the year.

Canada issues new steel loonies and toonies

2012-01-15T06:26:00.000-08:00

The Canadian Press – Fri, 13 Jan, 2012

Steel yourself, Canada, new one-dollar and two-dollar coins are about to become the latest version of the proverbial plugged nickel.

In an effort to save taxpayers about $16 million annually, new versions of the loonie and toonie will be introduced this spring made from steel, replacing the more expensive nickel found in the current versions of the coins.

A detailed summary of the change filed by the federal government in the Canada Gazette last month says the new coins will be slightly lighter, cheaper to produce and ship, and harder to counterfeit.
They're also going to cost Canada's coin-operated industries about $40 million in recalibration costs to make vending machines recognize the new coinage, says the government.

And businesses who count their coins by weight will have to first separate the old currency from the new.

The new coinage was announced in last year's federal budget but only received final cabinet approval late last month.

The roll-out has been delayed in part because some manufacturers in the vending industry weren't ready to handle the new coins, according to Kim Lockie, the past president of Canadian Automatic Merchandising Association.

"It only delayed it, it didn't postpone it," said Lockie, a Fort MacMurray, Alta., businessman whose company has 1,200 machines that required reprogramming — a three-month project.
"We just have to be ready as operators to be able to accept that."

Lockie, who spent last year as his industry association president dealing with the mint, said operators never like eating the cost of currency changes, but the process has been handled well by the government.

"It's going to happen anyway so if we can partner we can both come out ahead — I can have ample leeway time to get my machines programmed," he said in an interview.

The Canada Gazette says the current coins cost about 30 cents each to produce, while Kim says he's been told the new loonies and toonies will cost between four cents and six cents apiece.
A spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mint had little so say, because a major media roll-out is planned nearer to the coins' actual release. Alex Reeves did confirm the new coins are about to go into production and should be in circulation in "early spring" — likely late March or April.

When the new coins were first proposed, the expectation was that they would weigh exactly the same as the old versions.

Consumers likely won't notice the weight difference, but the Canada Gazette states that a truck load of the new loonies will weigh 980 kilos less than the old version, and 286 kilos less for a truck full of toonies, thus "improving fuel efficiency of transportation and reducing the carbon footprint of delivering coins to the Canadian public."

More than one billion loonies have been produced by the Royal Canadian Mint since the coin was introduced in 1987, while some 700 million toonies have been minted since 1996.

The mint produces about 30 million of each coin annually, and the government says the elimination of the nickel element will reduce nickel demand by about 539 metric tonnes a year — just a tiny fraction of Canada's domestic output.

The current loonie is made from bronze-plated nickel, while the toonie has a ring of pure nickel around a copper alloy centre. The new coins will use the same multi-ply plated steel technology used in the penny, nickel, dime and quarter.

The change comes as nickel prices have fluctuated by as much as 1,000 per cent in recent years, according to the government, creating both supply and cost issues.

Bank of Macao Issues Commemorative 10 Pataca Banknote

2012-01-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

The Bank of Macao under Bank of China and Banco Nacional Ultramarino respectively issued a piece of commemorative 10 Pataca banknote on Thursday to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dragon.

The banknote is featured by Chinese paper-cut dragon on the face and the building of Bank of Macao or the building of Banco Nacional Ultramarino on the back. In addition, the Ma Zu temple in Macao has been adopted as the foil scene.

The Bank of Macao under Bank of China and Banco Nacional Ultramarino respectively issued a piece of commemorative 10 Pataca banknote on Thursday to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dragon.

The banknote is featured by Chinese paper-cut dragon on the face and the building of Bank of Macao or the building of Banco Nacional Ultramarino on the back. In addition, the Ma Zu temple in Macao has been adopted as the foil scene.

Bank of Thailand launching new banknote series next week

2012-01-12T13:53:00.000-08:00

BANGKOK, Jan 12 -- The Bank of Thailand (BoT) will issue a new series of banknotes, its 16th series, next week after the current series has circulated in the market for more than 14 years, according to BoT Governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul.

Mr Prasarn said that the new notes comprise five denominations -- Bt20, Bt50, Bt100, Bt500 and Bt1,000. Their size and colour remain unchanged from the present notes.

First launches will be the Bt50 banknote on January 18, the date commemorating the glorious victory of King Naresuan the Great in traditional royal combat on elephant back in 1593, he said.

The BoT governor said that about 190 million Bt50 banknotes currently circulate in the system, and that the new issue would cost Bt5 higher then the currently used notes.

The central bank has applied newest technology as a security feature for the Bt50 note to prevent counterfeiting which included the watermark which HM the King's portrait will be shown on the right side and a watermark of Thai numeral 50 is especially transparent.

The current Bt50 banknote and those previously issued would also be legal tender by law, he said.

100 Rupees East India Company Eagle Note

2012-01-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

All East India Company 100 Rupee notes are counterfeit. The East India Company never issues 100 Rupee banknotes. These notes sell from $10 to $200.

100 Rupees East India Company Eagle Note

Item : East India 100 Rupees Note
Condition : Used as shown in the picture
Signed By : C D Deshmukh
Serial Number : B/11 624542

The note is historically inaccurate. The British East India Company was dissolved 1 June 1874. This note is signed by C D Deshmukh who was the governor of the Reserve Bank of India from 1943 to 1950, over 60 years after the dissolution of the British East India Company.

This note is also not listed in any auction or banknote catalogs.

There have been other listings on Ebay which state that the note is a fantasy note. Careful examination of the higher grade note also shows that the paper is not watermarked. The watermark of King George VI is actually a gray scale print.

Some of the serials numbers are U 42 442943, G 31 716240, K 22 541950. However there is no need to verify the serial numbers since all notes are counterfeit.

1793 penny fetches $1M at Florida auction

2012-01-07T20:24:00.000-08:00

ORLANDO, FLA. —

A one-cent copper coin minted in 1793, the first year that the United States produced its own coins, has fetched $1 million at a Florida auction.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the final bid by an unknown buyer for the coin was one of the largest sales at the Florida United Numismatics coin show and annual convention.
The newspaper reported that the 1793 penny was sold at such a high price because it is rare and in excellent shape, showing no wear on its lettering, its Lady Liberty face or the wreath on its back.
Nearly 600 dealers of coins and currency are at the show that runs through Sunday. It also features Buffalo nickels, dozens of silver one-ounce pieces and coins from antiquity, misprinted cash and Confederate notes.

Canada P96 10 Dollars

2012-01-07T20:01:00.000-08:00

Pick: P96
Date: 1989
Colour: Purple on multicolor underprint.

Canada 1989 P96b (BC-57b) 10 Dollars

Replacement note as denoted by the "X" in the prefix.

Birds of Canada Series.

Front: Sir John A. Macdonald, Parliament buildings at right, arms at upper left center. Sir John A. Macdonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada. Macdonald served 19 years as Canadian Prime Minister; only William Lyon Mackenzie King served longer.

Back: Osprey in flight

Watermark: None.

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc.

Size: 152.4 x 69.85 mm (6.0 x 2.75 inches)

Varieties

a. (BC-57a) Signature Thiessen-Crow.
*a. (BC-57aA) Signature Thiessen-Crow. Replacement note.

b. (BC-57b) Signature Bonin-Thiessen
*b. (BC-57bA) Signature Bonin-Thiessen. Replacement note

c. (BC-57c) Signature Knight-Thiessen

* Note listed in Krause Catalog.

Catalog Value:
a.

Mauritus 1986 P38 100 Rupees

2012-01-06T17:14:00.000-08:00

Pick: P38
Date: ND (1986)
Colour: Red on multicolor underprint

Mauritus 1986 P38 100 Rupees

Front: Arms at lower center, building with flag at right. The value of 100 Rupees written in English, Tamil and Hindi.

Back: Landscape.

Watermark: Dodo bird. The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to Mauritus. It stood a meter tall and weighed 20 kilograms. The dodo lost the power of flight because food was abundant and predators were absent on Mauritius. The dodo was first mentioned by Dutch sailors in 1598. By 1681, all dodos had been killed by hungry sailors or their domesticated animals. The extinction of the bird, within 80 years of its discovery, made people realise for the first time that humans could induce the extinction of plants and animals

Printer: Bradbury Wilkinson and Company (no imprint on back)

Catalog Value:
a.

Mauritus 1986 P37 50 Rupees

2012-01-06T17:10:00.000-08:00

Pick: P37
Date: ND (1986)
Colour: Dark blue on multicolor underprint

Mauritus 1986 P37a 50 Rupees

Front: Arms at lower center, building with flag at right. The value of 50 Rupees written in English, Tamil and Hindi.

Back: Two deer, butterfly and Mauritius Kestrel. The Mauritius Kestrel is a bird of prey endemic to the forests of Mauritius, where it is restricted to the southwestern plateau's forests, cliffs, and ravines.

Watermark: Dodo bird. The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to Mauritus. It stood a meter tall and weighed 20 kilograms. The dodo lost the power of flight because food was abundant and predators were absent on Mauritius. The dodo was first mentioned by Dutch sailors in 1598. By 1681, all dodos had been killed by hungry sailors or their domesticated animals. The extinction of the bird, within 80 years of its discovery, made people realise for the first time that humans could induce the extinction of plants and animals

Printer: Bradbury Wilkinson and Company

Varieties

P37a variety. Bradbury Wilkinson, imprint on back.

a. Printer's imprint on back.
b. Without printer's imprint on back.

Catalog Value:
a.

Mauritius 1985 P39 200 Rupees

2012-01-06T16:57:00.000-08:00

Pick: P39
Date: ND (1985)
Colour: Blue on multicolor underprint

Mauritus 1985 P39b 200 Rupees

Front: Sir Seewoodsagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 - 15 December 1985) at left. Known as the "Father of the Nation" he led Mauritius to independence from the United Kingdom in 1968. He served as Chief Minister from 1961 to 1968, prime minister from 1968 until 1982 and lastly as Governor General from 1983 to 1985. The value of 200 Rupees written in English, Tamil and Hindi.

Back: Mao of Mauritius The Chateau du Reduit the official residence of the President of Mauritius. It was built in 1749 when the island was a French colony. Du Reduit became the official residence of the Governors. Despite many modifications made during the period 1746-1778 the chateau was in ruins in 1778 due to the action of white ants and had to be reconstructed. After 1810, under British rule, it underwent many modifications and extensive repairs following damage caused by Cyclones in 1868 and 1892.

Watermark:

Printer: Thomas De La Rue and Company

Varieties
a. Orange UV latent printing
b. Green UV latent printing

Catalog Value:
a.

Mauritius 1967 P31 10 Rupees

2012-01-06T16:45:00.000-08:00

Pick: P31
Date: ND (1967)
Colour: Red on multicolor underprint.

Mauritus 1967 P31b 10 Rupees

Front: Queen Elizabeth II in the robes of the Sovereign of the Order of the Garterat right. Coat of arms of Mauritius lower left. The value of 10 Rupees written in English, Tamil and Hindi.

Back: Government building.

Watermark: Dodo bird. The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to Mauritus. It stood a meter tall and weighed 20 kilograms. The dodo lost the power of flight because food was abundant and predators were absent on Mauritius. The dodo was first mentioned by Dutch sailors in 1598. By 1681, all dodos had been killed by hungry sailors or their domesticated animals. The extinction of the bird, within 80 years of its discovery, made people realise for the first time that humans could induce the extinction of plants and animals

Printer: Thomas De La Rue and Company

Varieties
a. Signature 1
b. Signature 2
c. Signature 4

Catalog Value:
a.

Mauritius 1967 P30 5 Rupees

2012-01-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Pick: P30
Date: ND (1967)
Colour: Blue on multicolor underprint.

Mauritus 1967 P30c 5 Rupees

Front: Queen Elizabeth II at right. Coat of arms of Mauritus. The value of 5 Rupees written in English, Tamil and Hindi.

Back: Two men in a Mauritian pirogue sail boat. They are copy of lifeboat of French vessel in the 18th Century. They are also very famous for Mauritian Regata that took place ever year in the four side of the island.

