...Northern Ireland, Danske Bank - £20 Dated 2022 Polymer

Tuaisceart Éireann

(Northern Ireland)

Danske Bank Limited (since 15.11.2012)
Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

This is a reprint of the £20 Danske Bank polymer banknote, first introduced on 20.07.2020. This series of polymer notes retains the same designs of the previous paper note issued. 

 

All three commercial banks in Northern Ireland have adopted polymer banknotes series since 2019. Unlike the Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank, Danske Bank is the only bank that did not issue a £5 polymer note. So far the bank has only introduced the £10 and £20 notes, and it is very unlikely that the £50 or the £100 polymer notes will be introduced either. 

 

Twenty Pounds

Signature - Victoria (Vicky) Davies (tenure 2021-)

Date - Belfast, 25th July 2022

Dimensions - 140mm x 74mm

 

Front - On the front, it features the portrait of Harry Ferguson (b.1884-1960) and a Ferguson tractor. Harry Ferguson was a mechanic and a famous inventor, who is well known for his role in the development of agricultural tractors. 

 

Back - On the back, it depicts the fascia of City Hall in Belfast. The Belfast City Hall is situated in Donegall Square. The Belfast City hall was built in 1906. In 2006, it celebrated its centenary with an exhibition. It is interesting to note that the City Hall in Durban South Africa also has the same city hall also identical to the one in Belfast. The designer for the Durban City Hall was inspired and influenced by the Belfast City Hall design.

...Transnistria - A full set of 8 Notes all dated 2012 (Reprints of 2007/2004)

Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ

Приднестровская Молдавская Республика

(Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic)

 

Transnistrian Republican Bank, Est.1992

Currency : Ruble

 

A full set of 8 circulating notes all dated 2012. The notes posted here are the 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500 rubles. The first 6 notes are reprints from the 2007 series and the remaining two notes of 200 and 500 rubles are the reprints of the 2004 series. It is believed that the two higher denominations of 200 and 500 rubles are rarely used, and they were not issued when the 2007 series was introduced.

 

As Transnistria is not a recognised country by the United Nations, and therefore it's rubles are also not negotiable outside its territory too. Apart from Russia, to the rest of the world, Transnistria is considered as part of Moldova.

In general, these are all considered small size banknotes. Like all other Transnistrian banknotes issued, there are no signatures printed on these notes.

One Ruble

 

Signature - N/A

Watermark - General Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 56.5mm

 

Front - A portrait of the Russian General Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov (b.1730-1800) in military uniform. General Suvorav was a Russian born military hero holding the rank of Field Marshal Generalissimo. He was born in Moscow and joined the army at the age of 17 and was promoted to the rank of colonel when he was 32 years old. By 1787, he was then promoted to the rank of General. During his lifetime, he was involved in at least 57 battles/wars with the majority of these conflicts ending in victory in his favour. He died at the age of 70 years old and was buried in the city of St Petersburg. He was the fourth Generalissimo of Russia.

 

Back - Kitskansk Bridgehead memorial or Chiţcani monument in Chitcani. This monument was built in 1972 (opened 09.05.1972) to commemorate victory against the German invasion during the Second World War in 1944. Chitcani is situated north of Tiraspol, the capital city of Transnistria.

  

Five Rubles

 

Signature - N/A

Watermark - General Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 56.5mm

 

Front - A portrait of the Russian General Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov (b.1730-1800) in military uniform.

 

Back - KVINT Distillery administrative building in Tiraspol. KVIT is a winery and distillery company founded in 1897. The distillery initially only produced vodka and in 1938 , it started producing brandies as well. The KVINT is the oldest and still operating commercial enterprise in Transnistria.

 

Ten Rubles

 

Signature - N/A

Watermark - General Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 56.5mm

 

Front - A portrait of the Russian General Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov (b.1730-1800) in military uniform.

 

Back - The Nova Nemetsky monastery in Kitskansk. This monastery was built around 1914 (completed) and is located in the center of the village of Kitskansk. The monastery consists of four churches; the Holy Ascension Cathedral; Assumption Church; St. Nicholas; and the Holy Cross Church.

 

Twenty Five Rubles

 

Signature - N/A

Watermark - Catherine the Great and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 56.5mm

 

Front - A portrait of the Russian General Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov (b.1730-1800) in military uniform.

 

Back - The Russian Glory monument for the 55th Podolsky Regiment in Bender, near Tiraspol. This monument was built to commemorate the Russian army defeating the Napoleon army in 1812.

