...Ireland The Provincial Bank Of Ireland Limited - One Pound Dated 1st December 1926

Ireland - The Provincial Bank Of Ireland Limited

Currency - Pound (IEP)

This is my odd note of one pound issued by the Provincial Bank of Ireland Limited. 

The Provincial Bank of Ireland was established in 1825. In 1966, the bank, together with the Royal Bank of Ireland and the Munster & Leinster Bank merged and formed the Allied Irish Banks (AIB). AIB is considered as one of the big four commercial banks in Ireland.

One Pound

Front - The bank logo of Britannia and Hibernia sitting side by side. Below the logo is the date of 1st December 1926. There are two varieties of this series. The signatures on the note for all issued earlier are all hand-signed whilst the later ones were all printed. The signature for this note posted belonged to Hume Robertson. 

Signature - Hume Robertson

Sizes - 160mm x 92mm 

As you can see from the scan, the note that I have posted here came from the unissued reminders. There are no serial numbers printed on the note and the note has 4 rather large punched holds measuring approximately 9.2mm each in diameter. I do not understand why such a large punched hold but whoever was doing this must be having fun.

I bought this note at a local dealer out of curiosity. When I saw this note, I had no idea what it was worth nor do I have any knowledge regarding this note. This note caught my eye due to its excellent condition and for that and like most of my collection, I became blind sighted and overpaid for this note too. 

According to a website, there are at least 15 varieties for this series of notes, with the first one printed with the date of 01.08.1918. The last printed for this series was printed with that date of 01.09.1927. Also according to a website, apart from those issued for circulations, they are also printed as proofs, cancelled unissued and they are considered generally as common and a quick search on the Internet has indicated that there are plenty around.

Back - Guilloches with the bank monogram in the center. 

...Estonia - 1991 To 2006 Issues In Plastice Sleeves

Eesti

Estonia

 

Eesti Pank

Bank of Estonia (Est 1919)

Currency - Krooni (Kroon - EEK)

Below are 10 notes issued by the Bank of Estonia from 1991 to 2006. These notes were put together by the central bank in a plastic sleeve each sealed with a silver coloured label and were sold to the public individually as collectibles at a premium over the face value of the note. 

In modern history, Estonia declared independence in 1918 after the end of the First World War. The country was then occupied by the Soviet Union in June 1940 during the Second World War and Nazi Germany took it over in 1941. The Russians reclaimed the land following the defeat of the German army in 1944. The Soviet Union continued to occupy the country until the collapse of the empire in December 1991. Estonia however declared independence in August 1991. Estonia has a rather small population, around 1.40+ million people.

The notes that I have posted here are considered as the first series of banknotes issued since gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Since 1991. The central bank had issued banknotes in the values of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 and 500 krooni. The first series of notes were printed with the year date of 1991 and 1992 and officially released on 20.06.1992. The 1 and 2 krooni notes were printed with the year date of 1992, whilst the rest of the denominations were printed with the year dates of 1991 and 1992. Reprints were then issued over the years, with the last circulation note issued with the year date of 2007. 

The notes I have posted here are all especially put together by the central bank. These are all uncirculated notes and sold with a premium over the face value. Whilst I do not have the exact date for the release of these collectibles, it is believed that the bank commenced selling them in 2010. The reason I said this is that I got these notes in January 2011 from a collector in Estonia, and Estonia adopted the Euro currency on 01.01.2011. These are the only series of banknotes ever issued since 1991.

After adopting the Euro, the Estonia kroon ceased legal tender on 15.01.2011. The banks then allowed for the public to exchange the kroon for Euro until 31.12.2011. However, I believe you can still exchange them, but only in person at the Estonia Bank museum in Estonia. If you have any and if they are in uncirculated condition, your notes are worth much more than at face value. 

