2000 Brazil 2 Reais Bill

One of the largest segment of tourist to NYC is from Brazil. In general Brazilians tend to carry a lot of money and some are kind enough to leave some of their money if asked. That is how I got this older 2 reais note.

Blue and black ink with the head of República on the front, BANCO CENTRAL DO BRASIL, DEUS SEJA LOUVADO (God Be Praised), serial number, and signatures.

2 DOIS REAIS (2 TWO REAIS), TARTUGA MARINHA, (SEA TURTLE), CASA DE MONEDA BRASIL (MINT OF BRAZIL)

Issued in 2000 this was the first 2 reais note. It has all the typical security features of modern notes like micro-writing, watermarks, and anti-copying designs. By 2005 the 1 real notes was discontinued and this 2 reais note was the smallest circulating note still being printed.

In 2010 a currency redesign was needed to serve a healthy economy. More security features were added and different sizes were made for the visually impaired. Most of the artistic design elements stayed the same and the older notes were not demonetized so they still circulate.

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Country: 2 Reais / Brazil
Year: 2000
Printings: Unknown
Printed: Unknown
Run: Unknown 
Value:  $1.00 in Fine (about $0.85 in exchange value)

Do you have an Indian note and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1996 India 100 Rupees Bill, Inset A

Someone left this behind in a tip jar but the cashiers did not want it so I got it. It is the 1996 series 100 Rupees bill. The Inset A is the place it was printed, although not fully known it is suspected to be from the Mysore (Karnataka) printing press.

This was one of the first in the Mahatma Gandhi series. The obverse has the serial numbers in this case 0FA 744668, which is almost always 1 number, 2 letters, a a space, then 6 numbers. Unless it is a star note then the space gets replaced by a star. There are the typical security features like micro-printing, a Mahatma Gandhi watermark as well as an angled latent image in that white space.

The inset A is under the top serial numbers. If blank then it would be an earlier issue maybe June 1996 when these notes were first introduced. These are undated but can be identified as an early note by the Governor C Rangarajan at the bottom center. Since 2005 they have added the series date.

On the left hand side is a black triangle that is made with intaglio printing so it is raised slightly. This is to aid the visually impaired and each Indian note has a different geometric shape to identify the denomination.

The reverse has the Himalayas and more design elements.  The colors are muted but I am not sure if it is because it is old or it was made that way. Because of India's population billions of these were made so they may never become rare or scarce.

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Country: 100 Rupees / India
Year: 1996
Printings: Unknown
Printed: Unknown
Run: Unknown 
Value:  $1.67 in Fine

Do you have an Indian note and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1983 Ecuador 20 Sucres Note

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This one is a bit tricky for dating even though it was clearly dated Abril 20 de 1983 (April 20, 1983). Technically it is from the 1957-1971 series and overlapped with later issues. To add to the confusion Ecuador no longer issues notes or bills of any kind.

Like most new world currency the Ecuadorian sucre was meant to look and feel like U.S. currency. Their government set a fixed exchange rate to tie the sucre to the U.S. dollar in the 1930s. Unfortunately the people who controlled the monetary units kept devaluing the sucre until early in the year 2000 when it fell to 25,000 sucres per 1 U.S. dollar. The leaders of Ecuador announced the end of the sucre notes by September 11, 2000 and the permanent adoption of the U.S. dollar as Ecuador's national currency.

The American influence guided their money and now replaced it. As a whole the last time the average person could exchange sucres into dollars was 2001, there are always exception but it is not worth it unless you had millions of sucres. Ecuador still issues their own sucre coins up to 50 cents. 

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Country: 20 Sen / Ecuador
Year: April 20, 1983
Printings: Unknown
Printed: Unknown
Run: Unknown 
Value:  $2.00 in Fine, $0.0008 in exchange value

Odd side note I found this on the floor of my college cafeteria a long time ago.

Do you have an Ecuadorian note and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1964 Indonesia 10 Sen

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Taking a quick break from U.S. notes to talk about my oldest foreign note. I got this from a Cheerios box back in the 1980s when they had a special in box promotion.Cheerios has been doing this for year in the 1950s they had replica confederate money and the most famous is the Sacagewea coins from the 2000s.

BANK INDONESIA 10 SEPULUH SEN 10 1964

If I recall correctly they had 5 or 6 different notes you could collect from around the world. Of course all were worth less than a penny, yet they were uncirculated. For year I kept this one in perfect condition but one day when I was very young I found out it was the least valuable of all the cereal box money so I decided to fold it up and keep it in my wallet.

Those were the years I stopped collecting. After the state quarters came out I decided to revisit the bill and saw it is still worth little in uncirculated ($0.50) or circulated ($0.10). Still it is a neat tiny note from a time that something so small could fascinate a young collector.

Here's the stats for this bill...
Type/Country: 10 Sen / Indonesia
Year: 1964
Printings: Unknown
Printed: Unknown
Run: Unknown 
Value:  $0.05 in Fine

Do you have an Indonesian note and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2005 China 10 Yuan Bill

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Trade with China must be good. Just a couple months after finding a 2012 Chinese coin I have now was given a 10 Yuan bill by a happy Chinese tourist. I work close to a tourist trap in New York City and during lunch I keep my eye out for foreigners who may need help. After helping some guy from China I noticed his 10 Yuan and said it was cool. Yes, he was nice enough to let me have it.

This note is mainly slate blue but also has many multicolored parts. Mao Tse-tung is on the front with his lifespan of 1893-1976. A flower is near the center and also serves as a watermark.