 

 

Fifty Rubles

 

Signature - N/A

Watermark - Piotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Sadunayskiy and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 61mm

 

Front - A portrait of Taras Grigoryyevich Shevchenko (b.1814-1861) was a Ukrainian poet, writer, artist and political figure.

 

Back - The Transnistria Parliament building in Tiraspol. This building is called the Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. This is an unicameral legislature with 33 seats. No doubt, Transnistria is pro Russia and will rely on Russia to protect them for any arm conflicts with Moldova or any of its neighbours.

 

One Hundred Rubles

Signature - N/A

Watermark - Piotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Sadunayskiy and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 61mm

Front - Dimitrie Cantemir (b.1673-1723). Dimitrie Cantemir was a Romanian and became the Prince of Moldavia for about one month in 1693 and then again from 1710 to 1711). During the conflict with the Ottoman, he sided with the Russian and following hie defeat, he was forced into exile. He died at the age of 49 at the Russian border town of Dmitrovsky.

Back - The Church of the Nativity in Tiraspol. This is a Russian Orthodox church and was built in 1999. This church is also known as the Cathedral of the Birth of Christ and also the largest church in the capital city, Tiraspol.

 

 

Two Humdred Rubles

 

Signature - N/A

Watermark - Piotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Sadunayskiy and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2004/2012

Dimensions - 136mm x 64.5mm

 

Front - Piotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Sadunayskiy (b.1725-1796). Piotr Rumyantsev was a Russian general and served under the reign of the Russian Empress, Catherine the Great. He was considered as one of the greatest Russian generals of the 18th century.

 

Back - A sense of the Battle of Egersdorf in the Seven Years War in 1757, showing the advancing Russian army in a battle field. The war was fought against the Prussian army.

 

 

Five Hundred Rubles

Signature - N/A

Watermark - Catherine the Great and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2004/2012

Dimensions - 141mm x 68mm

Front - A portrait of Catherine the Great. She was born as Princess Sophia Augusta Frederica von Anhalt-Zerbst in 1729 and died in 1796. Both her parents were German princes and princesses. She overthrew her husband, Peter III (Peter III Fyodorovich, Emperor of Russia, b.1728-1762) to become the Empress of Russia in 1762. Her husband was only accessed to the Russian throne for just over 6 months before he was overthrown. She went on and served as the Empress of Russian for 34 years until her death at age 67.

Back - In the center is the Tiraspol fortress of 1826. The Tiraspol fortress was built by the Ottoman in the 16th century. For many years, this fortress was occupied by the Russian army and was off limits to the public. Today this fortress is open to the public and is one of the tourist attractions in Tiraspol. To the left is a scroll.

@45.59 @45.08 @91.39

...Poland - 20 Zlotych Commemorative - 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising 1944-2024 Folder

Rzeczpospolita Polska
(Republic of Poland)

Naradowy Bank Polski
(National Bank of Poland, Est.1945)
Currency - Zloty (PLN)

 

This commemorative note was released on 26.07.2024 to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising. According to the official website, a total of 80,000 sets have been issued and like all commemorative notes issued, this note also comes in a simple folder and is sold at 140 zlotych each. This is a numismatic collectible banknote of 20 zlotych and is legal tender in Poland as face value.

 

The Warsaw Uprising was a failed operation and is referred to the Polish underground resistance group to liberate Warsaw from the German Nazi occupation during the Second World War (1939-1945). The uprising carried out by the pro-Western Polish Home Army was started on 01.08.1944 and only lasted for 63 days to 02.10.1944. At the time of the uprising, the Germans were losing the war and were about to retreat, ahead of the Soviet advance into Poland. However, the advancing Soviet army deliberately halted their advances from the eastern side of Warsaw, and this gave the Germans time to regroup and defeat the Polish resistance. The Warsaw Uprising is also sometimes referred to as the August Uprising. The casualties for this uprising were very high with an estimated 16,000 members of the Polish resistance killed (averaging 253+ killed per day) plus another 200,000 civilians lost their life, mainly due to mass executions carried out by the German as punishment against those resisted. The uprising destroyed about 85% of Warsaw. The Polish leader who gave the order for the uprising at that time was led by Generał Tadeusz Komorowski (b.1895-1966). After the war, General Tadeusz Komorowski went on to serve as the 3rd Prime Minister of the Polish Government in Exile from 1947 to 1949. He died in exile at the age of 71 years old. Many historians would say that the Warsaw Uprising was premature and that is why it failed with loss of so many lives.