The notes that I have posted here are all in excellent condition. I believe these notes were carefully selected for these purposes and for all the 10 notes I have posted here, not a single one has that common cutting cup mark on the top or bottom edges of the note. The sleeve is partially sealed with a silver coloured tape and on the tape, the following words are printed in Estonian language: -

Eesti Pank

(Bank of Estonia)
Ringlemata Pangätaht

(Uncirculated Banknote)

As these are sold as numismatic products, these notes were sold at a premium at: -

2 Krooni - 12 Kr

5 Krooni - 15 Kr

10 Krooni - 20 Kr

50 Krooni - * 

25 Krooni - 40 Kr

100 Krooni - 120 Kr

500 Krooni - 520 Kt

Note * - I do not have the one for the 50 krooni note and as such I have no details as to what the selling price was then. I can only guess it's between 60 to 75 krooni each. It should be noted that the 50 krooni denomination was not a popular denomination as since 1991, this 50 krooni denomination was only issued once and it was printed with the year date of 1994. Like the 50 krooni, the 1 kroon was also printed once with the year date of 1992, however, I can only assume that this was due to the low denomination value, and replaced by a coin since then.

As I mentioned before, I got these 10 notes in January 2011, through exchange with a collector from Estonia at cost. In return, I provided the collector a mixture of Australian and foreign banknotes at face value. 

Two Krooni

2006

Front - The portrait of Karl Ernst Ritter von Baer Edler von Huthorn (b.1792-1876). He was a German scientist and explorer. He was born in Estonia and is considered as the founding father of embryology.

President - Andres Lipstok

Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg

Watermarks - Karl Ernst Ritter von Baer and electrotype 2

Sizes - 141.5mm x 69mm 

Back - The main building of University of Tartu. This is a public university and was established in 1632. This is the oldest and largest university in the country. This university was previously known as the  University of Dorpat. 

Five Krooni

1992

Front - Portrait of Paul Keres (b. 1916-1975). Keres was a chess grandmaster but had never won any World Chess Championship during his lifetime. Due to the circumstances of his country, and apart from representing his country in chess tournaments, he also represented the Soviet Union in the early 1940s, then the German, and then Soviet Union again after the war until his death in 1975. He died from a heart attack in Helsinki (Finland) at the age of 59 years old.

President - Siim Kallas

Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg

Watermark - Three lions (partially) 

Sizes - 141.5mm x 70mm 

Back - On the back, the note depicts the images of the Narva castle and Ivangorod fortress. The Narva castle (also known as Hermann Castle) was built around 1256 and is situated in the city of Narva, north-east of Estonia. The city is located at the border between Estonia and Russia and the city is divided by the Narva river. To the right is the image of the Ivangorod fortress in Ivangorod which is situated in Russian territory. The bridge that linked these two cities is called the Friendship bridge.

Ten Krooni

1991

Front - The portrait of Jakob Hurt (b.1839-1907). He was an Estonian folklorist, nationalist and theologian.

President - Siim Kallas

Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg

Watermark - Three lions (partially) 

Sizes - 141mm x 69.5mm 

Back - An image of the Tamme-Lauri oak tree. The Tamme-Lauri oak tree is a large common oak. The tree printed on the note is located in Antsla Parish in Voru Country (south of Estonia) and is the thickest and oldest tree in the country. This tree stands 17 meters tall and has a circumference of 831 centimeters. Over the years, this tree was repeatedly damaged by lightning strikes. This tree was reportedly planted in 1326.

Ten Krooni

1992

President - Siim Kallas

Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg

Watermark - Three lions (partially)  

Sizes - 141mm x 70mm 

Ten Kooni

1994

President - Siim Kallas

Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg

Watermark - Three lions (partially)

Sizes - 141mm x 70mm 

Ten Krooni

2006

President - Andres Lipstok

Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg 

Watermarks - Andres Lipstok and electrotype 10

Back - The serial number is printed on the back. 

Sizes - 141mm x 70mm 

Note - The serial numbers are now shifted to the back. All previous issues were printed on the front. 

