In a blog post long, long ago we scoured through what was then the 119 circulating currencies of the 192 UN member states to find some of the world’s most colorful currencies. And we found a few, but the comment section was filled with bank notes that were not taken note of. So, with the suggestions of our members and a bit more scouring here are some more colorful bank notes in part two of The Color of Money From Around the World or The World’s Most Colorful Currencies. And don’t forget to check out part one, The Color of Money from Around the World, and the site Ron Wise’s Banknoteworld who seems to have a complete collection of world currencies scans.

Faeroese króna

Palettes by isotope.151

Türk lirası

Spanish pesetas

South African rand

Romanian leu

Polish złoty

New Zealand dollar

Mexican peso

Lithuanian litas

Jamaican dollar

Croatian kuna

Costa Rican colón

Canadian dollar

Bulgarian lev

Bahamian dollar

Azerbaijan manat

Australian dollar

Argentinean  peso

100USD Bill Now In 3D!

The Series 2009 $100 bill design was unveiled on April 21, 2010 and will be issued to the public on February 10, 2011. The new Hundred has received design changes similar to the current $5, $10, $20 and $50 bills. The new bill features an enlarged portrait, color-changing ink, and a unique teal background color. A depiction of a quill has been added to the front along with faint phrases of the Declaration of Independence. New security features include a three-dimensional security ribbon and a color changing “Bell in the Inkwell”. The security thread, portrait watermark, and microprinting security features were retained from the previous design. The reverse of the new bill depicts the rear of Independence Hall, as opposed to main front entrance which was shown on the reverse of the previous series. Also new to note is a uniquely colored, large, numerical inscription found on the right side of the reverse, of the note’s amount oriented in a fashion that is perpendicular to the rest of the prominent writing. The 2009 redesign marks the first time the signatures of the Treasury department executives are placed on one side, and that the signature of the Treasury Secretary is above that of the United States Treasurer. - wiki

Source: COLOURlovers

In honor of this month’s release of the United States’ redesigned five dollar bill I have been scouring through the 191 currently circulating currencies of the 192 member states of the United Nations to find some of the most colorful, unique and dramatic bank notes.

The New Five

Photo from moneycenteral.msn.com

The redesigned $5 bill was unveiled on September 20, 2007, and was issued on March 13, 2008. Previously covered here on COLOURlovers, the redesign involves some very noticeable changes, mostly for security reasons, but also in an attempt to make the bill more friendly to the visually impaired.

The new five incorporates the use of micro printing of type to make it more difficult to copy. On the front, “FIVE DOLLARS” is written inside the left and right borders. “E PLURIBUS UNUM” is printed at the top of the shield. “USA” is between the columns of the shield and “USA FIVE” is printed on the edge of the most noticeable change, the giant purple “5″.

Photo from moneycenteral.msn.com

The giant purple “5″. Yes, well, it was added to help those who are visually impaired but it may just leave more of us wishing that we were. Not that I necessarily dislike it, mostly I’m not too concerned with what the money looks like since I’m not collecting it for its aesthetic qualities, but a more reasonable choice, or at least a more colorful choice, would have been just to make the whole thing purple and start color coding all of the bills, much like many, if not most, other countries do. Maybe the Government doesn’t want to get too far away from our ‘greenback’.

One Interesting thing about the new five is the use of the EURion constellation which many photocopiers will refuse to copy. This pattern, which is used for the series of little yellow “05″s, is used on many other currencies as well.

Other changes to the bill include the increased use of water marks and an added security strip like those already used for higher denominations.

The Most Colorful Currencies

Compared to those previous drab gray and green bills the US has made some colorful changes to the currency, but it is still nothing compared to the beautifully crafted and colored currencies of Venezuela, Switzerland, and Kyrgyzstan.

The Bolívar Fuerte

Bolívar Fuerte

The Bolívar Fuerte is the new currency of Venezuela since January 1, 2008. It replaced the old Bolívar which was the currency between 1879 and 2007. My personal favorite currency, it is a great example of the amazing bright and colorful notes that are seen throughout many South America countries.

The Bolívar Fuerte includes illustrations of Francisco de Miranda, Pedro Camejo, Cacique Guaicaipuro, Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi, Simón Rodríguez and Simón Bolívar, on the fronts. On the backsides, the notes feature Amazon river dolphins, a giant armadillo, an American Harpy eagle, the hawks bill turtle, a spectacled bear and the red siskin.

The Swiss Franc

Swiss Franc

The Swiss Franc is the legal currency of Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The current eighth series of banknotes was designed by Jörg Zintzmeyer around the theme of the arts and was released in 1995. All the banknotes are quadrilingual and display information in each of the four national languages. The notes feature Le Corbusier, Arthur Honegger, Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Charles Ferdinand Ramuz and Jacob Burckhardt.

In February 2005, Switzerland held and open competition for the design of the 9th series, planned to be released around 2010. The results were announced in November 2005, but the selected design drew widespread criticisms from the population.

The Kyrgyzstani Som

Kyrgyzstani Som

The Som is the currency of the Kyrgyz Republic in Central Asia. The som was introduced in May 10, 1993 and replaced the Soviet ruble. The notes include illustrations of musicians, dancers and scientists on the the fronts of its notes. The colors are very subtle but they create beautiful compositions. What I find most amazing about these notes is the incredibly intricate and unique patterns in the center of each bill.

More Colorful Currencies

Ghana Cedi

Brazil Real

Euro

Rwandan Franc

Chinese Yuan

Nigerian Naira

Colombian Peso

Indian Rupee

Serbian Dinar

Estonian Kroon

Taiwan Dollar

Turkish lira

Ukrainian Hryvnia

Vietnamese Dong

Bermudian Dollar

South Korean Won

Chilean Peso

Images complied from Wikipedia.

Source: COLOURlovers