 

This is the 16th commemorative banknote issued by the National Bank of Poland since 2006. Since 2014, the bank has been releasing commemorative banknotes on a yearly basis and sold them as numismatic collectables at a premium. Although all notes issued are legal tender, it is very unlikely that you will ever find them circulating as legal tender notes for goods and services rendered. However, is this going to be an annual event in releasing numismatic collectable commemorative notes going forward? I personally would like to see them releasing them as commemorative circulating types as it might be cheaper to acquire as a collector. The face value for this 20 zlotych is worth about US$5 and the official selling price is 7 times the value of the note.

 

Commemorative banknotes issued by the bank have become popular among collectors over the past few years. Apart from the first issue of the 2006 John Paul II note (50 zlotych - 2.0 million sets issued), the value for all other collectable notes have gone up in value, with a few now getting a bit expensive to collect. 

Twenty Zlotych

 

Front - This is according to the information printed on the folder back cover, showing insurgents on a barricade watching the PAST (Polish Telephone Joint Stock Company) buildings in flames and in the center, a group of German prisoners of war. Below that is a billowing Polish flag of white and red colours, which is also visible under UV light. The denomination of '20' is printed with brick wall rolling effect colour. The note is printed with the Polish date of Warszawa 10 stycznia 2024 r. (Warsaw January 10, 2024). This note is printed by the Polish Security Works (PWPW S.A.) with the prefix of PW.

Signatures

President (Prezes) - Adam Glapinski (since 2016)

Chief Treasurer (Główny Skarbnik) - Barbara Jaroszek (since 2017)

Watermark - Fighting Poland symbol against a stylised  brick wall and electrotype 1944

Quantity - 80,000 sets

Official issue price - 140 zlotych (face value 20 zlotych)

Dimensions - 151.5mm x 78mm

Back - On the left are two resistance fighters with rifles in hands positioning themselves against the background of a destroyed building captured from the interiors of the Church of the Holy Cross, as well as a field mass celebrated in the courtyard at 12 Poznanska Street. To the far right are two-colour graphic elements symbolising brick ruins. 

Note - I believe the two images depicting the insurgents in the front and the resistance fighters in the back both derived from actual photos taken during the time of the uprising. No doubt these are historical images of the war during the German occupation in Poland. I wonder if the Polish authority has ever identified who they are?

 

Below are the full list of all commemorative notes issued since 2006;-

2006 - 50zl Karol Wojtyla aka Pope John Paul ll : qty 2.0M (i/p 90zl)

2008 - 10zl Josef Pilsudski : qty 80,000 (i/p 15zl)

2009 - 20zl Poet Julius Slowacki : qty 80,000 (i/p 80zl)

2009 - 20zl Frederic Francois Chopin : qty 120,000 (i/p 50zl)

2011 - 20zl Marie Sklodowska Curie : qty 60,000 (i/p 60zl)

2014 - 20zl Josef Pilsudski [polymer] : qty 60,000 (i/p 50zl)

2015 - 20zl Jan Dlugosz : qty 30,000 (i/p 72zl)

2016 - 20zl Doubravka of Bohemia & King Miezko : qty 35,000 (i/p 75zl)

2017 - 20zl Our Lady of Czestochowa : qty 55,000 (i/p 60zl)

2018 - 20zl Josef Pilsudski : qty 50,000 (i/p 75zl)

2019 - 19zl Polska Wytwornia Papierow Wartosciowych [hybrid] : qty 55,000 (i/p 80zl)

2020 - 20zl Josef Pilsudski : qty 60,000 (i/p 80zl)

2021 - 20zl Lech Kaczynski : qty 80,000 (i/p 100zl)

2022 - 20zl Protection of the Eastern Front : qty 80,000 (i/p 50zl)

2023 - 20zl Nicolaus Copernicus [polymer] : qty 100,000 (i/p 160zl)

2024 - 20zl, 80th Anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising : qty 80,000 (i/p 140zl) 

...Kingdom of Yugoslavia - 1000 Dinara Dated 1931 Large Size Note in UNC Condition

Kingdom of Yugoslavia

(1918-1945)

 

Народна банка Краљевине Југославије

(Narodna Banka Kraljevine Jugoslavije)

(National Bank of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia)

Currency - Dinara

 

This is a surprise purchase for myself. I recently attended a local small meet/show and my intention was to purchase banknote sleeves to store my banknotes collection. Unfortunately, the seller for these banknote sleeves was not there, so I browsed around at some of the tables and this beautiful note caught my eyes.