Watermark: Dodo bird. The dodo was a flightless bird endemic to Mauritus. It stood a meter tall and weighed 20 kilograms. The dodo lost the power of flight because food was abundant and predators were absent on Mauritius. The dodo was first mentioned by Dutch sailors in 1598. By 1681, all dodos had been killed by hungry sailors or their domesticated animals. The extinction of the bird, within 80 years of its discovery, made people realise for the first time that humans could induce the extinction of plants and animals

Printer: Thomas De La Rue and Company

Varieties

a. Signature 1
b. Signature 3
c. Signature 4
s. As a. Specimen.

Catalog Value:
a.

Tamil Banknotes of French India

2011-12-30T20:17:00.000-08:00

Tamil Banknotes of French India
French India is a general name for the former French possessions in India. These included Pudhucherry, Karikal and Yanam on the Coromandel Coast, Mahé on the Malabar Coast, and Chandannagar in Bengal. Since areas such as Pudhucherry, Karikal and Yanam were Tamil areas that Tamil language appeared on French Indian banknotes.

The roupie or rupee was the currency of French India. It was equal to the Indian rupee issued by the British and then Indian governments. Until 1871 it was issued as coins with the roupie divided into 8 fanons, each of 3 doudous or 20 cash. From 1871, banknotes were issued by France's Banque de l'Indochine which circulated alongside coins issued by British India.

This notes are missing from my collection. I am always looking to acquire these notes to complete my collection. Pleasecontact me.

Banknote: 10 Roupie
Date: 1874
Pick: A1
Description: 1.1.1874

Banknote: 10 Roupie
Date: 1901
Pick: A1
Description: 3.4.1901

Banknote: 10 Roupie
Date: 1909
Pick: A1
Description: 24.5.1909

Banknote: 10 Roupie
Date: 1910
Pick: A1s
Description: 0.5.1910

Banknote: 50 Roupie
Date: 1877
Pick: A2
Description:

Banknote: 50 Roupie
Date: 1898
Pick: A3
Description: 10.9.1898. Like A2 but printed date

Banknote: 50 Roupie
Date: 1902
Pick: 1
Description: 22.2.1902 Like A3 but printed decrees

Banknote: 50 Roupie
Date: 1902
Pick: 1s
Description: 22.2.1902 Like A3 but printed decrees Specimen ANNULE

Banknote: 10 Roupie
Date: 1919
Pick: 2a
Description: 3.11.1919 Like A1 but printed date. Issued Note

Banknote: 10 Roupie
Date: 1919
Pick: 2b
Description: 4.11.1919 Cancelled w/handstamp ANNULE

Banknote: 50 Roupie
Date: 1915
Pick: 3a
Description: 17.6.1915 Like 1. Issued note

Banknote: 50
Date: 1915
Pick: 3b
Description: Cancelled w/handstamp ANNULE

Banknote: 1 Roupie
Date: 1919
Pick: 4a
Description: 12.11.1919

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1945

Pick: 4aS

Description: 8.9.1945

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1923

Pick: 4b

Description: 1.8.1923 Sign 1

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1923

Pick: 4b

Description: 1.8.1923 Sign 2

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1928

Pick: 4b

Description: 1.1.1928

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1932

Pick: 4c

Description: 5.4.1932

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1936

Pick: 4d

Description: 13.2.1936

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1938

Pick: 4d

Description: 8.3.1938

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1945

Pick: 4d

Description: 8.9.1945

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1945

Pick: 4e

Description: 8.9.1945 Cancelled

Banknote: 1 Roupie

Date: 1945

Pick: 4A

Description: 8.9.1945 Face like 4. Back guilloche with 3 cross

Banknote: 5 Roupie

Date: 1937

Pick: 5a

Description:

Banknote: 5 Roupie

Date: 1946

Pick: 5b

Description:

Banknote: 5 Roupie

Date: 1946

Pick: 5c

Description: Punched hole cancelled with handstamp ANNULE

Banknote: 5 Roupie

Date: 1946

Pick: 5s

Description: Specimen perforated Specimen

Banknote: 50 Roupie

Date: 1936

Pick: 7a

Description:

Banknote: 50 Roupie

Date: 1937

Pick: 7b

Description:

Banknote: 50 Roupie

Date: 1945

Pick: 7c

Description:

Banknote: 50 Roupie

Date: 1945

Pick: 7d

Description: Punched hole cancelled with handstamp ANNULE

Banknote: 50 Roupie

Date: 1945

Pick: 7s

Description: Specimen perforated Specimen

Tamil Banknotes of Burma

2011-12-30T16:52:00.001-08:00

Tamil Banknotes of Burma

Burma was part of the British Empire until 1948. Until the Japanese invasion of Burma in 1942 a combination Indian Rupees with a Burma overprint and Reserve Bank of India Rupees printed specifically for Burma was used as the currency of Burma. The Tamil language which was present on the language block on the back of some Indian banknotes was used in Burma.

In 1942 the Japanese introduced Japanese Invasion Money (JIM). In 1944 the State Bank of Burma was established by the Japanese and began printing Kyat notes for Burma. None of these notes had any Tamil writing on them. From 1945 to 1948 the Indian Rupee with Burma overprint was used once again in Burma. In 1948 the government of Burma introduced Rupees and later Kyats with Burmese and English writing.

The Tamil language appears in Pick #A1-A8, 1-3. Does not appear in Pick #4-8 which were Reserve Bank of India banknotes printed specifically for Burma. Does not appear on Pick #9-17 which was the Japanese Invasion Money. Does not appear on Print #18-22 which was the State Bank of Burma. Does not appear on Pick #23-24 part of the Provisional issues of the British Military Administration of Burma banknotes. It re-appear on British Military Administration of Burma overprint on Indian banknotes on Pick #25-33 where is ends with the establishment of the Union Bank of Burma in 1953.

This notes are missing from my collection. I am always looking to acquire these notes to complete my collection. Please contact me.

Banknote:
Date:
Pick:
Description:

Banknote:
Date:
Pick:
Description:

Philippines S518 10 Pesos

2011-12-29T18:22:00.000-08:00

Pick: S518
Date: 1944
Colour: Black with red print.

Philippines S518b 1944 10 Pesos

Mindanao Currency Board notes were created out of a desire to have a uniform currency for the entire island. Upon the printing of the first Mindanao Emergency Currency Board issue, the relatively few notes previously issued by Lanao and Misamis Occidental provincial officials were withdrawn. This is the second issue of Mindanao Emergency Currency Board notes. Second issue
notes bear dates of 1943, 1944 or 1945 reflecting the year in which they were released to circulation. Second issue notes were the product of Sam Wilson's mint, known as the “hit-and-run mint”, since the makers were constantly on the move to avoid confiscation, capture and death at the hands of the Japanese. It is amazing that this currency was so widely accepted by the Filipinos, becoming the foundation of their existence under occupation, considering that the Japanese, early on, decreed that anyone caught with the currency would be shot on the spot.

Front: The seal of the Philippines in red. All notes carry the signature of Florentino Saguin, as Chairman of the Board with F.D. Pacana and I. Barbasa as Members.

Back: The larger denominations bear both English and Tagalog text on the reverse.

Watermark: None

Printer: Local Printing Press Philippines

Varieties
a. Series 1944 is 11mm long (narrow date).
b. Series 1944 is 15mm long (wide date).

Catalog Value:

Philippines S528 20 Pesos

2011-12-29T18:10:00.002-08:00

Pick: S528
Date: 1944
Colour: Black with green print.

Philippines S528d 1944 20 Pesos

Mindanao Currency Board notes were created out of a desire to have a uniform currency for the entire island. Upon the printing of the first Mindanao Emergency Currency Board issue, the relatively few notes previously issued by Lanao and Misamis Occidental provincial officials were withdrawn. This is the second issue of Mindanao Emergency Currency Board notes. Second issue
notes bear dates of 1943, 1944 or 1945 reflecting the year in which they were released to circulation. Second issue notes were the product of Sam Wilson's mint, known as the “hit-and-run mint”, since the makers were constantly on the move to avoid confiscation, capture and death at the hands of the Japanese. It is amazing that this currency was so widely accepted by the Filipinos, becoming the foundation of their existence under occupation, considering that the Japanese, early on, decreed that anyone caught with the currency would be shot on the spot.

Front: The seal of the Philippines in green. All notes carry the signature of Florentino Saguin, as Chairman of the Board with F.D. Pacana and I. Barbasa as Members.

Back: The larger denominations bear both English and Tagalog text on the reverse.

Watermark: None

Printer: Local Printing Press Philippines

Varieties
a. No Series letter. Serial # 00,001 to 99,000
b. Series R. Serial # 00,001 to 25,700
c. Series R5. Serial # 25,701 to 99,100
d. Series R5A. Serial # 00,001 to 70,300
x. Counterfeit. Series (italic) R5A.

Catalog Value:

Philippines S525 5 Pesos

2011-12-29T18:10:00.000-08:00

Pick: S525
Date: 1944
Colour: Black with red print.

Philippines S525a 1944 5 Pesos

Mindanao Currency Board notes were created out of a desire to have a uniform currency for the entire island. Upon the printing of the first Mindanao Emergency Currency Board issue, the relatively few notes previously issued by Lanao and Misamis Occidental provincial officials were withdrawn. This is the second issue of Mindanao Emergency Currency Board notes. Second issue
notes bear dates of 1943, 1944 or 1945 reflecting the year in which they were released to circulation. Second issue notes were the product of Sam Wilson's mint, known as the “hit-and-run mint”, since the makers were constantly on the move to avoid confiscation, capture and death at the hands of the Japanese. It is amazing that this currency was so widely accepted by the Filipinos, becoming the foundation of their existence under occupation, considering that the Japanese, early on, decreed that anyone caught with the currency would be shot on the spot.

Front: The seal of the Philippines in red. All notes carry the signature of Florentino Saguin, as Chairman of the Board with F.D. Pacana and I. Barbasa as Members.

Back: The larger denominations bear both English and Tagalog text on the reverse.

Watermark: None

Printer: Local Printing Press Philippines

Varieties
a. No Series letter. Type I and Type II mixed in serial # 00,001 to 69,000
b. Series 5. Type I and Type II mixed in serial # 69,000 to 99,000
c. Series 7. Serial # 00,001 to 07,100

Catalog Value:

Philippines S496 2 Pesos

2011-12-29T18:03:00.000-08:00

Pick: S496
Date: 1943
Colour: Black with red print.

Mindanao Currency Board notes were created out of a desire to have a uniform currency for the entire island. Upon the printing of the first Mindanao Emergency Currency Board issue, the relatively few notes previously issued by Lanao and Misamis Occidental provincial officials were withdrawn. This is the second issue of Mindanao Emergency Currency Board notes. Second issue
notes bear dates of 1943, 1944 or 1945 reflecting the year in which they were released to circulation. Second issue notes were the product of Sam Wilson's mint, known as the “hit-and-run mint”, since the makers were constantly on the move to avoid confiscation, capture and death at the hands of the Japanese. It is amazing that this currency was so widely accepted by the Filipinos, becoming the foundation of their existence under occupation, considering that the Japanese, early on, decreed that anyone caught with the currency would be shot on the spot.

Front: The seal of the Philippines in red. All notes carry the signature of Florentino Saguin, as Chairman of the Board with F.D. Pacana and I. Barbasa as Members.

Back: The larger denominations bear both English and Tagalog text on the reverse.

Watermark: None

Printer: Local Printing Press Philippines

Catalog Value:

Peru P181 100 Nuevos Soles

2011-12-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

Pick: P180
Date: 21.12.2006
Colour: Black, blue-black, red-violet and green on multicolor underprint

Peru 2006 181 - Date 21 December 2006

Front: Arch of the Alto de la Alianza at center, Jorge Basadre Grohmann at right, arms at upper right. The Arch of the Alto is monument to the heroes of the War of the Pacific between Peru and Chile. It is a national monument in Tacna, in southern Peru on the border with Chile.

Tacna's main plaza, Plaza de Armas, which is studded with palm trees and large pergolas topped by bizarre mushroom-like bushes, is a popular meeting place and has a patriotic flag-raising ceremony every Sunday morning. It is flanked by larger-than-life bronze statues of Admiral Grau and Colonel Bolognesi.