Twenty Five Krooni

1992

Front - Anton Hansen-Tammsaare (b.1878-1940), was an Estonian writer. His birth name was Anton Hansen. He became famous when he wrote the pentalogy Truth and Justice, and his work was translated into French, Latvian, Czech, Finish, Polish, Hungarian and English..

President - Siim Kallas

Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg

Watermark - Three lions (partially)

Sizes - 141.5mm x 70mm 

Back - An image of Vargamae village. It appears that images are showing two farm houses and a barn. I have no other info to describe this design, but I quite like it. It's quite nice, and looks very natural too. 

Twenty Five Krooni

2002

President - Vahur Kraft

Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg 

Watermarks - Vahur Kraft and electrotype 25

Sizes - 140mm x 70mm 

Note - Serial numbers are printed on the back. 

One Hundred Krooni

1994

Front - Lydia Koidula (b.1843-1886). She was a well known Estonian poet. Her birth name was Lydia Emilie Florentine Jannsen and Koidula was her pen name. She is the only female to appear on this series.

President - Siim Kallas

Nŏukogu Liigu (Council of the League) - Raimund Hagelberg

Watermark - Three lions (partially) 

Sizes - 141.5mm x 69mm 

Back - Image of the Rannamoisa cliffs situated in the Rannamoisa Landscape Conservation Area. The Rannamoisa cliffs are located in the Harju Country in northern Estonia. These cliffs offer scenic views of the Baltic Sea, Kakumae Bay and the Tallinn coastline.

One Hundred Krooni

1999

President - Vahur Kraft

Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Mart Sŏrg 

Watermarks - Lydia Koidula and electrotype 100 

Sizes - 141mm x 70mm 

Five Hundred Krooni

1996

Front - Karl Robert Jakobson (b.1841-1882), a writer, publisher, politician, teacher and a promoter of agriculture.

President - Vahur Kraft

Nŏukogu Esimees (Chairman of the Board) - Uno Mereste

Watermark - Three lions (partially) 

Sizes - 141mm x 70mm 

Back - An image of a Barn swallow in flight on a beautiful landscape background. To me, this is one of the most beautiful notes designed for this series.

Below is a list of banknotes issued for this series: -

1 kroon note (1992 issue) 

2 krooni note (1992 issue) 

5 krooni note (1991, 1992, 1994 issues) 

10 krooni note (1991, 1992, 1994 issues) 

25 krooni note (1991, 1992, 2002 issues) 

50 krooni note (1994 issue) 

100 krooni note (1991, 1992, 1994, 1999 issues) 

500 krooni note (1991, 1994, 1996, 2000 issues)

...Scotland, The Royal Bank of Scotland - One Pound dated 01.05.1981

Alba

Scotland

The Royal Bank of Scotland Limited (RBS)
(Founded 1727, First issuing banknotes on 08.12.1727)

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

 

Here is the only ₤1 note of the 1981 series I have in my collection. This note belongs to the Scottish castles series. The design for this Edinburgh was first introduced in 1969 with the ₤5 note. In 1970, the bank issued another ₤5 note with the same theme and design but with different colours. In 1972, it released a full set of banknotes all depicting different Scottish castles on the back. Since then, the bank went on and issued the Castle series, albeit different designs, until 2017. However, despite releasing banknotes featuring various Scottish castles, the bank ceased issuing the ₤1 note after the 2001 series. 

 

In my opinion, the Castle series is the best series of banknotes ever designed by the Royal Bank of Scotland's banknotes issued. The designs are simple, beautiful, and more importantly, they are not overcrowded with all kinds of features.

 

One Pound

 

Front - The Coat of Arms printed on the center right. The design for the Coat of Arms featuring a horse and a deer holding onto a shield. On top of the shield is a ribbon with the word 'FIRM' printed on it. It is believed this Coat of Arms was first developed in 1960 and only appeared on the 1966 banknote series. The bank ceased using this Coat Arms when the first polymer series was introduced in 2016. Since then, the bank has used the bank logo Daisy Wheel instead. It should be noted that the Daisy Wheel logo was first used in the 1971 series.

