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some of the notes posted here are available for exchange. please contact me for a chat.
no borrowed scans used here unless otherwise stated.

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12 October, 2024

...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.

01 October, 2024

...East Caribbean - $50 Polymer 2024 - Grenada 50th Year Of Independence 1974-2024

Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States
(Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, British Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe and Martinique)

Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (Est. 1983)      
Currency : Dollar (CXD)
 
This is a commemorative polymer note of $50 issued in August 2024 for the celebration of Grenada's 50th Year of Independence anniversary from the British. Despite gaining full independence, the country adopted a unitary parliamentary system with King Charles III as the Head of State (King of Grenada) and has been represented by a Governor-General, Dame Cecile Ellen Fleurette La Grenade since 2013. Grenada was one of the founding members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States when it was first established on 18.06.1981. Prior to this, Grenada was a member of the West Indies Associated States (together with Antigua, Dominica, Saint Christopher, Nevis, Anguilla, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent). Grenada's association ended in 1974 when it became independent.
 
The British officially invaded Grenada on 10.02.1763 under the Treaty of Paris. On 03.03.1967, the country was granted full autonomy and on 07.02.1974, it became fully independent with Eric Gairy (b.1922-1997) becoming the first Prime Minister, serving from 1974 to 1979.
 
Grenada is situated north of Trinidad and Tobago and consists of one main island and a few other smaller islands to the north. It has a small population of around 125,000+/-. Grenada briefly became world famous in the early 1980s. If you have followed world news then, you will remember that this tiny nation was invaded by the USA during the administration of President Ronald Reagan in 1983. The invasion was carried out due to differences in political ideological ideas and policies among the ruling party and the USA. At that time, the Grenada government was very friendly to Cuba (and to the Soviet Union) and because of this the USA was not too happy to have a pro Cuban nation so close to home that may pose a security threat to them. I believe this is the only USA's invasion of a foreign power that ended successfully since the end of the Second World War in 1945. The invasion was brief and only lasted for 8 days (25.10.1983-02.11.1983). Despite having a much superior firing power against the Grenadian forces (and the Cubans), the USA lost 19 of its soldiers in this conflict.

This commemorative banknote honours famous people of Grenada for their pivotal roles in shaping Grenada's history. The designs for this note incorporates Grenada's culture and landmarks and it's achievements since gaining independence.
 
This note is printed in vertical format, both front and back on SAFEGUARD® polymer substrate. It is believed that more commemorative banknotes will be issued when other members of the Eastern Caribbean States celebrate their 50th Anniversary of Independence at a later date. Grenada was the first country to gain independence and as such the first member to issue this commemorative note. Out of the eleven members, Anguila is still a member of the British Overseas Territory and has not chosen to become an independent state yet. The Guadeloupe and Martinique are colonies of France and I believe they have been using the Euro currency since 2002. The British Virgin Islands is using the United States dollar, despite the name 'British'.

This note is undated (nd2024). So far, only two prefixes have been signed - AA and AB. According to the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank's website, this is a limited edition and the notes are only made available in Grenada only. However, this commemorative note is valid for legal tender in any of the member countries of the Eastern Caribbean Currency Union. In addition to single note, special $50 notepacks are also sold for those who wish to keep this commemorative note as a souvenir and the issue prices are as follows; -

$50 Commemorative Bank Note Pack - US$30 per set;
$50 Golden Jubilee Commemorative Magazine - US$30 per set; and
$50 Commemorative Bundle Package $50 Note and Magazine - US$50 per set.
(Courtesy of De La Rue)
  
Fifty Dollars

Governor - Timothy N.J. Antoine (since 2016-)
Printer - De La Rue 
Prefix - AA
Dimensions - 69.5mm x 146mm
 
Front - Portrait of Sir Eric Matthew Gairy (b.1922-1997), the first Prime Minister of Grenada from 1974 to 1979. Whilst Eric Gairy was out of the country in 1979, Maurice Rupert Bishop staged a coup d'état and installed himself as the second Prime Minister. Prior to that, Eric Gairy was the Premier of Grenada from 1967 to 1974, and before that was the Chief Minister from 1961 to 1962. Next to him is the Grenadian famous Olympian 400 meters runner champion Kirani James who won a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, a silver medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. I believe he was not involved in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Below Eric Gairy is a silhouette of three people (family of three) appearing to be celebrating. To the right are the islands (map) of Grenada. The smaller maps are printed over a waterfall. There are at least seven waterfalls in Grenada but I am not sure which one this waterfall is related to. At the bottom is the silhouette of Maurice Bishop International Airport with a commercial airplane taxiing on the tarmac.