 

There is nothing special about this note as I understand there are plenty on offer in various conditions. This note caught my eyes because of its size, as I have a soft spot for large size banknotes. More importantly, the condition of this note is in flat (UNC) condition and if you are an experienced collector, you know that finding banknotes like this in such condition is not easy. I am not sure I have paid the right or fair price as those currently selling on the Internet are various and compared for what I have paid for, I would say that I have paid a fair price. If not, then I may have over paid between $10-$15, but I am happy with this purchase as I have the opportunity to view the note physically before buying it. Buying on Internal will incur sales tax and postage charges too. More importantly, the note may not turn out as described. What is uncirculated to a seller may not be uncirculated to you!

As per the above heading, this note was issued by the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. This note is printed with a date of 01.12.1931, and according to a website, it was released for circulation on 01.01.1933. This note formed part of the first series of banknotes issued by the kingdom and a full set consists of 10, 50, 100 and 1000 dinara. The 1000 dinara is the largest denomination for this series. This is the only note I have and I have no intention to get the remaining missing notes to complete this series.

The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was formed on 01.12.1918 following the end of the First World War (28.07.1914 to 11.11.1918). The kingdom is basically made up of territories of Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and some other surrounding territories. The first monarch of the kingdom when it was formed was Peter I (b.1844-1921). He died at the good old age of 77 years old and was succeeded by his second son Alexander I (b.1888-1934). King Alexander I, then aged 33 years old, went on as the King of Yugoslavia for the next 13 years until he was assassinated on 09.10.1934 during a state visit to France (Marseilles). He was shot and killed while his car was traveling slowly along the streets of Marseilles. The assassin was a Bulgarian national and after the assassination, he was fatally wounded by a French policeman with a sword and then beaten by an angry crowd. He later died in police custody. King Alexander I was then succeeded by his eldest son, Alexander II (b.1923-1970). Alexander II (then aged 11 years old) went on and served as the King of Yugoslavia for the next 11 years and was then disposed by the Communist Regime headed by Marshal Josip Broz Tito (b.1892-1980) on 29.11.1945, and declared Yugoslavia a Republic. Nazi Germany invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941 and Alexander II spent the next few years in exile fighting the invaders.

 

One Thousand Dinara

 

Front - The portrait of Maria (b.1900-1961). Maria was born Princess Maria of Romania and was a well educated person. He married Alexander I on 08.06.1922 and became the Queen Maria Karađorđević of the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and then Queen Maria of Yugoslavia in 1929. She is also the mother of King Alexander II. In 1941, she was given the title of Queen Mother of Yugoslavia. In 1939, she moved to England together with her second and third sons. Whilst in England, she lived a relatively quiet life. She died in Chelsea, England on 22.06.1961 at the age of 61 years old. In 1947, Marshal Tito revoked her Yugoslavian citizenship and confiscated all her properties in Yugoslavia. To the far right is a flying eagle with a view of a forest in the background.

Signatures

Member of the Management - Melko Cingrijia

Governor - Ignjat J. Bajloni

Dated - Belgrade, December 1, 1931

Watermark - King Alexander I

Dimensions - 197mm x 127mm

Back - Two allegorical young women both in white dresses and both also wearing a veil on their heads. The woman on the left is holding a sickle in her right hand and a sheaf of wheat in her right arm and a twig in her left hand. Behind her is an apple tree. The woman on the right is holding a shield with the design of the coat of arms of Yugoslavia and a sword in her left hand and also a twig in her right hand. Behind her is a grapevine. Below the round watermark area is an image of a double-headed eagle with its wings spanned out wide and on its chest is an image of the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in a shield.

...Great Britain - King Charles lll Polymer Series Full Set Released 05.06.2024

 Great Britain

(England, Scotland & Wales)

 

Bank of England

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

 

Here is a full set of four notes all released on 05.06.2024. Unlike the first polymer series, all these four notes were made available to the public on the same day. It has been a long time since the Bank of England has issued banknotes in full sets.

