Sierra Leone banknotes.
There are four items to report in this round up of recent banknote issues using holographic, or other diffractive optically variable, features.
The Central Bank of Sierra Leone has now put into circulation banknotes in the newly redenominated currency, the new leone, which has seen three zeros removed from the previous currency, the leone. The code for the new currency is SLE (for the old, it was SLL).
The existing 1,000, 2,000, 5,000 and 10,000 leone notes will co-circulate with the new 1, 2, 5, 10 and a new denomination, the 20 leone. A note of 10 new leones is the equivalent of a note of 10,000 old leones.
The changes were announced last August in a bid to restore confidence in the inflation-hit national currency.
The new banknotes have a similar design to the old ones but are smaller in size, thereby saving on production costs and also making it easier to keep them in wallets. The notes were designed and printed by De La Rue, with the new 20 featuring Constance Cummings-John, an educationist and pioneer of African women’s rights. The 5, 10 and 20 leones feature a Kinetic StarChrome® security thread, while the two highest denominations also feature a holographic stripe.
The Reserve Bank of Fiji released an 88 cent numismatic note on 8 August 2022, inspired by the auspicious date of the eighth day of the eighth month, which is considered the luckiest number in China because it is associated with wealth and good fortune.
The new note – for collectors only and targeted at the Asian market – is the result of a collaboration between the Bank, De La Rue, Banknote World and China Coin Industrial Co. Accompanying the lucky Chinese number, one side of the note features an image of the Chinese god of wealth and a money tree. On the other is a hibiscus flower and the Fiji coat of arms.
Security features include a wide PUREIMAGE™ thread which contains repeat images of the number 88 and diamonds. Gold coins appear in iridescent ink and the legendary money tree is incorporated into the design with Enhanced GEMINI™ inks, in which it is visible in one colour in daylight, transforming into two colours under UV light.
The National Bank of Belarus has issued an upgraded 100 rouble banknote.
SPARK® Live has been used for the denomination numeral, and the narrowed window thread has been replaced by a wide diffractive version. The main image on the front, of the Radziwill Castle in Nesvizh, has also been improved.
Belarus began the upgrade of its 2009 series in 2019 with the issue of new 5 and 10 rouble notes, followed in 2020 by the 20 and 50 roubles. The only note in the series yet to be upgraded is the 500 rouble.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SPB) has unveiled the design for its new commemorative banknote marking 75 years of independence.
The 75 rupee note features the portraits of four prominent people in Pakistan’s post-independence history, including Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the so-called Father of Nation and its first Governor General.
On the reverse are vignettes relating to the environment, notably of the markhor (or screw-horned goat), Pakistan’s national animal, and the deodar, its national tree.
It also features a PureImage holographic thread.
The colour scheme (emerald green), portraits, vignettes and messages were conceived by an internal committee at the SPB and integrated into the final design by De la Rue. The design was then approved by the federal government on the recommendations of the SBP Board. 100 million of the notes are being produced, on paper and not on polymer as originally intended.
The new note was unveiled on 14 August, Independence Day in Pakistan. It will be issued on 30 September.