Jorge Basadra Grohmann (February 12, 1903 – June 29, 1980) was a Peruvian historian who wrote extensively about the independent history of Peru. He served as Minister of Education and was director of the The Biblioteca Nacional del Perú. He was born in Tacna.

Back: The Biblioteca Nacional del Perú is the national library of Peru, located in Lima. It is the country's oldest and most important library. Like the majority of Peruvian libraries, it is a non-circulating library.

Watermark: Jorge Basadre Grohman

Printer: Bunddesdruckerei

Varieties
a. 21.12.2006

Catalog Value: $67.00 UNC

Peru P180 50 Nuevos Soles

2011-12-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

Pick: P180
Date: 11.8.2005, 21.12.2006
Colour: Red brown, blue violet and black on multicolor

Peru 2006 180b - Date 21 December 2006

Front: Building at center. Abraham Valdelomar at right, arms at upper right.

Back: Laguna de Huacachina. Laguna de Huacachina is a small natural lake in the desert near the village of Huacachina in the Ica Region, in southwestern Peru.

Watermark: Abraham Valdelomar

Printer: Bunddesdruckerei

Varieties
a. 11.8.2005
*b. 21.12.2006

* Not listed in Krause Catalog

Catalog Value: $35.75 UNC

Peru P176 20 Nuevos Soles

2011-12-28T16:55:00.000-08:00

Pick: P176
Date: 27.9.2001, 28.10.2004, 21.12.2006
Colour: Black, brown and orange on multicolor underprint.

Peru 2006 176c - Date 21 December 2006

Front: Patio of San Marcos University at center. Raul Porras Barrenechea at right, arms at upper right.

Back: Palace of Torre Tagle at left center. The Torre Tagle Palace is a Spanish Baroque palace located at Jr. Ucayali 363, in downtown Lima, Peru, a couple blocks east of the Plaza de Armas. The palace currently is home to the Peruvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The palace was commissioned in 1715 (some say 1730) by Don Jose Bernardo de Tagle y Bracho: 1st Marqués of Torre Tagle, who at the time was treasurer of the Royal Spanish fleet, for his own personal use as his home.

Watermark: Raul Porras Barrenechea

Printer: François-Charles Oberthür

Varieties
a. 27.9.2001
b. 28.10.2004
*c. 21.12.2006

* Not listed in Krause Catalog

Catalog Value: $15.00 UNC

Peru P179 10 Nuevos Soles

2011-12-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

Pick: P179
Date: 11.8.2005, 21.12.2006
Colour: Dark green and blue-green on multicolor underprint.

P179a - Date 11 August 2005

P179B - Date 21 December 2006

Two examples of money exchange stamps on the back of Peruvian 10 New Soles notes. The stamps indicate that the note has been check to be genuine.

Since 2009 the South American nation of Peru has become the new number one nation in the world to export the most counterfeit banknotes. Counterfeiters has managed to make very good fake US and Peruvian currency. They have even been able to print watermarks in a light gray which when held up to light looks like a real watermark.

All cashiers and customers checks their banknotes before accepting them. Damaged, soiled or banknotes with writing will not be accepted. Some money exchange places stamp the back of their genuine banknotes before distribution.

This note is similar to P174 but without colored planchettes.

Front: WW II era fighter plane as monument at upper center, José Abelardo Quiñones at right, arms at upper right, statue of a North American NA-50 simple single seat, low-wing, single engine fighter. José Abelardo Quiñones Gonzáles (April 22, 1914 – July 23, 1941) was a Peruvian military aviator and national aviation hero. He died crashing his plane in a kamikaze attack during the Battle of Zarumilla in the Ecuadorian-Peruvian war.

Back: A Boeing-Stearman Model 75 a biplane used as a military trainer aircraft in the 1940s. The biplane is inverted signifying the pilot's death.

Watermark: José Abelardo Quiñones

Printer: François-Charles Oberthür

Varieties
a. 11.8.2005
*b. 21.12.2006

* Not listed in Krause Catalog

Catalog Value: $8.00 UNC

Banknotes For Sale

2011-12-27T15:22:00.001-08:00

The following is a list of duplicate notes that are for sale.

All notes are graded according to international standard. 7-day return privilege. Shipping costs are non refundable and return shipping is at buyers expense.

I accept PayPal, Cash (you will get a 10% discount for UNC foreign currency at current exchange rate, otherwise USD or CND), Canadian Cheques (must wait till it clears usually 5 business days).

Shipping:
Regular Letter Post Canada: $2
Regular International Post: $3
Registered Letter Post: $18
All purchases $100 or more must be sent by registered post.

I have been buying/trading/selling banknotes for over 15 years by mail and on Ebay. I am a contributor to Banknote News and The Banknote Book.

Email: dmahalin@gmail.com

Country	Pick #	Year	Note	Cond.	Price	Comment
Ceylon	78	1970	100 Rupees	F+	$25.00	Date: 1970-10-26 Small writing on front

Fake Canadian Money

2011-12-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

Here are some images of fake Canadian currency. In Canada it is a criminal offence to make, use or possess a counterfeit bank note. You are not permitted to keep a counterfeit note even for the purposes of training or instruction. Any suspect note must be given to the police.

Canada P102 10 Dollars - The banknote on the bottom is the counterfeit. The one is the top is genuine. Notice that the font on the serial number of the fake is smaller than the real note. Also the AAX prefix does not exist. These notes are the pre-security upgraded issues. Counterfeiters in Canada began counterfeiting smaller denomination notes because larger denomination notes were no longer being accepted by retailers. Most retailers do not accept $100 notes.

Canada P102A 10 Dollars - The banknote on the top is the counterfeit. The large holographic thread on the front does not colour shift. The smaller security thread on the back is missing. The font on the serial number is also different.

Canada P103 20 Dollars - Two counterfeit 20 dollar notes. The $20 note is the mostly widely used banknote in Canada. It is also the most counterfeited note. Both counterfeit notes are of very good quality. However the watermark is missing and as shown in the photographs the broken "20" should align when held up light. This feature is very difficult to counterfeit and most counterfeit notes will fail this security check.

The pictures shown here are courtesy of the members of Canadian Paper Money Forum.

RBI to issue Rs 500 note with Rupee symbol

2011-12-26T15:29:00.000-08:00

Press Trust of India, 26 Dec 2011

The Reserve Bank will shortly issue Rs 500 notes which will have the rupee symbol. The Rs 500 notes will be of the Mahatma Gandhi-2005 Series bearing the signature of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor D Subbarao and with the year of printing mentioned on the back of the banknote, the apex bank said in a statement.

The Reserve Bank will shortly issue Rs 500 notes which will have the rupee symbol. The Rs 500 notes will be of the Mahatma Gandhi-2005 Series bearing the signature of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor D Subbarao and with the year of printing mentioned on the back of the banknote, the apex bank said in a statement.

The design of the notes to be issued is similar in all respects to the existing Rs 500 in Mahatma Gandhi Series-2005 issued earlier, except for the rupee symbol.

However, all the banknotes in the denomination of Rs 500 issued by the RBI in the past will continue to be legal tender.

Last month, the RBI had announced that it will soon introduce notes of Rs 1,000, Rs 100 and Rs 10 denomination featuring the rupee symbol.

The Indian rupee got an unique symbol -- a blend of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R' -- last year, joining currencies like the US dollar, euro, British pound and Japanese yen in having a distinct identity.

The new symbol, designed by Bombay IIT post-graduate D Udaya Kumar, was approved in July 2010.

Tamil Banknotes of Singapore

2011-12-24T16:39:00.001-08:00

The Tamil language is featured on the banknotes of 4 countries; India, Mauritius, Singapore and Sri Lanka (Ceylon). It an official language in Singapore. India, and Sri Lanka have large Tamil populations. Mauritius has a founding Tamil population.

Tamil Banknotes of Singapore

This notes are missing from my collection. I am always looking to acquire these notes to complete my collection. Please contact me.

All banknotes issued in Singapore have Tamil writing since Tamil is an official language.

Banknote: 1 Dollar
Date: 1967
Pick: 1a
Description: Singapore 1967 1a Front.JPG

Banknote: 1 Dollar
Date: 1970
Pick: 1b
Description: Singapore 1970 1b Front.JPG

Banknote: 1 Dollar
Date: 1971
Pick: 1c
Description: Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen

Banknote: 1 Dollar
Date: 1972
Pick: 1d
Description: Singapore 1972 1d Front.JPG

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 1967
Pick: 2a
Description: Singapore 1967 2a Front.JPG

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 1970
Pick: 2b
Description: Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 1972
Pick: 2c
Description: Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 1973
Pick: 2d
Description: Singapore 1967 2d Front.JPG

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date: 1967
Pick: 3a
Description: Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date: 1970
Pick: 3b
Description: Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date: 1972
Pick: 3c
Description: Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date: 1973
Pick: 3d
Description: Singapore 1973 3d Front.JPG

Banknote: 25 Dollars
Date: 1972
Pick: 4
Description: Singapore 1972 4 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1967
Pick: 5a
Description: Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1979
Pick: 5b
Description: Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1972
Pick: 5c
Description: Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1973
Pick: 5d
Description: Singapore 1973 5d Front.JPG

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date: 1967
Pick: 6a
Description: Without red seal. Signature Lim Kim San

Banknote:         100   Dollars
Date:1979
Pick:6b
Description: Red signature seal Type I at center. Signature Dr. Goh Keng

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date:1972
Pick:6c
Description: Without red seal. Signature Hon Sui Sen

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date:1973
Pick:6d
Description: Singapore 1973 6d Front.JPG

Banknote: 500 Dollars
Date: 1972
Pick: 7
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 1967
Pick: 8a
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 1970
Pick: 8b
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 1973
Pick: 8c
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 1975
Pick:8d
Description:

Banknote: 10000 Dollars
Date:1973
Pick:8A
Description:

Banknote: 1 Dollars
Date:1976
Pick: 9
Description: Singapore 1976 9 Front.JPG

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 1976
Pick: 10
Description: Singapore 1976 10 Front.JPG

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date: 1979
Pick: 11a
Description: Singapore 1976 11a Front.JPG

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date: 1980
Pick: 11b
Description: With segmented foil over security thread

Banknote: 20 Dollars
Date: 1979
Pick: 12
Description:Singapore 1979 12 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1976
Pick: 13a
Description:

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1976
Pick: 13b
Description: With segmented foil over security thread

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date: 1977
Pick: 14
Description:

Banknote: 500 Dollars
Date: 1977
Pick: 15
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 1978
Pick: 16
Description:

Banknote: 10000 Dollars
Date: 1980
Pick: 17
Description:

Banknote: 1 Dollar
Date: 1984
Pick: 18a
Description:Singapore 1984 18a Front.JPG

Banknote: 1 Dollar
Date: 1987
Pick: 18b
Description: Singapore 1987 18b Front.JPG

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 1989
Pick: 19
Description:

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date: 1988
Pick: 20
Description: Singapore 1988 20 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1987
Pick: 22a
Description: With security thread

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1987
Pick: 22b
Description: With segmented foil over security thread

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date: 1985
Pick: 23a
Description: With security thread. Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date: 1995
Pick: 23b
Description: With segmented foil over "Cleartext" security thread

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date: 1995
Pick: 23c
Description: As b. signature Hu Tsu Tau.

Banknote: 500 Dollars
Date: 1998
Pick: 24
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 1984
Pick: 25a
Description: Signature Dr. Goh Keng Swee

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 1984
Pick: 25b
Description: Signature Dr. Hu Tsu Tau.

Banknote: 10000 Dollars
Date: 1987
Pick: 26
Description:

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date:1990
Pick:27
Description:Singapore 1990 27 Front.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date:1990
Pick:28
Description:Singapore 1990 28 Front x2.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date:1992
Pick:29a
Description:Issued note.

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date:1992
Pick:29x
Description:Without overprint text: COMMISSONERS (error).