 

Signature - John B Burke

Dated - 1 May 1981

Watermark - Image of Adam Smith

Dimensions - mm x mm

 

Back - A bird-eye view of Edinburgh Castle. This castle was first built in the 11th century. Edinburgh castle is located on top of Castle Rock. This is a historical castle and was once the royal residence. Later it was then turned into an arsenal, a treasury, a national archive, a mint, a prison and a military fortress. Whilst this castle had gone through many conflicts over the past few centuries, today it is well known to the world for its annual Edinburgh festival for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo parade. No doubt this historical castle is a tourist attraction in the city of Edinburgh and each year attracts more than 2.0+ million visitors from all over the world.

...Moldova - 2015 First Prints Full Set Of 8 Notes With Same Signature

Republica Moldova

Republic of Moldova

 

Banca Națională a Moldovei

(National Bank of Moldova, Est. 1991)

Currency - Leu (MDL)

 

Posted here is a full set of 8 notes of the 2015 first series, all printed with the year date of 2015 and all signed by the same bank governor, Dorin Dragutanu. Subsequent reprints are also dated 2015 but with different signatures. Whilst I have posted a full set here for the first prints, the bank has not issued any reprints in full set for a given year since then. 

 

Interesting story about this country is that it is landlocked and surrounded by both Romania and Ukraine. Moldova was once part of Romania until in 1944 when the Russian incorporated this region into the Moldovian Soviet Socialist Republic. Moldova has a total land area of 33.843 km2 and yet only with a rather small population of 2.42 millions. Moldova is also the second poorest country in Europe. When this country declared independence on 28.08.1991, a large strip of land lying across the Dniester river declared independence and called themselves - Transnistria. War between Moldova and Transnistria broke out in March 1992 to July 1992 with both parties then agreed to a ceasefire. Despite this, the dispute is still unresolved. The reason for Transnistria wanting to breakaway from Moldova was that they were worried that Moldova may seek unification with Romania, and for that, Transnistria was not happy about it as they preferred to be part or associated with Russia and not to Romania. Both Moldova and Romania share the same national flag, except that Moldova's flag has the Coat of Arms in the middle of the flag.

 

The Soviet Union (USSR) was officially dissolved on 26.12.1991, after a failed coup attempt in August 1991 carried out by the communist hardliners and military elites. The Soviet Union was originally made up of 15 nations. Whilst the breaking up of the USSR officially happened in December 1991, all the other 14 Soviet Republics had already declared their independence prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The 14 breakaway nations were - Armenia (September 1991), Azerbaijan (August 1991), Belarus (August 1991), Estonia (August 1991), Georgia (April 1991), Kazakhstan (December 1991), Kyrgyzstan (August 1991), Latvia (August 1991), Lithuania (March 1990), Moldova (August 1991), Tajikistan (September 1991), Turkmenistan (October 1991), Ukraine (August 1991) and Uzbekistan (August 1991). 

 

A quick glance at these notes, you can tell that they are not sophisticatedly designed with lots of security features like those we can see over the past 10-15 years. This set was issued on 12.10.2015. The colours used for this series are also limited, like some of the reverse sides are printed with one or two colours. Also there is no text printed to say that these are legal tender banknotes on the front. The Moldavian Leu is considered as an exotic currency as it is not widely traded due to high volatility and limited liquidity.

 

This set of 8 notes is printed by Banque de France in France. All notes were released on 12.10.2015 with the exception for the 5 lei, which was released on 11.12.2017.

One Leu

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 12.10.2015)

Watermark - Stephen the Great

Dimensions - 110mm x 58mm

Front - On the front, all notes are printed with the portrait of Stephen III or commonly known as Stephen the Great (Stefan cel Mare) wearing a crown over his head. In fact, all banknotes issued since 1992 printed with the portrait of him, which is quite common with many other countries that have the same leader or their head of state appearing on their banknotes.

