Israel issues new 200-NIS banknote

The Bank of Israel has issued the second new note in the new series on 23 December 2015. The 200-NIS note was announced in April 2013 and has been delayed a couple of times. The blue note is 150x71 mm in size and features an image of the poet Nathan Alterman. This page from the Israeli Foreign Affairs office describes the new note in more detail. More information on the whole new series can be found on this page from the Bank of Israel.

© Bank of Israel
© Bank of Israel

Steven Dinsdag 29 December 2015 at 10:36 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Ukraine to issue an updated 500-hryvnia note in 2016

The National Bank of Ukraine has announced that an updated banknote of 500 hryvnia will be issued on 11 April 2016.

The note will have updated security features like a windowed security thread and a SPARK patch. The images below are from the Flickr-page of the National Bank of Ukraine.

Steven Zaterdag 26 December 2015 at 10:01 pm | | news | Geen reacties
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Russia issues Crimean commemorative note

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

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

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

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

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

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

© www.cbr.ru
"© www.cbr.ru"

Thanks to Triaff Nikitin

Steven Woensdag 23 December 2015 at 09:04 am | | news | Twee reacties
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Peru changes its currency to 'sol'

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

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

Steven Vrijdag 18 December 2015 at 09:24 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Libya to introduce redesigned 5- and 10-dinar notes?

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

The new design:

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

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

The old 'new' design:

© www.banknotenews.com

Steven Vrijdag 11 December 2015 at 11:21 am | | news | Geen reacties
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Swiss 50-franc note to be issued from 12 April 2016

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

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

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

Steven Vrijdag 11 December 2015 at 09:17 am | | news | Geen reacties
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RBS asks the public to nominate Scots for the new £10

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

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

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

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

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

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

Steven Maandag 07 December 2015 at 3:16 pm | | news | Geen reacties
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De la Rue cuts banknote printing capacity

The biggest banknote printer in the world, De la Rue, has announced it will cut its banknote printing capacity by a quarter, according to this article in the Financial Times. De la Rue will close its banknote plant in Malta leaving only the factories in the UK, Kenya and Sri Lanka. About 300 people are expected to lose their jobs because of this reduction.

Steven Zaterdag 05 December 2015 at 11:39 am | | links | Geen reacties
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Eritrea introduces new banknote series

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

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

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

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

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

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

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






Steven Dinsdag 01 December 2015 at 9:29 pm | | news | Geen reacties
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Trinidad and Tobago has issued a redesigned $50

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

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

© www.trinidadexpress.com

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

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

Steven Dinsdag 01 December 2015 at 9:14 pm | | news | Geen reacties
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Clydesdale Bank to introduce new 20-pound note

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

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

© Daily Telegraph - Robert Perry 2015

Steven Dinsdag 01 December 2015 at 8:57 pm | | news | Geen reacties
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Albert Pick (15 May 1922 - 21 November 2015)

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

Steven Dinsdag 01 December 2015 at 8:51 pm | | news | Geen reacties

Kazakhstan to issue new 20,000-tenge

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

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

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


Steven Dinsdag 01 December 2015 at 8:38 pm | | news | Geen reacties