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date:1990
Pick:30
Description: 25th Anniversary of Independence date 9.8.1990

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date:1990
Pick:31
Description:Singapore 1990 31 Front.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date:1994
Pick:31A
Description: Red overprint logo of the Board at left beneath arms on #28

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1994
Pick: 32
Description:

Banknote: 25 Dollars
Date: 1996
Pick: 33
Description: Singapore 1996 33 Front.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 1997
Pick: 34
Description:

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date:1997
Pick:35
Description:Singapore 1997 35 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date:1997
Pick:36
Description:

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 1998
Pick: 37
Description: Ascending size serial number. Printer: BABN.

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 1999
Pick: 38a
Description: Singapore 1999 38a Front.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date:1999
Pick:38b
Description:Singapore 1999 38 Front.JPG

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date:1999
Pick:39
Description: Singapore 1999 39 Front.JPG

Banknote: 10 Dollars
Date:1999
Pick:40
Description: Singapore 1999 40 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date:1999
Pick:41a
Description: Sign Hu Hun Tan

Banknote: 50 Dollars
Date: 1999
Pick: 41b
Description: Signature Lee Hsieh Loong.

Banknote: 100 Dollars
Date: 1999
Pick:42
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date:1999
Pick:43
Description:

Banknote: 10000 Dollars
Date: 1999
Pick:44
Description:

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 2000
Pick: 45
Description: Singapore 2000 45 Front.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 2006
Pick: 46
Description: Singapore 2005 46 Front.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 2005
Pick: 46
Description: Singapore 2005 46 One Square Front.JPG

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 2005
Pick: 46
Description: 2 Square

Banknote: 2 Dollars
Date: 2005
Pick: 46
Description: 1 Triangle

Banknote:         2   Dollars
Date: 2005
Pick: 46
Description: 2 Triangle

Banknote:         5   Dollars
Date: 2005
Pick: 47
Description: Singapore 2005 47 Front.JPG

Banknote:         10   Dollars
Date: 2005
Pick: 48
Description: Singapore 2005 48 Front.JPG

Banknote:         10   Dollars
Date: 2005
Pick: 48
Description: 10 Dollars 1 Square

Banknote: 48   2005   10   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: 10 Dollars 2 Squares

Banknote: 48   2005   10   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: 10 Dollars 1 Triangle

Banknote: 48   2005   10   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: 10 Dollars 2 Triangles

Banknote: 49   2005   50   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: Singapore 2005 49 Front.JPG

Banknote:     2005   50   Dollars
Date:
Pick: 49
Description: 50 Dollars 1 Square

Banknote: 49   2005   50   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: 50 Dollars 2 Squares

Banknote: 50   2009   100   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: No Symbol

Banknote: 50   2009   100   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: 100 Dollars 1 Square

Banknote: 50   2009   100   Dollars
Date:
Pick:
Description: 2 Squares

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 2009
Pick: 51
Description: No Symbol

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 2009
Pick: 51
Description: 1 Diamond

Banknote: 1000 Dollars
Date: 2009
Pick: 51
Description: 2 Triangles

Banknote: 10000 Dollars
Date: 2009
Pick: 52
Description: No Symbol

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 2007
Pick: New
Description: Singapore 2007 New (5 Dollars) Front.JPG

Banknote: 5 Dollars
Date: 2007
Pick: New
Description: 1 Square

Tamil Banknotes of Mauritius

2011-12-23T15:04:00.000-08:00

The Tamil language is featured on the banknotes of 4 countries; India, Mauritius, Singapore and Sri Lanka (Ceylon). It an official language in Singapore. India, and Sri Lanka have large Tamil populations. Mauritius has a founding Tamil population.

Tamil Banknotes of Mauritius

Mauritius an island nation off the southeast coast of Africa in the southwest Indian Ocean. It is located about 900 kilometres east of Madagascar. The area of Mauritius is 2040 km²; its capital city is Port Louis. The Tamil language was introduced on Mauritius's banknotes in 1876.

This notes are missing from my collection. I am always looking to acquire these notes to complete my collection. Please contact me.

The banknotes listed as P1-12 and P24-25 do not have any Tamil writing. They are not included on this list. P1-9 were issued by the Currency Commissioners of Mauritius from 1848-49. P10-12 were issued by the Government of Mauritius from 1860-66. P24-25 were uniface World War II issues.

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1876
Pick: P13a
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 23.10.1878
Pick: P13a
Description:

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1.10.1877
Pick: 14
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1.12.1876
Pick: 15
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1.10.1914-1.10.1930
Pick: 16
Description:

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1.10.1914-1.10.1930
Pick: 17
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 19.10.1907
Pick: 18
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1.1.1920
Pick: 18
Description:

Banknote: 1 Rupees
Date: 1.7.1919
Pick: 19
Description:

Banknote: 1 Rupees
Date: 1.7.1928
Pick: 19
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1930
Pick: 20
Description:

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1930
Pick: 21
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1937
Pick: 22
Description:

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1937
Pick: 23a
Description: Portrait in brown

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1937
Pick: 23b
Description: Portrait in green

Banknote: 1 Rupee
Date: 1940
Pick: 26
Description:

Banknote: 1 Rupee
Date: 27.3.1942
Pick: 26A
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1954
Pick: 27
Description:

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1954
Pick: 28
Description:

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 1954
Pick: 29
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Rupees
Date: 1954
Pick: 29A
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 30a
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 30b
Description:

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 30c
Description: Mauritius 1967 30c Front.JPG

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 31a
Description:

Banknote:10 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 31b
Description: Mauritius 1967 31b Front.JPG

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 31c
Description:

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 32a
Description:

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 32b
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 33a
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 33b
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1967
Pick: 33c
Description: Mauritius 33c Front.JPG

Banknote: 5 Rupees
Date: 1985
Pick: 34
Description: Mauritius ND 1985 34 Front.JPG

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1985
Pick: 35a
Description:

Banknote: 10 Rupees
Date: 1985
Pick: 35b
Description: Mauritius 35b Front.JPG

Banknote: 20 Rupees
Date: ND
Pick: 36
Description: Mauritius ND 36 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1986
Pick: 37
Description: Mauritius 1986 37 Front.JPG

Banknote: 100 Rupees
Date: 1986
Pick: 38
Description: Mauritius 1986 38 Front.JPG

Banknote: 200 Rupees
Date: 1985
Pick: 39a
Description: Mauritius 1985 39 Front.JPG

Banknote: 200 Rupees
Date: 1985
Pick: 39b
Description: Green UV latent printing

Banknote: 500 Rupees
Date: 1988
Pick: 40a
Description: Orange UV latent printing

Banknote: 500 Rupees
Date: 1988
Pick: 40b
Description: Green UV latent printing

Banknote: 1000 Rupees
Date: 1991
Pick: 41
Description:

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 1998
Pick: 42
Description: Mauritius 42 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Rupees

Date: 1998

Pick: 43

Description: Mauritius 1998 43 Front.JPG

Banknote: 100 Rupees
Date: 1988
Pick: 44
Description:

Banknote: 200 Rupees
Date: 1998
Pick: 45
Description: Mauritius 1998 45 Front.JPG

Banknote: 500 Rupees
Date: 1998
Pick: 46
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Rupees
Date: 1998
Pick: 47
Description:

Banknote: 2000 Rupees
Date: 1998
Pick: 48
Description:

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 1999
Pick: 49
Description: Mauritius 1999 49 Front.JPG

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 2003
Pick: 49
Description: Mauritius 2003 49 Front.JPG

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 2006
Pick: 49
Description: Mauritius 2006 49 Front.JPG

Banknote: 25 Rupees
Date: 2009
Pick: 49
Description: Mauritius 2009 49c Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1999
Pick: 50a
Description: Mauritius 1999 50a Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 2001
Pick: 50b
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 2003
Pick: 50c
Description: Mauritius 2003 50 Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 2006
Pick: 50d
Description: Mauritius 2006 50d Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 2009
Pick: 50e
Description: Mauritius 2009 50e Front.JPG

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 1999
Pick: 51a
Description:

Banknote: 50 Rupees
Date: 2001
Pick: 51b
Description:

Banknote: 100 Rupees
Date: 2007
Pick: 51
Description: Mauritius 2007 New (100 Rupees) Front.JPG

Banknote: 100 Rupees
Date: 2009
Pick: 51
Description: Mauritius 2009 51c Front.JPG

Banknote: 200 Rupees
Date: 1999
Pick: 52a
Description:

Banknote: 200 Rupees
Date: 2001
Pick: 52b
Description:

Banknote: 200 Rupees
Date: 2007
Pick: 52
Description: Mauritius 2007 New (200 Rupees) Front.JPG

Banknote: 500 Rupees
Date: 1999
Pick: 53a
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Rupees
Date: 1999
Pick: 54a
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Rupees
Date: 2001
Pick: 54b
Description:

Banknote: 2000 Rupees
Date: 1999
Pick:55
Description:

Banknote: 100 Rupees
Date: 2001
Pick: 56
Description:

Banknote: 200 Rupees
Date: 2001
Pick: 57
Description:

Banknote: 500 Rupees
Date: 2003
Pick:58
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Rupees
Date: 2003
Pick: 59a
Description:

Banknote: 1000 Rupees
Date: 2007
Pick: 59b
Description:

Banknote: 2000 Rupees
Date: 2003
Pick: 60
Description:

Canada P101 5 Dollars

2011-12-21T16:20:00.000-08:00

Pick: P101
Date: 2002
Colour: Blue and tan-yellow.

Canadian Journey Series.

Front: Sir Wilfrid Laurier at left, west block of Parliament at center. Colour shifting three maple leaves optical security device. Background Canadian flag. Large 5.

Back: Winter sports - children skating, tobogganing, and playing hockey

Watermark: Sir Wilfrid Laurier

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc.

Size: 137 × 74 mm

Varieties

a. (BC-62a) Signature Knight-Dodge. Printed 2001
*b. (BC-62a) Signature Knight-Dodge. Printed 2003
*c. (BC-62b) Signature Jenkins-Dodge. Printed 2004
*d. (BC-62b) Signature Jenkins-Dodge. Printed 2005

* Not listed in Krause catalog.

Catalog Value:
a. $10 - UNC, $5 - VF
b. $10 - UNC, $5 - VF
c. $8 - UNC, $5 - VF
d. $8 - UNC, $5 - VF

Canada P102 10 Dollars

2011-12-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

Pick: P102
Date: 2001
Colour: Purple and tan on multicolor underprint

Canadian Journey Series.

Front: Sir John A. Macdonald at left, the Royal Arms of Canada, and a picture of the Parliament Library at center.

Back: Veteran and children at memorial at right, peacekeeper with binoculars at center, poppies and doves.

Watermark: Sir John A. Macdonald

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc.

Size: 137 × 74 mm

Varieties

a. Signature Knight-Thiessen

b. Signature Jenkins / Dodge

Catalog Value:
a.

Canada P102A 10 Dollars

2011-12-20T16:37:00.000-08:00

Pick: P102A
Date: 2005
Colour: Purple and tan on multicolor underprint

Canadian Journey Series.

Front: Sir John A. Macdonald at left, the Royal Arms of Canada, and a picture of the Parliament Library at center. The front also has a holographic strip on the left side with the number 10 alternated with maple leaves.

Back: Veteran and children at memorial at right, peacekeeper with binoculars at center, poppies and doves.

Watermark: Sir John A. Macdonald

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc.

Size: 137 × 74 mm

Varieties

a. Signature Jenkins / Dodge

*b. Signature Jenkins / Carney

* Not listed in Krause Catalog

Catalog Value:
a.

Error Notes: There was a major error in these series of notes which was discovered in Nov 2009. An unknown numbers of these $10 notes were printed on paper which had been watermarked for the $20 note. These error $10 notes also had the $20 holographic strip on the front left.

These notes were found in prefixes BTT and BTU. Whiles these notes remain legal tender and have a legal value of $10, this error resulted in the Bank of Canada recalling all BTT and BTU prefixes and destroying them.

Collectors have compiled a list of notes that have been found in circulation.

Journey $10 Printed on $20 Paper Error Notes

The following is a registry of known $10 notes with prefix BTT and BTU that are printed on $20 paper.

