...Transnistria - A full set of Specimen Notes BB 0000000 One To 500 Rubles

Република Молдовеняскэ Нистрянэ

Приднестровская Молдавская Республика

(Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic)

 

Transnistrian Republican Bank, Est.1992

Currency : Ruble (RUP)

 

Here is a full set of 8 specimen notes all dated 2012. The notes posted here are the 1, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 500 rubles. All notes are printed with the Russian word 'ОБPA3EЦ'. I believe this word means 'Sample' or 'Specimen'. This word is printed on the front and back of each note.

 

Whilst these specimen notes have no negotiable values for goods and services rendered, in reality, 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.

Like all other Transnistrian banknotes issued, there are no signatures printed on the notes. All notes are also printed with the same serial numbers of BB 0000000.

One Ruble

 

Watermark - 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 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

 

Watermark - Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 56.5mm

 

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

 

Watermark - Alexander Vassilyevich Suvorov and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 56.5mm

 

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

 

Watermark - Catherine the Great and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 56.5mm

 

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

 

Watermark - Taras Grigoryyevich Shevchenko and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 60mm

 

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.

 

One Hundred Rubles

 

Watermark - Dimitrie Cantemir and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2007/2012

Dimensions - 130mm x 60.5mm

 

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 Hundred Rubles

 

Watermark - Piotr Aleksandrovich Rumyantsev-Sadunayskiy and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2004/2012

Dimensions - 136mm x 64mm

 

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

 

Watermark - Catherine the Great and electrotype ПРБ

Series - 2004/2012

Dimensions - 141mm x 68.5mm

 

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.

 

...Scotland, Clydesdale Bank Limited - £1 Dated 1974

Alba / Scotland

Clydesdale Bank Limited

(Founded 1838, First issuing banknotes on 07.05.1838)

Currency : Pound Sterling (GBP)

This is one odd note of £1 I have in my collection that was printed with the date of 1st March 1974 and signed by A R MacMillian as Chief General Manager. I am unable to find out what the initials "A R" stand for. The condition of this note is heavily circulated and I have no recollection as to how I got this note in the first place. It is most likely that I got this as a change, but I can't confirm this. This £1 note was issued between 1971 to 1981 and unfortunately this is the only piece I have in my collections.

The design on the back depicts the scene of the Battle of Bannockburn which was fought on 23rd and 24th of June 1314 between Robert the Bruce against the invading army of King Edward ll of England. The battle was won by Robert the Bruce and today the National Trust of Scotland operates the Bannockburn Visitor Center where the battle was believed to be fought to commemorate this famous victory.

One Pound

Dated 1974, King of Scots Robert the Bruce

Reverse - Battle of Bannockburn

...Great Britain - 20 Pounds (nd)2025 s. Chief Cashier Ms Victoria Mary Florence Cleland

Great Britain

(United Kingdom - England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland)

 

Bank of England (Est. 1694)

Currency - Pound Sterling (GBP)

 

Here, I have the ₤20 polymer note with the portrait of King Charles the Third first issued on 05.06.2024. The note that I have here is the reprint of the nd2024 series, but with the Chief Cashier signature of Victoria Mary Florence Cleland. It is believed that this reprint note was issued in (nd)2025.

It is interesting to know that this is Victoria Cleland second time appointment to the Bank of England as the Chief Cashier role. She replaced Sarah John, who is now the bank's Chief Operating Officer. Victoria Cleland first served as the Chief Cashier from March 2014 to June 2018. During that time, her signature appeared on the ₤10, ₤20 and ₤50 paper banknotes and then the ₤5 and ₤10 polymer notes first series. All these notes carried the portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth the Second (b.1926-2022). Now she is back again as the bank's Chief Cashier and she was reappointed in March 2025. There is no fixed term for the Bank of England Chief Cashier position. The Chief Cashier position was first established by the bank in 1694, and since then, I believe that Victoria Cleland is the only person that has been appointed to this role more than once.

This is the only note issued with the signature of Victoria Cleland for this King Charles polymer series, and hopefully more to come when reprints for the other denominations to be issued at a later date, if required.

  

Twenty Pounds

 

Front - Portrait of King Charles III who became the King of the United Kingdom following the death of mother, Queen Elizabeth II on 08.09.2022. Coronation was held on 06.05.2023. The last series of polymer notes bearing the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II were released between 2016 to 2021. There are three transparent windows on the note. The one to the left has the face of King Charles. Next to it is the Margate Lighthouse (Kent) in gold foil alongside the Turner Contemporary gallery. To the far right is a window from the ruins of Tintern Abbey. Printed in the center of the note is the Bank of England headquarters which is located on Threadneedle Street in London. Above this are the four shields representing the United Kingdom (L-R) - England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. 

Signature - Victoria Mary Florence Cleland (Chief Cashier since March 2025)

Watermark - King Charles III on the see-through window

Dimensions - 139.5mm x 73mm

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.

...Poland - 10 And 20 Zlotych 2025 Reprints

Rzeczpospolita Polska
(Republic of Poland)

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

 

Below are the two notes of 10 and 20 zlotych both printed with the year date of 2025. These are reprints of the current series, first introduced in 2012.