King Charles III became the King of the United Kingdom following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 08.09.2022. Coronation was held on 06.05.2023. The last series of polymer notes with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II were released between 2016 to 2021. I suppose the release of this series in full set is to honour the new monarch. If not, the Bank of England would just print new banknotes with the image of King Charles III as and when current stocks of banknotes are depleting. 

 

Since the introduction of the polymer series in 2016, this is the first reprint for the ₤5, third reprint for the ₤10, and the first reprints for both the ₤20 and ₤50 notes.

 

Apart from the new portrait of King Charles III, there are no changes to the main features or theme for this polymer series.

 

Five Pounds

King Charles III

 

Front - King Charles III (b.1948), a see-through window with Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben), Britannia;

 

Signature - Sarah John (Chief Cashier since 2018)

Watermark - Portrait of King Charles III on the see-through window

Dimensions - 126mm x 65.5mm

 

Back - Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965, Palace of Westminster and Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben), 1993 Nobel Prize in Literature award medal, Blenheim Palace maze (Blenheim Palace - birthplace and ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill);

 

Sir Winston Churchill 1874-1965

Ten pounds

King Charles III

Signature - Sarah John (Chief Cashier since 2018)

Watermark - Portrait of King Charles III on the see-through window

Dimensions - 133mm x 70mm

Back - Image of Jane Austen (b.1775 - 1817). Jane Austen, a novelist, was born in Steventon (Hampshire), south of England.  She is known as one of the most famous writers in English literature and she has only written 6 full-length novels. Her novels were made into TV series, films, theater plays and radio adaptations. She died at a very young age of 41.

 

Jane Austen (b.1775 - 1817)

 

Twenty Pounds

King Charles III

Signature - Sarah John (Chief Cashier since 2018)

Watermark - Portrait of King Charles III on the see-through window

Dimensions - 140mm x 73.5mm

 

Back - An image of Joseph Mallord William Turner (b.1775-1851) with a backdrop of one of his famous paintings, the Fighting Temeraire. This oil painting was completed in 1838. The portrait William Turner printed on this note came from a self-portrait oil painting completed in around 1799. William Turner was a romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He was born and lived in London all his life.

 

Joseph Mallord William Turner (b.1775-1851)

 

Fifty Pounds

King Charles III

Signature - Sarah John (Chief Cashier since 2018)

Watermark - Portrait of King Charles III on the see-through window

Dimensions - 147mm x 78mm

 

Back - The main design of this note on the back features Alan Mathison Turing (b.1912-1954). Alan Turing was a brilliant mathematician, computer scientist and a code breaker too. If you have seen the movie called 'The Imitation Game' then you know who I am referring to. Alan Turing was born on 21.06.1912. This note pays tribute to Alan Turing for breaking the Nazi Germany Enigma machine encryption code during the Second World War. The Enigma was a machine used by the Nazi to send secret messages securely and to make it even more difficult to crack, the German changed the cipher system daily. During the first few years of the war, Germany's U-boats (Wolfpack - a convoy of submarines) were very successful in sinking Allied ships in the Atlantic ocean, the Indian ocean and the Pacific ocean thus affecting Britain's war supplies from the United States and other countries in fighting the Nazi. The British government then formed a cryptography team that initially included Alan Turing to study and find a way to break the Enigma code. Alan Turing was not happy with some of the team members in the initial process, and he wrote to the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who then put Alan Turing in charge of the project. In July 1942, he successfully cracked the code which enabled the British to listen to the messages sent by the Germans, thus giving the British an advantage in the open seas. Alan Turing was awarded an OBE in 1945 for his wartime contribution. However, he was prosecuted in the early 1950s for being a homosexual as it was illegal then. He was arrested and found guilty of gross indecency and instead of going to prison, he accepted chemical castration as his punishment. On 07.06.1954 at the age of 41, he was found dead at his home. The official caused of death was suicide by cyanide poisoning. As not many people, even in the Great Britain would have heard of Alan Turing until the movie 'The Imitation Game' made in 2014, I guess this note is to celebrate Alan Turing's achievement during the last world war and perhaps (maybe) an apology to him for prosecuting him for who he was. In 1967, the British parliament passed the law to decriminalise homosexual activities in the United Kingdom.

 

Whilst Alan Turing was credited with the breaking of the German Enigma code, it should be noted that it was the Polish mathematicians who worked out how to read the Enigma messages first and then shared the information with the British government.

 

Alan Mathison Turing (b.1912-1954)