The back has the Three gorges of Yangtze river. The entire bill has the typical security features like micro printing, watermarks, metal security strip, back and front matching images, texture, and more.

In this very used shape all the value will come from currency exchange and seeing how China likes changing that it may change a lot over the coming years.

Here's the stats for this note...
Type/Country: 10 Yuan / People's Republic of China
Year: 2005
Printings: Unknown
Value: $1.60 in Good

Do you have Chinese money and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1997 Russia 10 Roubles Bill

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This has been featured before but that was six years ago back when I first got it from a nice tourist. Since then the value has not grown but I did learn about all its great security features.

Nice note it has a bridge across the Yenisey river and a chapel tower of Krasnoyarsk. On the reverse is the Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric station dam.

 Some micro printing of the number 10 and ЦБР10, each in normal and negative print.

Held up to the light you clearly see the metallic security strip which is partially visible on the reverse. Then the two watermarks, one of the number 10 and the other of the chapel again.

Yet that is still just a a fraction of the security features which include micro-printed designs, see through designs that match up elements to the front and back, fibers, UV and IR light designs, holographic ink, embossed writing, raised  ink, and hidden tilt shift designs. For a more detailed summary check out this great Russian site CBR.ru.

U.S. notes also use many of these security features and like the Russian notes still are highly counterfeited. Knowing how silver and gold circulating coins were often faked when they were in use it is no surprise the paper money also faces that same problem. What I do not know is plastic money faked in countries where it is common?

Type/Country: 10 Rouble / Russia
Year: 1997(2004)
Printings: Unknown
Run: Unknown
Value: $1.25 in XF

Do you have bills from Russia and want to know their value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1982 Bangladesh Taka

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The only money I own from Bangladesh is this note. I think I got it out of a Cheerios box back in the 1980s. I can vaguely recall getting this note because at the time certain cereals gave world currency wrapped in plastic in the box. At the time each note was worth less than a penny in currency exchange.

Like most small denomination notes this Taka is not used in Bangladesh much instead they use one Taka coins. Taka coins are issued in 1, 2, and 5 varieties all of which are quickly replacing the currency versions. America will not follow this trend any time soon.

 

This is a multicolor note printed with purple ink designs. Two hidden items come up when you hold it to the light. A watermark bust of a tiger in the empty white space and a dark security thread on the right under the coat of arms.

There are six signature varieties, all the same value. More importantly there are 3 varieties for this year. 

Looking at the corner of the white space you can make out a signature and underneath a title in Bengali. This is a short title অর্থসচিব (FINANCE SECRETARY) means this not the longer titled PRINCIPAL FINANCE SECRETARY = মুখ্য অর্থসচিব.

So that narrows it down to two possibilities, now look at that third picture and the security thread is solid. This means it is the least common variety which is about $1.50 in uncirculated. This is compared to thread that has micro-printing and is segmented which is only $1.00 in uncirculated.

Type/Country: 1 Taka / Bangladesh
Year: 1982
Printings: Unknown
Run: Unknown
Value: $0.75 in XF, it is mostly crisp but the corners are bent

Do you have bills from Bangladesh and want to know their value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Australian Currency

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Finally the issues with Blogger have been solved and I can stop using my alter ego MC, he's not as fun.

This was kindly given by a tourist having trouble paying at the register at a big city store and I was gifted with this nice Australian five dollar note. It is one of the few foreign notes I've gotten in over a decade.

Australian currency is the definition of "funny money". It is brightly colored, has lots of designs, and is made of plastic.

Plastic money or polypropylene polymer banknotes are not new to the currency world but this is the first time I ever had one. It doesn't feel as fake as I thought plastic money would feel mainly because it has texture. The bill has raised features which gives it depth and a good grip.

The front has Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, eucalyptus leaves, and a gum flower on a transparent window. The back has Parliament House, the landscape plans for that house, and some neat patterns.

There is a lot of security features like micro-printing, dual side printing to create one image, and a few other things common to most modern notes.

Type/Country: 5 Dollars / Australia
Year: 2003A
Printings: 114,000,000 (badly estimated)
Run: ???
Value: $6.00 in VF, it has a fold and this is more of the currency exchange rate

Great video although I have to find the original source.

Do you have any notes or bills from Australia and want to know their value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Crazy Foreigners

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Back in April I met a lady from the Netherlands I said never been there but I do collect coins from that place. She then graciously offered me some coins and a bill that she couldn't use in New York.

Apparently she is traveling the world. Here are the ones she gave me plus a Canadian and American coin I found in my change.

This is why it's always good to talk to strangers.

Here are that stats for the money above...
Type/Country: 10 Rubles Bill/Russia
Year: 1997(2004)
Mintages: Unknown (by me at least)
Paper: Dk. brown & dk gray on m/c unpt.
Value: $1.25 in UNC

Type/Country: 5 Cents/United States
Year: 2006D
Mintages: 809,280,000 (Estimated)
Metal: 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Value: $0.25 in MS-63

Type/Country: 5 Cents/Canada
Year: 1983
Mintages: 72,596,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.20 in MS-60

Type/Country: 2 Euros/Netherlands
Year: 2001
Mintages: 140,500,000
Metal: Bi-Metallic Brass center in Copper-Nickel ring
Value: $4.00 in UNC

Type/Country: 10 Baht/Thailand
Year: 1995
Mintages: 53,700,000
Metal: Bi-Metallic Aluminum-bronze center in Stainless steel ring.
Value: $3.00 in UNC

Throughout that month I also received a few more from Canada, one from Ireland and some US coins. Nothing too special.

Do you have a foriegn coin/note and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.