 

Ten Zlotych 

Duke Mieszko I (b.930-992)

Front - Duke Mieszko I (b.930-992) was Duke of Poland from 960 until his death in 992. He founded the first unified Polish state, the Civitas Schinesghe. He was also the first Christian ruler of Poland.

Previous issues were dated 05.01.2012 and 15.09.2016 

Signatures

President (Prezes) - Adam Glapiński

Chief Treasurer (Główny Skarbnik) - Barbara Jaroszek 

Date - 30 Stycznia 2025 r. 

Watermarks - Duke Mieszko and electrotype 10

Sizes - 120mm x 60mm

Back - An image of a Silver Denar (denarius). The Silver Denar was the first form of tangible Polish currency, circulating from the 10th century. The coin was initially minted from silver featuring various Polish rulers.
 

Silver Denar (denarius)

 

Twenty Zlotych 

Front - King Boleslaw I Chrobey (the Brave) wearing a crown on his head.

Previous issues were dated 05.01.2012 and 15.09.2016 

Signatures

President (Prezes) - Adam Glapiński

Chief Treasurer (Główny Skarbnik) - Barbara Jaroszek 

Date - 19 Marca 2025 r. 

Watermarks - King Boleslaw I Chrobey and electrotype 20

Sizes - 126.5mm x 63mm

Back - An image of a Silver Denar (denarius) coin.

...Sweden - 20 And 100 Kronor ND2022 Series K Prefix Prints

Kingdom of Sweden

Konungariket Sverige 

Central Bank of Sweden (Est; 1668)

Sveriges Riksbank

Currency - Krona (SEK)

 

Here, I have posted two notes both supposedly printed in 2022 with the prefix letter K. The two notes posted are the 20 and 100 kronor and it is believed that the 500 kronor is printed too. So far, none has been sighted in public yet. As at the time of this posting, only two prefixes for the 500 kronor have been issued and they were printed with the letters B (nd2014) and C (nd2015). I also read somewhere that this 500 kroner notes were also printed with the letters E (nd2017), F (nd2018) and G (nd2019). I am not sure if this is correct. Time will tell! 

There are no years printed on most recent banknotes issued but one can only tell which year the notes are printed by looking at the letter prefix. I have listed the prefixes and year of issues at the bottom of this post.

Twenty Kronor

Front - A portrait of Astrid Lindgren (b.1907-2002). Born Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren was a Swedish children's book author, featuring likes of Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lonneberga, Karlsson-on-the-Roof and The Six Bullerby Children books etc. In addition to these, she also wrote other fictional books and screenplays as well. It was reported that by 2010, over 160 millions written by her have been sold worldwide. To her right is one of her children's characters, Pippi Longstocking. 

Signatures

Chairman - Bo Goran Rickard Broman

Governor - Stefan Nils Magnus Ingves 

Year - Series K (nd2022) 

Watermarks - Astrid Lindgren and electrotype 20

Sizes - 120.5mm x 66mm

Back - It depicts a forest scene in Smaland, a province located in the southern part of Sweden as highlighted in the map. Astrid Lindgren was born near Vimmerby, about 300 kilometers south of Stockholm. The flower on the central bottom is the Linnaea or twinflower.

 

One Hundred Kronor 

Front - This is the second reprint of 100 kroner (3rd issue since 2014). This note basically honors the late Swedish born actress Greta Garbo (b.1905-1990). Greta Garbo was born in Stockholm and was named Greta Lovisa Gustafsson. At the young age of 20 years old, she went to Hollywood and became a premier star during Hollywood's silent movie eras. In 1951 she became a naturalised US citizen. In all, she acted in 34 movies and her Hollywood career started when she moved to the US in 1925. In total, she acted in 24 movies in the US from 1925 to 1941. It is surprising that her signature is not included in the design of the portrait.

Signatures

Chairman - Bo Goran Rickard Broman

Governor - Stefan Nils Magnus Ingves 

Year - Series K (nd2022) 

Watermarks - Greta Garbo and electrotype 100

Sizes - 133.5mm x 66.5mm

Back - On the back, the note depicted a few famous buildings situated or around in Stockholm, Sweden. From L-R, they are: The Palace, Parliament building and City hall building. In the background, it is believed that is the image of the Öresund Bridge that connects the city of Copenhagen in Denmark to Malmo in Sweden. To the far right is the map of Sweden. This map is printed on all the current series of banknotes issued since 2014.

Five Hundred Kronor (Missing if any)

Footnote: - Year of issues based on letter prefix printed

A - 2013 : test note - is it believed the 50 and 100 kronor were printed

B - 2014 : Full set 20 to 1000 kroner

C - 2015 : 100 and 500 kroner

D - 2016 : 20 and 100 kroner

E - 2017 : 500 kroner (none sighted yet)

F - 2018 : 500 kroner (none sighted yet)

G - 2019 : 500 kroner (none sighted yet)

H - 2020 : -

I - 2021 : not used

J - 2021 : 100 kroner

K - 2022 : 20, 100 and 500 kroner

L - 2023 : -

M - 2024 : -

N - 2025 : -

O - 2026 : Not sure if this letter will be used, if any