Back - Portrait of Maurice Rupert Bishop (b.1944-1983). He was the second Prime Minister of Grenada from 1976 to 1983. He was overthrown by his deputy Winston Bernard Coard (b.1944) on 13.10.1983 and executed on 19.10.1983 by Winston Bernard Coard's followers. He died at the age of 39 years old. Winston Bernard Coard then went on and ruled the country from 13.10.1983 to 19.10.1983 before he too was removed by General Hudson Austin (b.1938-2022). General Hudson Austin only ruled Grenada for 6 days before the USA's invasion. After the invasion, both Winston Bernard Coard and General Hudson Austin were put on trial and both were sentenced to death in 1986. In 1991, their sentences were then commuted to life and in 2007 both were released as free men. Whilst General Hudson Austin died in 2022, Winston Bernard Coard is still alive today. He has given up politics since he was freed in 2007. Below the portrait of Maurice Rupert Bishop is a woman dancing and supported by a musician team of three men playing drums.
 
Fifty Dollars

Governor - Timothy N.J. Antoine (since 2016-)
Printer - De La Rue 
Prefix - AB
Dimensions - 70mm x 145mm
 
Front - Fourteen tactile dots in the shape of a triangle are featured in the top left corner where the denomination of "50" is situated. To the right and below the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank's name, the commemorative text of "50 Years Grenada's Independence" is printed and over the image of Kirani James running, the following text is printed - "The difficult we do right away. The impossible will take time". At the bottom below the commercial plan, the following text is repeatedly printed in two rows in two different colours - One People One Journey One Future.
 
Back - Next to the portrait of Maurice Rupert Bishop are the two large digits of "50" representing 50 years of independence. The following text is printed over the two digits - Forward ever; backward never. At the bottom of the note is the bird-eye view of Grenada's capital city - Saint Georg's.

I personally find it interesting to see this note honouring both Eric Gairy and Maurice Rupert Bishop. Eric Gairy was allegedly reported to be very autocratic and corrupt during his term in office, and Maurice Rupert Bishop removed Eric Gairy, who was then the elected Prime Minister not via a democratic means but by force. I suppose they are still considered as national heroes in Grenada. I wonder what Winston Bernard Coard's opinion on the designs of this note is? 


04 August, 2024

...Thailand - 100 Baht 2024 Commemorative 72nd Birthday of King Maha Vajiralongkorn Polymer Note

ราชอาณาจักรไทย
(Kingdom of Thailand)
 
Bank of Thailand, Est.1942
(ธนาคารแห่งประเทศไทย)
Currency : Baht (THB)
 
This is a commemorative note issued to commemorate the King of Thailand's King Rama X's 6th Cycle (72nd birthday) birthday celebration.
 
King Maha Vajiralongkorn (King Rama X) was born on 28.07.1952. This commemorative note was released on 23.07.2024, 5 days before the King's birthday.
 
A total of 10 millions pieces have been issued with 2 million special brochures printed and sold at 10 baht each. All proceeds from the sale of the folders (without the note) are to be presented to the King at his discretion. The folder is measured at 130mm x 204mm. This banknote is printed on Polymer substrate material.

One Hundred Baht

Front - A portrait of King Rama X in full Regalia with the Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao breast chain. King Rama X was born Vajiralongkorn on 28.07.1952. He was the only son of the late King Rama IX, Bhumibol Adulyadej. King Rama X ascended to the Thai's throne on 13.10.2016 at the age of 64 years old, following the death of his father King Rama IX. The Emblem of Thailand, the Garuda (the mount of Lord Vishnu) is printed on the top right hand corner as a see-through feature. The Garuda is a birdlike mythological beast of the Hindu and Buddhist tradition. A Garuda is a large hybrid half-man and half-bird creature. An octagon see-through window is printed below the Coat of Arms. This octagon is embossed with a tiny bullet-wood flower to assist with those vision impaired. On the top left corner is the royal emblem for the Auspicious Occasion of the King's 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary.

Minister of Finance - Srettha Thavisin
Governor - Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput
Quantity Issued - 10 million pieces
Folder - 2 million units
Printer - Bank of Thailand Note Printing Works
Dimensions - 90mm x 164mm

Back - King Rama X standing in full Regalia with the Ancient and Auspicious order of the nine gems, the Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Most Illustrious Order of Chula Chom Klao breast chain and with a ceremonial sword in his left hand. A Four-leaf squared flower perfect registrar feature is printed on the same location on both sides (back - on the bottom right corner; front - bottom left corner) which can be seen when held up against the light. On the bottom, the following Thai text are printed on the note: - 
 
ที่ระลึกเฉลิมพระเกียรติพระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว เนื่องในโอกาสพระราชพิธีมหามงคลเฉลิมพระชนมพรรษา ๖ รอบ ๒๘ กรกฎาคม ๒๕๖๗ 
 
<Souvenirs in honor of His Majesty the King On the occasion of the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King's 6th Cycle Birthday Anniversary, 28 July 2024>.
 