Prefix	Serial	Signatures	Owner/Location	Date	Condition
BTT	3261389	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Nov. 2009
BTT	3265396	Jenkins/Dodge	eBay (karie_12 )	Jul. 2011
BTT	3269387	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTT	3279415	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jan. 2010
BTT	3957391	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Apr. 2010
BTT	6593329	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jul. 2009
BTT	6599337	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTT	9483602	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jan. 2010
BTT	9518608	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Oct. 2009
BTT	9680089	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTT	9681084	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Nov. 2009
BTT	9685090	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jan. 2010
BTT	9690091	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTT	9692060	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jan. 2010
BTT	9694321	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Sep. 2009
BTT	9699083	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTT	9700067	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTT	9701092	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTT	9708050	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Dec. 2011	F
BTT	9708306	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Apr. 2009
BTT	9709103	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Nov. 2009
BTT	9715317	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jul. 2009

BTU	0281760	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jun. 2009
BTU	2169168	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTU	2171139	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTU	2174133	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Dec. 2009
BTU	2180139	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTU	2181142	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Dec. 2009
BTU	2181158	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Oct. 2009
BTU	2184119	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Aug. 2009
BTU	2186143	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	May. 2009
BTU	2186178	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	May. 2009
BTU	2189148	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Apr. 2010
BTU	2190162	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Apr. 2009
BTU	2190174	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jan. 2010
BTU	2194161	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jun. 2009
BTU	2199159	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Nov. 2009
BTU	2630122	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Mar. 2010
BTU	2632123	Jenkins/Dodge	Private Collection	Jul. 2009

New banknote security hologram wins industry award

2011-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

November 23, 2011

Hologram Industries’ Diffractive Identify Device (DID) Patch on Philippines’ banknotes has been awarded the ‘Best Applied Security Product’ at the International Hologram Manufacturers Association’s (IHMA) Excellence in Holography Awards 2011.

The application reflected the exceptional use of a hologram to authenticate a document or product and is the first time a DID patch has been used on banknotes.

The DID shows a clear color switch as it is rotated through 90 degrees. It is suitable for security documents – including banknotes which require public examination – because it is complex to produce but easy to authenticate. The patch also incorporates a polarizing component as a second-level security feature as well as a forensic analysis feature.

InkSure, USA, and Demax, Bulgaria, were both commended in the same category for their car document authentication for the Bulgarian Road Infrastructure Agency. The Kavach Division of PRS Permacel, India was also commended for its West Bengal State Electricity Board meter seal.

The awards were presented at Holopack•Holo-print, The Holography Conference, in Las Vegas, Nevada in November. Presenting the awards, IHMA chairman, Adam Scheer, said on behalf of the board: ‘The awards celebrate the very best in holographic achievement and the many remarkable innovations the industry introduces each year.

‘The winners’ work reflects the creativity, design excellence and quality which were the hallmarks of this year’s crop of entries, reflecting how holography continues to push forward the holographic boundaries technically and commercially.’

The full list of this year’s awards and commendations for outstanding projects is available at www.ihma.org.

BAI Canadian bank note printer plans layoffs with introduction of new polymer notes

2011-12-04T07:40:00.000-08:00

CBC News
Posted: Dec 1, 2011 1:33 PM ET

A 145-year-old Ottawa printing company plans to layoff most of its 190 employees, CBC News has learned, as it scales back bank note operations.

BA International, which has existed in Ottawa since 1866, announced Thursday morning they plan to start layoffs in June 2012 and gradually let people go until the end of the year.

The Munich, Germany-based parent company, Gieseke & Devrient, said it is restructuring its bank note printing. BA International currently produces currency including bank notes.

"As a result of changing conditions in the local Canadian bank note market, BA International will cease printing bank notes for the Canadian and international market at the end of 2012," the statement read.

"The introduction of polymer bank notes in Canada significantly changes the local bank note market. Given that these notes are expected to last longer, the requirement to reprint bank notes is expected to drop from 2013 onwards," it continued.

However, the Bank of Canada and BA International have both confirmed to CBC News they are working together to save from 30 to 40 of the 190 jobs in Ottawa. The plan would include BA International performing additional services for the Bank of Canada.
Union angry over pre-Christmas announcement

The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada Local 588g, one of four unions that represents workers in the Gladstone Avenue office, released a statement condemning the timing of the layoffs.

“I’m shocked that this company would choose a few weeks before Christmas to tell their 190 employees that come June 2012 they would be out of a job," said CEP 588g president Rob Currier, “They’re playing scrooge with the lives and families of those affected."

The other three unions involved are the Teamsters, the Amalgamated Transit Union and the Machinists Union.

The CEP 588g said the average length of employment for employees it represents at the Ottawa location is 32 years. BA International's parent company said the average length for all of its employees is 17 years.

The unions added they are going to meet at the Ottawa plant to plan the next step, which could include job actions.

Funny money: How counterfeiting led to a major overhaul of Canada’s money

2011-12-03T05:24:00.000-08:00

BANKING REPORTER— Globe and Mail Update

Published Saturday, Dec. 03, 2011

In the fall of 2004, a Brinks truck loaded with cash was rumbling down highway 416 south of Ottawa, picking up bank deposits from stores and restaurants along the way, when the driver noticed something troubling in his rearview mirror. It was a grey Hyundai.

As the Brinks driver glanced behind him, he couldn’t help but notice it was the same car he and his partner had seen at he last two gas stations. And the Tim Horton’s before that. And the McDonald’s before that. Something wasn’t right.

When police stopped the car several minutes later, they expected to find an armed robber. What they discovered instead was just as unsettling – stacks of near-perfect counterfeits of the Canadian $20 bill. Better forgeries than had ever been seen before.

The two men inside the car were on a mission of their own that day. At each stop along the highway, they used the counterfeit cash to buy small items – a coffee, a package of gum – and pocketed legitimate money as change, amassing a small fortune as they went. This is how counterfeit money is typically laundered.

What police didn’t know at the time was that they weren’t just looking at a pair of small-time forgers. They were getting their first glimpse of the largest counterfeiting ring this country has ever seen, a group responsible for passing more than $11-million worth of known fake $20 bills, and many more that were never discovered and are still circulating in wallets and cash registers across the country.

It was a dream bust for police. But it led to a disturbing revelation inside the Bank of Canada: The central bank was losing the war on counterfeiting.

Canada’s paper money, with its rainbow of colours and picturesque drawings, had become one of the most forged currencies in the G20, a group of the world’s biggest economies – ranking behind countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Italy, France and Spain for the number of counterfeit notes detected in circulation. For every one million legitimate banknotes out there, Canada was finding 470 counterfeits.

While that figure seems small – representing less than 1 per cent of bills in circulation – it was almost 10 times what countries in the G20 consider acceptable, since small amounts of counterfeits are typically symptomatic of a much bigger problem.

That grey Hyundai set in motion a chain of events that would ultimately lead Canada to undertake one of the most dramatic overhauls of its physical currency in decades.

It is a revamp of Canadian money that begins now and will last for the next two years, as the country’s first polymer banknotes – made of thin pieces of plastic rather than paper – are put into circulation. The first denomination to get the makeover is the $100 bill, which began circulating a few weeks ago, followed by the $50 note in March and smaller denominations in 2013.

The efforts to replace Canada’s paper money with polymer notes is rooted in a theory that has been around as long as currency itself: If you can limit access to the material the banknotes are made out of – known as the substrate – you can choke off counterfeiting. To ensure the integrity of its new banknotes, the plastic material for Canada’s revamped money will come from a tightly controlled recipe for polymer developed in Australia.

The $100 bill is a fitting place to start, since it has been targeted so consistently by counterfeiters over the past decade. Businesses such as the Wendy’s hamburger chain and several national gas stations now post signs saying they no longer accept that denomination.

This threat to hard currency comes at a time when electronic payments such as credit and debit cards are eating away at the need to carry cash. But even as digital transactions proliferate, more than half of all retail transactions in Canada are still conducted with paper money, suggesting cash won’t be rendered extinct any time soon.

The remake of Canada’s money, at a cost of nearly $300-million, will be the biggest and most expensive change to the national currency since multicoloured bills replaced monotone banknotes in 1969.

It’s a crucial change: Counterfeiting undermines the credibility of a currency and the confidence people have in it. Since the last person holding a counterfeit is the one who gets burned with the loss, forged bills have a direct impact on businesses and consumers, and the economy as a whole.

Despite the talk of technology and innovation that surrounds the new money, the makeover of Canadian banknotes is a project designed specifically to lower Canada’s counterfeiting rates – and keep them low.

This is the story behind the planned scrubbing of Canada’s money, the shift to polymer bills, and one unusual discovery by an Australian scientist that changed currency as we know it.

HOW COUNTERFEITTING BOOMED IN CANADA

The first time Wesley Weber forged a $100 bill, he scanned the image on his home computer, just to see what would happen.

It was late 2000, and the 25-year-old self-professed computer geek from Windsor, Ont., was flat broke and enchanted by the idea of being able to print money himself.

He focused his attention on the $100 bill from the Birds of Canada series – a brown banknote with a picture of a Canada Goose on the back – which was a challenge for most counterfeiters.

The series was first introduced in 1986 with the sole purpose of thwarting a new technology: the colour photocopier. The design made the notes difficult to reproduce by machine. Fine details in the face and hair of the Queen and former Prime Ministers depicted on the bills were too finicky for photocopiers to handle and appeared fuzzy in reproductions. A shiny gold metallic patch placed on each bill turned dark when replicated, further thwarting the forgers.

In 1990, only a few years after the Birds of Canada series was introduced, the country's counterfeit ratio – the proportion of counterfeit bills in the money supply – was admirably low.

Counterfeiting is measured using a system borrowed from chemistry known as parts per million (PPM). Normally used to judge the potency of molecules in a solution, PPM in the counterfeit sense refers to the number of fake banknotes found in circulation for every one million genuine notes. In 1990, Canada's counterfeit ratio was just 4 PPM, ranking its currency among the most secure in the world.

But the Bank of Canada made a crucial error. Amid tight budgets in Ottawa, the series was allowed to stick around longer than it should have. By the late 1990s, the rise of powerful and affordable home computers, store-bought graphics software, easy-to-use scanners and colour ink-jet printers were breeding a new generation of counterfeiters.

Fake bills started seeping into the monetary system in greater quantities. The number of fake Canadian bills rose as high as 117 PPM by 1997. Most G20 nations used 50 PPM as their benchmark to stay below.

Inside the Bank of Canada, there was growing concern. Though the number of fake bills in circulation was arguably microscopic compared to the 1.5 billion legitimate banknotes that circulate annually, the counterfeit ratio was becoming a black eye. Foreign banks were casting a skeptical eye on Canada’s currency.

“Let’s just say that colleagues of mine, internationally, recognized that we had to do something,” said Gerry Gaetz, chief of the Bank of Canada's currency department. “There was clearly organized groups in Canada targeting banknotes.”

In Windsor, Mr. Weber figured out that if he scanned the Canadian $100 bill on his computer, he could enlarge the image thousands of times the normal size. Using commercially available graphic-design software, he spent weeks correcting the fuzziness of the image, pixel by pixel, making the forgery sharper and more convincing.

Mr. Weber then began researching the best paper to use, shopping around for the right weight and colour to mimic the feel of money, which is made out of cotton fibre. He also needed paper that didn’t glow under UV light, another key trait of banknotes.

He settled on 24-pound Mohawk Super Fine soft-white stock with an eggshell finish – long a favourite of counterfeiters, according to Corporal Tim Laurence of the RCMP's Integrated Counterfeit Enforcement Team. Because a fake bill only needs to be passed once to profit the counterfeiter, it doesn’t need to be a perfect match; it just needs to be good enough. So the substrate – the material out of which the banknote is made – merely needs to resemble the real thing.

To forge the metallic patch on the bills, Mr. Weber found a supplier in New Jersey who sold foil that looked similar, which he stencilled onto each note. When police finally caught up to him at his rented cottage near Windsor in July, 2001, four HP DeskJet printers were in the middle of spitting out $233,000 worth of hundred dollar bills, three per page. The paper fluttered in the air as officers wrestled Mr. Weber to the floor. All told, police believe he produced more than $6-million in fake $100 bills that made it into circulation.