 

Back - Capriana monastery which is located in Capriana. This monastery was founded in 1429, and is one of the oldest monasteries in Moldova.

 

 

 

Five Lei

 

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 11.12.2017)

Watermark - Stephen the Great

Dimensions - 114.5mm x 58mm

Front - Stephen III was born in January 1433 and died on 02.07.1504. Stephen III was the son of Bogdan II (b.1409-1451). Bogdan II was murdered in 1451, which was carried out by his brother and Stephen III's uncle Peter III Aaron. Instead of succeeding his father, Stephen III had to flee to Hungary when his uncle claimed the Moldavia throne. In 1457, Stephen III returned to Moldovia and defeated Peter III Aaron, was forced to seek refuge in Poland. In 1470, Peter III Aaron attacked Moldavia but was defeated by Stephen III who later executed him.

 

Back - St. Dumitru church (Biserica Sf. Dumitru) situated in Orhei. Orhei is located in the center east of Moldova. This church was completed in 1636.
 

 

 

Ten Lei

 

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 12.10.2015)

Watermark - Stephen the Great

Dimensions - 121.5mm x 61.5mm

 

Front - Stephen III was the Prince of Moldavia from 1457 until his death in 1504. He was succeeded by his son, Bogdan III the One-Eyed. In modern Romanians, Stephen III is regarded as one of the greatest national heroes and in 1992, the Romanian Orthodox Church canonised him as Stephen the Great and Holy (Stefan cel Mare si Sfant).

Back - Image of Hirjauca monastery, which was founded in 1740. As per the name, it is a monastery located north of the village of Hirjauca (center west of Moldova).

 

 

 

Twenty Lei

 

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 12.10.2015)

Watermark - Stephen the Great

Dimensions - 120mm x 62mm

 

Front - Stephen III's portrait is all printed to the left side of the note. His portrait shows him wearing a crown on his head. To his right are the words printed vertically - Stephen cel Mare, which means Stephen the Great in Romanian.

 

Back - Soroca castle (fort). The castle was first built in 1499 by Stephen the Great. As it is called, this castle is located in the town of Soroca in the north-east of the country, not far from the Ukraine border. The castle was originally constructed in timber and between 1543 to 1546, it was then rebuilt with stones. The castle was originally used for military purposes and today it is a main tourist attraction in the town.

Fifty Lei

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 12.10.2015)

Watermark - Stephen the Great

Dimensions - 120mm x 62mm

Front - To the left of the portrait of Stephen III are printed with three words vertically - Stefan cel Mare (Stephen the Great). On the center bottom are printed with the following warning text - „FALSIFICAREA ACESTOR BILETE SE PEDEPSEŞTE CONFORM LEGILOR" which means - Counterfeit of this banknote is punished according to the law.

Back - Hibovat monastery, founded in 1730 is located north of the village of Hirbovat.

One Hundred Lei

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 12.10.2015)

Watermarks - Stephen the Great and electrotype BNM

Dimensions - 134mm x 66.5mm

Front - In the middle for each note is printed with the denomination value. To the center right is the Coat of Arm of Moldova. Below that is the signature of the bank's Governor, and at the bottom is a round design with the following words - PE-UN PICIOR DE PLAI, PE-O GURA DE RAI... (translated - “near a low foothill at Heaven’s threshold”)

Back -Tigjina Fortress is a 15th century fortress located on the right bank of the Dniester River in Bender, Moldova. This fortress was built during the reign of Prince Stephen the Great. 