One Hundred Baht

This is a replacement note printed with the prefix of ๙พ. Apart from the denomination value of 100, this note is printed entirely in Thai's text. All modern Thai baht notes issued for general circulation, and including those previous commemorative notes issued are printed with Arabic numerals for the serial numbers. For this issue, it's all in Thai's writing.
 
This note is printed by Bank of Thailand Note Printing Works in Bangkok, Thailand. 

28 July, 2024

Brunei - 10 Ringgit Dated 2013 Reprint

 نڬارا بروني دارالسلام
(Negara Brunei Darussalam)
 
Monetary Authority of Brunei Darussalam
Currency : Ringgit (BND)
 
This is an odd note of 10 ringgit polymer note printed with the year date of 2013. This is not the only 2013 print as the 1, 100 and 500 all dated 2013 were also issued and I have posted these in separate posts, together with the same denominations. Going forward, I will post them according to the year of issue.
 
As for this 10 ringgit, this is the reprint for the 2011 series and no reprints have been sighted since then. As for the 2011 series, it was issued to coincide with the Sultan's birthdays and again, I have posted them (1, 5 and 10 ringgit) all in a separate post. 

I have had this note for quite a while now and it is long overdue to post this on my site.
 
One Ringgit (Polymer)
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien lll
 
Front - The portrait of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah ibni Omar Ali Saifuddien lll. In the center is the flower rancah rancah (Cosmos caudatus).

Signature - Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah
Dimensions - 141mm x 69mm
 
Back - An aerial view of the Jame' Asri Hassanil Bolkiah mosque. The mosque is viewed from the northern side. This mosque is located in the village of Kiarong in the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan. This mosque was designed by John Lawson and was completed in 1994 at a cost of US$8.0M. This is currently the largest mosque in the country and can hold up to 5,000 worshipers at a given time.
 
Jame' Asri Hassanil Bolkiah mosque

19 July, 2024

...Samoa - 2023/2024 Polymer Series

Malo Saʻoloto Tutoʻatasi o Sāmoa
(Independent State of Samoa)

Central Bank of Samoa (est.1984)
Currency : Tala (WST)

Signatures
Minister of Finance - Lautimui Afoa Uelese Va'ai (since 01.10.2023)
Governor - Maiava Atalina Emma Ainuu-Enari (since 11.08.2011)
 
In December 2023, the central bank announced three new banknotes to be issued. These three notes are all printed on polymer substrate materials. On 18.12.2023, the bank then released the first denomination of 5 tala, with the remaining two denominations released on 23.01.2024.
 
The designs for this new series are similar to the last paper series, except that these new notes are printed on polymer substrate material and as such a see-through window is incorporated on each of the notes. Like those banknotes introduced since 2008, the prefixes are all printed with double-letter, and the first prefix for the 5 tala is AA, with BB for the 10 tala; and CC for the 20 tala. The replacement prefix is printed with the two letters ZZ.
 
Five Tala
Sandy beach in Samoa
 
Front -  Tourism team. A beautiful pristine view of a sandy beach in Samoa. Tourism is one of the main economic drivers of Samoa.
 
Five Tala (Replacement prefix ZZ)
Sandy beach in Samoa
 
Back - Robert Louis Stevenson's former residence in Samoa. He is known as Tusitala (Teller of Tales) to the locals in Samoa. Robert Louis Stevenson (b.1850-1894) was a Scottish novelist and a travel writer. He settled in Samoa in 1890 and died of a stroke in 1894 at the age of 44 years old. He died in a village called Vailima (Villa Vailima) which is about four miles south of Apia, the capital of Samoa. His former residence is now a museum.
 
Dimensions - 141.5mm x 73mm
 
Robert Louis Stevenson Museum
 
Ten Tala
Samoa International Rugby Board (IRB) Hong Kong Sevens Champion 2007

Front - Sport theme. It features Samoa's rugby sevens team triumphant victory, crowned champions at the International Rugby Board (IRB) Hong Kong Sevens in 2007. This tournament was founded in 1976 and is a 3 days event held annually in Hong Kong. Since then, Samoa have won three times, in 1993, 2007 and 2010.
 
Ten Tala (Replacement Prefix ZZ
Samoa International Rugby Board (IRB) Hong Kong Sevens Champion 2007

Dimensions - 140.5mm x 73mm

Back - Samoan children on their way to school.
 
Samoan children

Twenty Tala
Sopoaga falls

Twenty Tala (Replacement prefix ZZ)
Sopoaga falls
 
Front - Image of Sopoaga falls in Samoa. This waterfall is situated on the island of Upolu and is the largest waterfall in Samoa. entrance to this falls cost 10 tala per person.
Back - Featuring the national bird of Samoa, the Manumea, and Samoa's national flower, the Teuila.

Dimensions - 141mm x 72.5mm

Back - Featuring the national bird of Samoa, the Manumea, and Samoa's national flower, the Teuila.
 
Manumea and Teuila (National bird and flower)