By the time of his arrest, Canada had 129 counterfeit banknotes for every one million legitimate bills in circulation, and the trend was not slowing. A Bank of Canada survey in 2002 found that 10 per cent of retailers were no longer accepting the $100 bill, to shield themselves from losses.

Mr. Weber represented a new problem for the Bank of Canada: the computer-savvy do-it-yourself counterfeiter. He proved that with enough ingenuity, millions of dollars could be printed illegally by only a few people working on equipment bought at Office Depot.

The year Mr. Weber was arrested, Canada introduced a new design for its money, known as the Canadian Journey series. The banknotes were again said to be the most advanced yet – and the most resistant to counterfeiting.

The bills, which depict scenes of Canadian culture such as hockey and Inuit carvings and are the ones widely circulated today, ushered in new security features aimed at beating the counterfeiters. Most noticeable is a shiny holographic stripe down one side of the bill that shimmers in the light. Less apparent is a ghostly image of the Queen or prime minister featured on the bill, which is watermarked into the paper. Hold the note up to the light, and the hidden face becomes visible.

In spite of these measures, Canada’s counterfeit numbers continued to climb. Currency designers had been working fast to create the new series, but technology was moving faster. Counterfeiters were able to get newer and better computers and printers. And there was no shortage of incentive.

The production and distribution of fake money works a lot like illegal drugs: A producer like Mr. Weber makes millions of forged bills and sells them at a wholesale rate to a distributor to put distance between himself and the laundering process.

A good counterfeit note will usually be sold in bulk at about 20 or 30 cents on the dollar. The buyer will then break it up into smaller parcels, and sell those for 40 cents on the dollar to runners, who will flip those bundles for 50 cents on the dollar. At that point the money reaches the last person in the chain, who will attempt to launder it by passing the banknotes at a store, usually in a hurried transaction, much like the two men in the Hyundai outside Ottawa were doing.

For counterfeiters, perhaps the biggest upside of fake cash is that the asset can be unloaded fast, unlike stolen goods. Paper money is the most liquid asset there is.

The Canadian Journey series turned out to be forged in even greater numbers than the Birds of Canada series it had replaced.

By the time the grey Hyundai was pulled over with a stack of fake Canadian Journey notes inside – complete with replica watermark and holographic strip – Canada’s counterfeit rate had ballooned to 470 PPM. That year alone, 552,692 forged banknotes were passed, a record number. Canada’s PPM level was as much as 100 times the ratio of some G20 countries.

Though most countries don’t make their PPM numbers public, a document released by the U.S. Secret Service in 2005 disclosed that the United States, which spends billions of dollars to fight counterfeiting each year, had a PPM rating of just 6.5. Even Mexico, which has battled serious counterfeiting problems of its own, was lower than Canada at 83 PPM.

That year, the Bank of Canada declared in an internal memo that counterfeiting levels were at “dangerous” levels. In search of a solution, Canada turned to the one country that seemed to have the problem in check better than anyone else: Australia.

HOW POLYMER MONEY WAS BORN

In 1966, David Solomon was a young chemist working on developing new kinds of paint for the Dulux company when he was invited to an emergency meeting of Australian scientists.

The country had just introduced its first dollar banknote that year, after severing ties with the British pound. The Australian Reserve Bank spent three years designing what it thought was the most secure currency possible, equipped with the best modern anti-counterfeiting technology of the day, including watermarks and raised ink printed on cotton-based “rag paper” that has since become the standard for money in places like Canada.

But within weeks, a flood of high-quality forgeries began to circulate. They were so convincing that authorities could barely distinguish them from the real ones, were it not for the fact that the counterfeiters had used the same serial number on each fake bill.

Even more problematic though, was that the forgeries had been made with paper bought at an ordinary office store. And since there was no problem mimicking the substrate, there was no telling how much fake money was out there. The hard-hit Australian $10 note soon became a pariah currency and was refused in stores across the country.

Unable to stop the flood of fake bills, the central bank convened physicists, chemists and psychologists to come up with a solution.

Mr. Solomon, the youngest scientist in the room, had a special interest in polymers – better known as plastics. He stayed quiet for most of the meeting, but to him the answer was simple: Money needed to be printed on material that couldn’t be easily replicated by forgers.

“Why don’t we use polymer?” Mr. Solomon said, using what he calls “a fancy word for plastic.”

The room fell silent, Mr. Solomon, now 81, recalls. Some people laughed. Plastic money?

Mr. Solomon was thinking like a scientist: His idea was to choose a substrate that was harder to obtain so that forgers wouldn’t be able to mimic it so easily. Control the substrate, he believed, and you can effectively control counterfeiting.

He was not the first to think of this. Throughout history, civilizations have tried and failed to control the basic material for currency. Facing a shortage of copper in the 13th century, when Chinese rulers introduced the first paper banknotes, they used wood from mulberry trees to make their money. To protect access to the paper, guards were stationed at mulberry forests. Counterfeiters and substrate thieves were punished by death.

In the 15th century, Aztecs used cocoa beans as currency. Three beans bought an avocado, 100 beans purchased a turkey. Since cocoa didn’t grow naturally in the arid Mexican mountains and had to be imported, the beans were believed to be rare enough for trading. However, counterfeiters soon figured out that eaten beans could be repurposed by filling the shells with brownish mud and mixing them with actual cocoa beans. The sudden proliferation of fake currency caused rampant inflation in the Aztec economy.

Polymer money relies on the same restriction of access to the base material. Making thin flexible plastic is hard, since it involves fusing microscopic fibres together. Create the plastic incorrectly and it will be brittle, or flimsy like a shopping bag and susceptible to tearing. A common method for an Australian bank teller to test a polymer banknote is to snap it quickly – as though pulling it apart by the edges. If it rips in two, it’s a counterfeit.

Back in 1966, though, Mr. Solomon needed a way to prove that his crazy idea could work. He began making plastic money himself. In an empty shed, he set up a crude printing shop and began churning out polymer-based notes that looked exactly like real Australian money, except for the fictitious denomination: He used $7, just in case any test-money went missing.

“We made 50 million banknotes in the back of that shed,” Mr. Solomon says. “We had to convince people that they would stand up to the wear and the handling of a banknote.”

Testing new kinds of money isn’t easy, because you can’t put the bills into circulation. Mr. Solomon and his team researched the chemical composition of sweat and body oils and began counterfeiting those too. He put bags of the plastic money through endless trials, tumbling them in a bin like clothes in a dryer to see what would happen.

As it turned out, the bills were not only difficult to counterfeit, they were also more durable, lasting at least 2½-times longer than a paper bill. His tests also answered an important question for the police: Could they still lift fingerprints off the notes? The answer was yes.

The Australian Reserve Bank decided to convert the entire money supply to polymer notes, making it the first country to take such a leap. The first bills emerged in 1988. Mr. Solomon called his invention plastic money, but the government thought that sounded questionable. “The bank had a prejudice against plastic. They considered it cheap and nasty,” he said. So the official name became polymer.

As Mr. Solomon printed his bills, though, he stumbled on a remarkable discovery. The banknotes were made by printing images on a sheet of clear plastic, starting first with a white base coat. But Mr. Solomon learned that if parts of the substrate were left blank, the bill would have a clear plastic window. This was a magnificent invention, since it would make trying to fake a polymer bill using paper or other non-clear material next to impossible. How could paper have a see-through window? This would give the counterfeiters fits, he thought.

In the 17 years Australia has used polymer currency, the country has reported an average counterfeit ratio of just 6.8 PPM, with most of those notes coming from crude attempts at printing replicas on paper, which makes them easy to spot. Australia has needed to design only one series of polymer banknotes that has lasted decades, though counterfeiters have been actively trying to forge plastic money during that time.

This year, a group of men are on trial in Australia for passing fake notes. While previous attempts by other forgers were amateurish, using a crude mixture of paper and flimsy plastic film, these notes were different. The counterfeiters were using nylon to make their fake money. It was one of the best attempts yet, but it still wasn’t close, according to police.

For his efforts, Mr. Solomon now belongs to the London-based Royal Society, an elite fellowship of 1,400 scientists whose members include Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

HOW CANADA CHANGED ITS MIND

Even as Canada’s counterfeiting problem escalated, the shift to polymer was viewed as too expensive. A polymer note costs 19 cents to produce, compared to 9 cents for a typical cotton-paper note. So the upfront costs of switching are high, even though the bills last longer.

But in 2004, those concerns began to fade away when the Bank of Canada confronted the extent of the counterfeiting problem.

The money found in the grey Hyundai wasn’t perfect, but it was more sophisticated than any fake note seen before. Most notably, the counterfeiters had managed to duplicate the thin holographic stripe introduced on the Canadian Journey series specifically to thwart people like Wesley Weber.

The trail from the grey Hyundai led RCMP to a print shop in an industrial area of North Toronto, where officers found millions of dollars worth of fake $20 bills stacked in rows. In all, RCMP figured out the men had produced $6.7-million of fake notes at this site alone. Jaws dropped as the officers walked in the room.

“This was the largest counterfeiting manufacturing plant in Canadian history,” said Cpl. Laurence, head of the force’s anti-counterfeit division.

From there, RCMP tracked the ring of counterfeiters to another print shop in Markham, Ont., where $4.2-million worth of counterfeit $20 bills were uncovered in 2007.

The sophistication of the ring was mind-blowing. In addition to being able to reproduce the shiny holographic stripe on the $20 bill by using metallic foil purchased from a novelty supplier in California, the group figured out how to mimic the special watermark embedded in the paper, by using several layers of white ink to reproduce the face of the Queen.

What is more troubling, though, is that all of that fake money seized at the two print shops doesn’t even show up in Canada’s counterfeiting statistics – because it never made its way into circulation.

In 2008, the counterfeiting rate had fallen to 76 PPM, or 76 bills for every one million real ones. Though the number appeared to be retreating nicely from Canada’s record-high PPM in 2004, it was misleading. Had these seized bills made it out onto the streets, Canada’s numbers would have shot up to levels never seen before. A new counterfeiting crisis had been averted – but only narrowly.

The Bank of Canada decided to make the switch to polymer.

Canada will buy the polymer substrate from Australia, which until recently held the sole patent on the material and kept the recipe a closely guarded secret. Few companies have been able to set up and make the polymer substrate that Mr. Solomon invented. Chemical giant DuPont attempted a rival product in the 1980s, but gave up when it couldn’t make the material tough enough.

The substrate will be imported in secure shipments that are treated with the same precaution as transporting actual currency. The polymer money will then be printed in Canada by the two printers who inked the country’s paper money in the past, BA International Inc. and Canadian Banknote Co. Ltd.

By protecting the polymer substrate, the strategy is akin to placing hundreds of guards around the Mulberry forest centuries ago.

THE GREAT MONEY SCRUB

As Canada’s polymer money is introduced over the next two years, paper banknotes will be rounded up and removed from circulation in the largest scrubbing of Canada’s system of paper currency. Old paper notes that find their way to banks will be sent off to the Bank of Canada to be burned. Polymer bills will then be released.

The Bank of Canada issues between 300 million and 400 million new notes a year, replacing torn, taped, defaced and crumpled bills with crisp replacements as needed. At that rate, it would take four to five years to replenish the entire supply of notes. But the central bank will be attempting to replace paper money in the span of about three years, swapping out the cash much faster than usual.

Counterfeiting rates have fallen steadily in Canada in recent years, particularly after the ring in Ontario was dismantled by RCMP.

The country now reports a parts-per-million ratio of below 40, which is finally in line with what most G20 nations consider acceptable. But a recent internal survey by the Bank of Canada indicates trust has been slow to return: Five per cent of retailers still do not accept the $100 bill, an improvement from nearly a decade ago, but still not complete acceptance.

Though money is called legal tender, businesses aren’t bound by law to accept it. The term just means that the note is backed by a stated value. Store owners can turn down cash if they wish – and many do.