 

Two Hundred Lei

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 12.10.2015)

Watermarks - Stephen the Great and electrotype BNM

Dimensions - 133.5mm x 67mm

Front - Like all notes printed, they all have the watermark of Stephen the Great. However, the higher denominations of 100, 200 and 500 lei all also have the electrotype BNM letters (Banca Nationala A Moldovei) incorporated as additional security features. For the three notes of 100, 200 and 500 lei, the bank's name in full is printed on the front and on the back of each note. For the rest or lower denominations, it only got printed on the back.

Back - Image of Chisinau City Hall, which was built in 1901. This building is located in central Chisinau and was rebuilt after it was badly destroyed during the Second World War (1939-1941). Chisinau is the largest city and is also the capital city of Moldova.

Five Hundred Lei

Governor - Dorin Dragutanu (tenure 2009-2016)

Date - 2015 (released on 12.10.2015)

Watermarks - Stephen the Great and electrotype BNM

Dimensions - 133.5mm x 66.5mm

 

Front - This is the largest denomination printed for this series. The 1000 lei was not issued or included for this series. Moldova's currency is not a strong currency on the international stage and is almost at par with the South African Rand.

 

Back - Chisinau cathedral or Cathedral of Christ's Nativity. This cathedral was built in the 1830s. This building was partly damaged during the Second World War, and was used as an exhibition center during the Soviet era. Like the Chisinau City Hall, this cathedral is also located in the center of Chisinau and is within a short walking distance (5 minutes walk) between these two buildings.

...Belarus - 80 Rubles Commemorative 80th Anniversary Of The Victory Of The Soviet People In The Great Patriotic War 1945-2025

Рэспубліка Беларусь

Republic of Belarus

Нацыянальны банк Рэспублікі Беларусь
(National Bank of The Republic of Belarus)
Currency - Ruble (BYN)

 

This is a commemorative note of 80 rubles reportedly released on 31.03.2025 for the celebration of the 80th Anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War or the Second World War (1939-1945). I believe this note celebrates the defeat of Nazi Germany in Belarus (Belorussian SSR) in mid-April 1945.

A total of 80,000 sets have been issued at a price at 120 rubles per set. The note that I have posted here came in a folder. It is not sure if all are issued this way, as the notes are available in the market with and without the folder. According to one source, a total of 200,000 pieces were issued with 80,000 issued in a folder, and 120,000 as singles. In addition to the 80 rubles note, coins of 1 (copper-nickel 5,000 pieces) and 20 rubles  (silver 2,500 pieces) were also released for this celebration.

Belarus was once part of the Soviet Union and it became independent on 25.08.1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. When the Second World War (WW2) started in September 1939, the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Eastern Poland. During the invasion, the Soviet Union annexed Western Belorussian and incorporated it into the Belorussian SSR. In 1941, Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union and remained under the Nazi control until 1944. World War II in Europe ended on 08.05.1945 when Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally.

 

Eighty Rubles

Front - Courage monument of the Great Fortress Hero memorial complex. This monument is the central object of the Best Fortress Hero Memorial Complex in Belarus. This monument is located in the Ceremonial Square, and the monument is a symbol of courage and valor and serves as a place of remembrance for those who defended the country during the last great war. To the right of the monument is an image of a church and in the background is an incomplete outline map of Belarus. To the right is a flying dove over the globe and below that is the Mother Homeland status which represents love and royalty to the country. The year dates of 1945 and 2025 are printed. You will need to tilt the note to see these two year dates. On top of the note (central top) the year date of 2025 is printed. There are no signatures printed on the note.

Signature - N/A

Date - 2025

Quantity Issued - 80,000 pieces/set

Issue Price - 120 rubles each

Watermarks - Apple blossom and electrotype 80

Sizes - 152mm x 70.5mm

Back - Image of a mother's hand holding a child's hand against the background of national ornament, an image of the Minsk Gate architectural complex and apple blossom. To the far right are three flying storks. The year date of 2025 is also printed in the central top of the note. 

This is the folder that comes with the note. Inside is a hard plastic case that can showcase the note. This hard cover folder is very nicely produced for this commemorative note.