At a Wendy’s restaurant in Etobicoke, Ont., a sign on the window warns customers that large denominations are not welcome: “Due to increased concerns over counterfeit $100 bills, Wendy’s can not accept $100 bills from any customer.”

The new polymer $100 bill has been in circulation for less than 24 hours when one of them is handed to the cashier to pay for a $7 meal. After close inspection, the cashier nods and accepts the strange new bill.

It is a small but significant change in thinking for a business that lost confidence in some of the country’s banknotes during a decade of rising counterfeit numbers. But there is still a long way to go. This is just one location, and polymer money has barely started circulating. The great money scrub has only just begun.

British 500 Euro Notes Withdrawn

2011-10-23T08:48:00.000-07:00

500 euro notes withdrawn over organised crime fears

British bank wholesalers have withdrawn 500 euro notes from sale because they are fuelling organised crime.

TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

7:30AM BST 13 May 2010

The decision to end trading was made after police found nine out of every 10 of the notes in circulation are linked to crime, tax evasion and terrorism.

It closed an annual 500 million euro (£424 million) trade in the distinctive largest denomination euro note among businesses across the country.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which coordinated the voluntary industry move, said there is ''no credible legitimate use'' for the note in Britain.

Officials have been watching the market for signs of criminals changing tactics since trading secretly stopped about one month ago.

They have been expecting to see drug smugglers, people traffickers and other top-level crime gangs struggling to launder their profits as a result.

The distinctive pink and purple note is a favourite with criminals because it takes up less space than other currencies and is accepted across the continent.

Tourists and other legitimate customers will not be affected by the changes and the 500 euro note remains legal tender.

Ian Cruxton, Soca deputy director, said: ''There is no doubt that the main UK demand for the euro 500 note comes from serious organised criminals.

''The banknote wholesalers have shown decisive leadership in withdrawing supply.

''This is a bold and welcome move which will cause substantial disruption to criminals' ability to move and launder large quantities of cash.''

One senior official at Soca's Financial Investigation Unit said an inquiry revealed 500 euro notes are inextricably tied to serious crime.

He said: ''As we developed a picture it became clear. What was previously only an anecdotal suggestion was borne out by the figures.

''Our analysis found that only about 10% of 500 euro notes sold in the UK retail market were used legitimately.''

The official said pulling the plug on the wholesale market may flush some criminal activities into the open.

He added: ''We anticipate criminals will be moved out of their comfort zone and will have to use other mechanisms for moving cash.

''They will not be able to use their favoured mechanism and that in turn will draw attention to their activities and offer up opportunities for law enforcement.''

The 500 euro note has long been a favourite of top-level criminals and vast quantities have turned up in raids on drugs gangs from London to Latin America.

Dubbed the ''bin Laden'' because everyone knows what it looks like but rarely sees one, crooks love its portability.

The same value in cash takes up only a tenth of its Sterling alternative, making it easier to smuggle across borders.

An adult male can stuff and swallow 150,000 euros and 20,000 euros can be hidden in a cigarette packet.

Investigators said a small number of backstreet cash wholesalers have been profiting from exchanging large quantities of money for crime gangs.

Up to 500,000 euros may change hands in one transaction as criminals shrink suitcases full of Sterling to a briefcase of euros.

A second Soca official said there are ''pockets of complicity'' among a small number of wholesalers who turn a blind eye to the trade.

He said the traders, who often operate in tourist and transport hubs, are mostly based in large cities including London, Birmingham and Glasgow.

A small independent money business in London purchased four million euros in one 12-month period, more than all the euros bought by one high street bank.

In one police operation a gang of suspected money launderers chose to give up three million euros rather than attempt to prove where the cash came from.

Police across Europe will be watching for the fallout of the unannounced change, which may include an increased demand for 200 euro notes.

Border officials are also braced for criminals attempting to travel across the channel to buy large quantities of the notes in countries with no restrictions.

The official added: ''We have comprehensive intelligence systems in place to see what is happening.

''Three groups of people will see what happens over coming weeks: law enforcement, the private sector and criminals.''

Bank of England to launch new £50 note

2011-10-23T07:44:00.000-07:00

The new £50 note features James Watt and Matthew Boulton - two pioneers of the industrial revolution

Heather Stewart
guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 September 2011 11.20 BST

The Bank of England will seek to lift the spirits of downtrodden businesses next month by evoking the memory of their glorious predecessors when it launches a new £50 note, featuring the inventor James Watt and entrepreneur Matthew Boulton.

The Bank announced on Friday that the new note, replacing one featuring the first governor of the Bank of England, Sir John Houblon, will go into circulation on 2 November. It also pointed out that it will be the first note to feature two men, and the first to be signed by Chris Salmon, the Bank's new chief cashier.

Boulton and Watt were pioneers of the industrial revolution, whom Labour leader Ed Miliband would presumably designate "producers," not "predators".

Boulton was an entrepreneur, who started work in his father's Birmingham factory making buckles for shoes and knee-breeches, but later went into partnership with Watt, backing his crucial improvements to the design of the steam engine.

The two worked together to pioneer the use of the steam engine in the cotton spinning industry, helping to cement Britain's position as the "workshop of the world," at the cutting edge of new technology.

Commercialising inventions has long been seen as an Achilles heel of the modern British economy, with few boffins possessing the financial nous to build up a successful firm. Successive governments have tried to tilt the playing field to encourage spin-out firms from universities, and boost in-house research by corporations.

But in today's economic climate, where finding sympathetic financial backers for even the most brilliant ideas can be a challenge, a partnership like Boulton and Watt's must look appealing to many a hard-pressed British entrepreneur.

And with Boulton at his side, Watt never had to endure the embarrassment of Autonomy's Mike Lynch, who at least according to Larry Ellison at Oracle, was punting his hi-tech firm, Autonomy, around Silicon Valley in search of the highest bidder – though if the £7bn deal with Hewlett-Packard goes through it will presumably go a long way to salving Lynch's hurt feelings.

For many cash-strapped families, though, the worthy example of these founding fathers of the industrial revolution will be out of reach – because many people rarely get to see a £50 note, let alone hold onto it for long enough to examine the picture on the back.

Ceylon P88 100 Rupees

2011-09-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

Pick: 88 100 Rupees
Date: 1979-03-26
Colour: Gold

Front: Corypha umbraculifera (talipot palm) tree; Trimeresurus trigonocephalus (green pit viper) snake; two Gracula ptilogenys (Sri Lankan myna) birds; Paradoxurus zeylonensis (golden palm civet) in Mangifera zeylanica (Sri Lankan mango) tree.

Back:(vertical): Megalaima flavifrons (yellow-fronted barbet) bird perched on Horsfieldia iriyaghedi tree; Idea lynceus jasonia (Sri Lankan tree nymph) butterfly; Areca concinna plant. Solid security thread.

Watermark: Chinthe. A Chinthe is a leogryph (lion-like creature) that is often seen at the entrances of pagodas and temples in Southeast Asian countries.

Printer: Unknown. 157 x 76 mm.

Varieties
a. 1979-03-26. Signature 16
as. Specimen.

Catalog Value: $130 UNC, $40 VF

Argentina

2011-01-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

Argentina ND (1974-76) P-294
5 Pesos

Front: Portrait of General Manuel Belgrano (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820) an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina. He is regarded as one of the main liberators of the country.

Back: The National Flag Memorial (Spanish, Monumento Nacional a la Bandera) in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River. It was inaugurated on June 20, 1957, the anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano, creator of the Argentine flag, who raised it for the first time in an island on the opposite shore of the river on February 27, 1812.

The note has a watermark: Arms.

The Krause 2010 Catalog states that there are 2 signature varieties and 2 series A, B. There are also varieties without colored threads in paper.

Following standard Pick numbering that is used for other countries in the Krause catalog the pick numbers should be:

P-294a Signature variety 1, colored threads in paper
P-294b Signature variety 1, without colored threads in paper
P-294c Signature variety 1, colored threads in paper
P-294d Signature variety 1, without colored threads in paper

Argentina ND (1976) P-300
10 Pesos

Front: Portrait of General Manuel Belgrano (3 June 1770 – 20 June 1820) an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina. He is regarded as one of the main liberators of the country.

Back: Iguazu Falls in the center of note. Iguazu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River starts at the city of Curitiba and runs for the most part of the course in Brazil and at the end at the border of Brazil and Argentina.

The note has a watermark: Arms. There are 2 Series D and E.

Argentina ND (1977-82) P-303c
500 Pesos

Front: General José de San Martin at right. José de San Martín (c. 1778 – 17 August 1850), was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.

Back: Monument to the Army of the Andes, on the summit of Cerro de la Gloria. This monument is located in the Plaza Independencia in Mendoza, Argentina.

The Krause 2010 Catalog states that there are 4 signature varieties and series A-D. The varieties with the different watermarks and colored threads in the paper was listed but the signature varieties are not listed.

P-303a Watermark: Arms. without colored threads in paper.
P-303b Watermark: Arms. Colored threads in paper.
P-303c Watermark: Multiple sunbursts. Colored threads. Back lithographed. SERIE C, D. UV: threads fluoresce blue.

Argentina ND (1983-84) P-312a
5 Pesos

Front: General José de San Martin at right. José de San Martín (c. 1778 – 17 August 1850), was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain.

Back: Monument to the Flag at Rosario at center. The National Flag Memorial (Spanish, Monumento Nacional a la Bandera) in Rosario, Argentina, is a monumental complex built near the shore of the Paraná River. It was inaugurated on June 20, 1957, the anniversary of the death of Manuel Belgrano, creator of the Argentine flag, who raised it for the first time in an island on the opposite shore of the river on February 27, 1812.

Watermark: Multiple sunbursts. Printer: Casa de Moneda. With colored threads.

The Krause 2010 Catalog states that there are 2 signature varieties. The signature varieties are not listed. There are two varieties in the color of the monument on the back. It could have either a White or grayish tint.

Argentina ND (1985-89) P-325b
10 Australes

Front: Santiago Derqui at center, latent image "BCRA". He was the 4th president of Argentina from March 5, 1860 to November 5, 1861.

Back: Liberty (Progreso) with torch and shield seated at left center.

Watermark: Multiple sunbursts. Printer: Casa de Moneda UV: threads fluoresce green.

The Krause 2010 Catalog states that there are signature varieties. Thesignature varieties are not listed.

P-325a Coarse portrait in heavy horizontal wavy lines. Signature titles SUBGERENTE GENERAL and PRESIDENTE. Series A.
P-325b Modified portrait in finer horizontal wavy lines. Signature titles GERENTE GENERAL and PRESIDENTE. Series A; B; C.

Mauritius P42 25 Rupees

2011-01-01T17:54:00.000-08:00

Pick: P42
Date: 1998
Colour: Black, violet and brown on multicolor underprint

Mauritius P42-48 have been withdrawn and replaced with P49-55.

Traditionally, the order of the languages are English, Tamil, and Hindi. On October 18, 1998, the Central Bank of Mauritius released a new series of banknotes with Hindi before Tamil. The reason for the change in the order was because the Tamil text would have encroached on the portrait of Sir Moilin Jean Ah-Chuen on the 25-rupee note if it remained in its original position on the note.

Thousands of Tamils protested with the Tamil community claimed precedence on the banknotes based on traditional practices and claims to having arrived on the island prior to the members of the Hindi community.

On November 18, one month after the release of the new banknotes, the government of Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam asked the central bank to withdraw the notes from circulation. The Bank of Mauritius complied, representing a victory for the Tamils. The reprinting of the banknotes cost more than 2 million USD. Central bank governor Daneshwar Maraye and director-general Bud Gujudhur both resigned.

Front: Sir M. J. Ah-chuen at left, arms at lower left, building façades at center, standing Justice with scales at lower right in underprint. Ascending size serial number. Value of 25 Rupees written in the English, Hindi and Tamil.

Back: Building façade at center, worker at right.

Watermark: Dodo bird's head.

UV: value 25 in box fluoresces yellow, left design faint yellow.

Printer: Unknown

Size:

Varieties
a. Issued note

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Singapore P19 5 Dollars

2011-01-01T17:27:00.000-08:00

Pick: P19
Date: Issued 1989
Colour: Green and red-violet on multicolor underprint

Thomas De La Rue and Company on back of P19, below the word SINGAPORE.

This note is very similar to P35. The only difference being the printer. P19 was printed by Thomas De La Rue and Company. P35 was printed by Harrison and Son Ltd.

Front: Chinese lion with ball and Commerson's Anchovy at right, arms at upper left. Twkow boats. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil on top.

Back: Fish on left. Flower in middle. View of the PSA container terminal at right. Symbol of the Merlion on upper right. The merlion is a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It is used as a mascot of Singapore. The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Tamasek meaning sea town in Javenese. The lion represents Singapore's original name of Singapura meaning lion city.

Watermark: Lion's head

Printer: Thomas De La Rue and Company

Size:

Varieties
a. Issued note

Catalog Value:
a. UNC -

Canada P103 20 Dollars

2011-01-01T16:45:00.000-08:00

Pick: P103
Date: 2004
Colour: Green and tan on multicolor underprint

Canadian Journey Series.

Front: Queen Elizabeth II at left. The Royal Arms of Canada, and a picture of the Centre Block of the Parliment buildings. The front also has a holographic strip on the left side with the number 20 alternated with maple leaves.

Back: Depicts artworks by Bill Reid. On the right his sculpture The Spirit of Haida Gwaii, the Black Canoe and on the left his sculpture Raven and the First Men. There is also a quotation from La Montagne secrète (1961) a novel by Canadian author Gabrielle Roy.

Watermark: Queen Elizabeth II. There a minor differences in the position of the watermark in the paper. These are not considered varieties. There was also a change in the watermarked Queen's portrait from 2005 onwards.

Printer: Canadian Banknote Company or BA International Inc. Banknotes with serial number prefix A** are printed by BAI. Banknotes with serial number prefix E** or F** are printed by CBC.

Size: 137 × 74 mm

Varieties

a. Signature Jenkins / Dodge

*b. Signature Jenkins / Carney

*c. Printed in 2011. Signature Macklem / Carney

* Not listed in Krause Catalog

Catalog Value:
a.

Error:

In 2007 a $20 from 2004’s Canadian Journey series has the holographic stripe on the front right, the windowed security thread on the back right, and the watermark is upside down.

The Bank of Canada has confirmed that the note is genuine and postulates that the error is a result of an uncut sheet of banknote paper being being rotated 180 degrees before being fed into its presses in Ottawa. Since each sheet contains 45 notes, there must have been 44 other examples of this error with serial numbers similar to that found on Winston Brown's note: EZM7459230. However, his note was found in circulation in 2006 (though a 2004 issue, the note is dated 2006 on the back), and Brown isn’t aware of any other similar notes that have surfaced to date. It’s possible they escaped notice and may be lost, destroyed, collected. To date no other such errors have been reported.

Peru P90 100 Soles

2011-01-01T00:00:00.003-08:00

Pick: P90
Date: 12.9.1962, 20.8.1965
Colour: Black on light blue

Front: Black on light blue and multicolor underprint. Liberty seated holding shield and staff at center. Series A.Pagar· al Portador added under bank name at top center.

Back: The National Coat of Arms supported by branches. The same symbol is used on the Peruvian flag.

Watermark:

Printer: American Bank Note Company

Varieties
a. 12.9.1962
a. 20.8.1965
s. Specimen.

Catalog Value: $13 UNC

Singapore P13 50 Dollars

2011-01-01T00:00:00.002-08:00

Pick: P13
Date: Issued 6 August 1976
Colour: Blue, orange on white

Singapore P13a

Front: The White-rumped Shama (Copsychus malabaricus) is a slender, predominantly black bird that has become one of the most popular caged birds in Singapore because of its beautiful song. The species is part of the Flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). Map of Singapore island. Singapore's coat of arms.

Bottom depection of the Singapore waterfront in 1976. Singapore written in the 4 official languages English, Malay, Chinese (Mandarin) and Tamil.

Symbol of the Merlion. A mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish. It is used as a mascot of Singapore. The fish body represents Singapore's origin as a fishing village when it was called Tamasek meaning sea town in Javenese. The lion represents Singapore's original name of Singapura meaning lion city.

Back: Marching school band in uniform marching in front of the national museum of Singapore. Tamil dancer holding lamps performing a dance for Deepavali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Watermark: Lion's head

Printer: Thomas De La Rue and Company

Size: 157 mm x 75 mm

Varieties
a. Solid security thread
a. Segmented security thread

Catalog Value:
a. UNC - $160
b. UNC - $125

Switzerland P69 20 Franken

2011-01-01T00:00:00.001-08:00

Pick: P69
Date: Issued 2000
Colour: Red-violet and green on multicolor underprint

The first two digits of the serial number on the back of the Swiss Franken represents the year that the banknote was printed.

(05) Printed in 2005

(06) Printed in 2006

(07) Printed in 2007

(08) Printed in 2008

Like P68 but with microperforation '20' added.

Front: Composer Arthur Honegger at upper left and bottom center. Vertical format. Arthur Honegger (10 March 1892 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss composer, who was born in France and lived a large part of his life in Paris. His parents were born in Switzerland and were Swiss citizens. He was a member of Les six. His most frequently performed work is probably the orchestral work Pacific 231, which is interpreted as imitating the sound of a steam locomotive.

Back: Trumpet valves at top, steam locomotive wheel at center, musical score and piano keys at bottom.

Watermark: Arthur Honegger.

Printer: Unknown

Size: 137 × 74 mm

Varieties
a. 2000. Signature Eduard Belser (President, Bank Council), Dr. Jean-Pierre Roth (Director)
a. 2000. Signature Eduard Belser (President, Bank Council), Dr. Bruno Gehrig (Director)
a. 2000. Signature Eduard Belser (President, Bank Council), Dr. Niklaus Blattner (Director)
b. 2003. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Jean-Pierre Roth (Director)
b. 2003. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Bruno Gehrig (Director)
b. 2003. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Niklaus Blattner (Director)
c. 2004. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Jean-Pierre Roth (Director)
c. 2004. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Niklaus Blattner (Director)
c. 2004. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Philipp Hildebrand (Director)
d. 2005. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass, (President, Bank Council), Dr. Jean-Pierre Roth (Director)
d. 2005. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Niklaus Blattner (Director)
d. 2005. Signature Dr. Hansueli Raggenbass (President, Bank Council), Dr. Philipp Hildebrand (Director)

Catalog Value:
a. $30 - UNC
b. $30 - UNC
c. $30 - UNC
d. $30 - UNC

Peru P148 1000000 Initis

2011-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:00

Pick: P148
Date: 5.1.1990
Colour: Red-brown, green and multicolor

Front: Hipolito Unanue, (August 13, 1755–July 15, 1833) was a physician and president of Peru for a short nine-month period in 1825. at right. National coat of arms at center.

Back: Medical college at San Fernando at left center part of The National University of San Marcos. It is the most important and respected higher-education institution in Peru. Its main campus, the University City, is located in Lima. It was chartered on May 12, 1551 by a royal decree signed by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, which makes it the oldest officially established university in the Americas and, as such, one of the oldest universities in the world.

Watermark: Hipolito Unanue

Printer: Thomas De La Rue

Varieties
a. 5.1.1990

Catalog Value: $16 UNC

Banknote Links

2010-12-31T15:35:00.000-08:00

This list will continue to be updated. If you find any errors or dead links. Please send an email.

Popular Banknote Websites

Ron Wise's World Paper Money - The largest collection of banknote images on the internet.
Banknote News - News and images of the latest banknote releases.
Polymer Bank Notes of the World - The world's leading reference for polymer bank notes
Jay's World Banknotes

Dealers

Banknotes.com

Banknote Terminology

2010-12-27T12:52:00.000-08:00

Index

Cutting Cup
Error
EURion Constellation
Intaglio Print
Proof
Replacement Note
Scrip
Security Thread
Specimen
Watermark

Cutting Cup

This anomaly is a series specific condition, existing only on notes with an interwoven security strip. When the blades of the cutting machines apply pressure on this area, it slightly bends the metal security strip before the pressure is enough to cut it. The buckling of this security strip before it cuts causes the paper to adopt a half moon shaped dome, rarely larger then a centimeter across, that envelopes the areas where the security strip and the edge meet.

Error

These are banknotes that have were not printed or manufactured according to standard. Error notes are produced when something goes wrong in the manufacturing process. Error notes are usually removed by the printer before the banknote enters circulation. Error notes which enter circulation are very collectable and often valued more than face value.

EURion Constellation

EURion Constellation highlighted in different colours on a the front of a Canada $20.

EURion Constellation highlighted in different colours on a the back of a Canada $20.

Is a pattern of symbols found on a number of banknote designs worldwide since about 1996. It is added to help software detect the presence of a banknote in a digital image. Such software can then block the user from reproducing banknotes to prevent counterfeiting using colour photocopiers.

Intaglio Print

The intaglio process is unique to the high-security printer. It is used to print fine details in strong, rich colours and helps prevent soiling thereby increasing note life. Intaglio print enables two simple tests of banknote authenticity: It creates a raised print on the note which is easily identifiable by touch and contributes to the distinctive feel of a banknote. It never dries completely, meaning some intaglio ink can be rubbed off a banknote

Proof

Whole or partial accepted design of a banknote which is still to be printed. Proofs are printed for propose of checking some details.

Replacement Note

Replacement notes are a special sequence of notes printed by printer to replace notes which were damaged during printing process. The damaged notes are usually destroyed by the printer. Replacement notes usually have a special identifier printed on the note's serial number to indicate that they were a replacement. For example a *, X, a star or Z indicate replacement notes.

Scrip
Private currency usually initially issued in the form of a paper IOU (I Owe You) note by a corporation or an individual. These are not considered banknotes because they were not issued as regional or national currency by a bank or country.

Security Thread

Security threads are an efficient and reliable security element. They are easily recognized by the general public and offer a high level of protection against counterfeiting thanks to the complex techniques used to produce them. Security threads are inserted into the paper at the cylinder mould during the paper production process – either fully covered by the paper or as a window thread that is visible on the surface of the paper at regular intervals.

Security threads offer a wide range of applications and are versatile in their design. Striking holographic and color-shift effects are very popular here, as they allow the public to very quickly and easily authenticate a banknote. Security threads are up to 5 mm wide and also contain multi-functional characteristics such as holograms, demetallization, UV luminescence, and machine readability.

Specimen
Specimen banknote is sample or first run of notes printed to as a way of checking to see whether or not the design is suitable for putting into full production as a currency issue. Sometime these notes are sold by the central bank to collectors. Specimen banknotes usually have an overprint, are perforated or punched, given a serial number of all nines or all zeroes.

Watermark

A watermark is a recognizable image or pattern in the banknote that appears as various shades of lightness/darkness when viewed by transmitted light caused by thickness or density variations in the paper. There are two main ways of producing watermarks in paper; the dandy roll process, and the more complex cylinder mould process.

Problems with Krause Standard Catalog of World Paper Money

2010-12-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

The Standard Catalog of World Paper Money is a well-known catalogue of banknotes that is published by Krause Publications in three volumes. It is the most commonly used catalog with standard Pick numbering and very comprehensive.

However there are numerous problems and inconsistencies with the catalog that have been highlighted by collectors but have not been corrected through out the editions.

The Pick Numbering System

P-1a - P (Standard issue note) - 1 (first note issued for that country) - a (variety, date, signature)

Problems in the Catalog

Signature blocks do not match variety. The catalog has a block of signature combination for some countries. The number listed in the variety for these signature combination either does not exist or is wrong.
Signature varieties are not assigned a variety letter.
Issue dates are not assigned a variety letter.
Issue date / print date combination is not assigned a variety letter.
The variety letter 's' is supposed to be reserved for a specimen note. But some countries have 's' assigned to a regular variety note.
The black/white pictures are difficult to read. Most of the scans obtained by the catalog must have been in color.
Valuations on the notes are significantly different from market value. Pre-Euro notes are over valued.