Indholdsfortegnelse for August 2025 i Banknote Reporter

Upon first look at the new Mauritius 100-rupee bank note, which was released into circulation by the Bank of Mauritius in June 2025, not much has changed when compared to its 1999—2024 predecessor. The portrait of Mauritian politician and government minister Renganaden Seeneevassen remains on the orange and brown-colored obverse, as do the motifs that sit behind him. However, what is new are decorative additions that both acknowledge the island nation’s fauna while also incorporating updated security features. In this collaboration with the French digital security company Oberthur Fiduciaire and the Bank of Mauritius, the previous notes’ paper composition has been updated with GUARDIAN™ polymer, and at the lower right is now an illustration of the extinct Dodo, which was endemic to Mauritius. The flightless bird sits beside an egg-shaped…

$3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California The idiom “queerer than a $3 bill” emerged as early as the late 19th century to describe something unusual, as $3 bills have never existed in official U.S. currency. Over time, the word queer evolved into a derogatory term towards LGBTQ+ individuals, but by the mid 20th century, they reclaimed the word and the $3 phrase, which have become terms of empowerment, inclusivity, and self-expression. The Getty in Los Angeles has drawn inspiration from this idiom in its powerful new exhibition “$3 Bill: Evidence of Queer Lives,” on view through September 28. The show brings together paintings, photography, and archival materials to explore the artistic contributions of LGBTQ+ persons over the last century. Central to the exhibition is a…

You never know where a great national will turn up. Lightning struck at Great Collections Auctions in Irvine, California, when they landed this uncirculated gem from the top of the first sheet delivered to the First National Bank of Weatherford, Oklahoma Territory. It will cross the auction block on July 27, maybe after this article reaches you. This has been a great year for the discoveries of Oklahoma and Indian territorials. I have attempted to chronicle all the best here. I have a particular fondness for them because, although there are plenty in the census, most are great rarities on a bankby-bank basis. At this writing, there are 131 Oklahoma and 166 Indian territorials. Sounds like a lot. But like so many of the banks in these totals, this Weatherford…

A new generation of American bank notes is in preparation to be introduced next year. The question remains if, technologically, the United States is ready for it. The redesigned notes will feature new security features designed to challenge counterfeiters, increase public confidence in the currency, and ensure that machines can read the new notes accurately. The plan is to introduce the $10 denomination first. The $50 note will be introduced in 2028, the $20 note in 2030, the $5 note in 2032, and the $100 note in 2034. The reason for issuing the new notes in this order has not been explained. No mention of new $1 and $2 notes had been made at the time this commentary was being written. The big question yet to be addressed is whether…

Greg Alexander, editor of the Souvenir Card Journal, routinely trolls the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s National Numismatic Collection for proofs with oddities and mistakes. He recently found among the run of Colby-Spinner proofs this $20 “Act of June 30,” 1864, three-year, 6% compound interest Treasury note proof from Plate 2, where Colby’s signature was omitted on all four subjects. The plates with Colby-Spinner signatures were used to produce fr.191a notes, which come with five different overprinted certificate issuance dates, inclusive of August 15, 1864, through September 15, 1865. A total of 381,000 were printed, requiring 19 four-subject face plates. All proofs are in the collection bearing sequential plate serial numbers 1 through 18, but with no numbers on Plate 19. There is no evidence that Alexander’s Plate 2 proof…

Bank notes showcasing ornate designs, and some plain ones too, sold well at the live Mid-Year 2025 World Paper Money Auction held by Stack’s Bowers Galleries on July 8–10. The strength of the show was in the diversity of pieces up for sale, which was an offering of notes from throughout the world valued at a wide range of estimates. One of the most “noteworthy” currencies sold was a specimen 1939 Banque de Syrie et du Liban 250 livres (P-21s, PCLB 55s, PMG Choice Uncirculated 64) that was won with a bid of $33,600. High-grade issues of this note are hard to find, and as the only example that PMG has graded in Uncirculated condition, the quality of this specimen outstands other non-circulated examples. The piece was described by Stack’s…

The Federal Reserve of New York issued the short-lived Series $100,000 Gold Certificate from December 18, 1934, through January 9, 1935, backed by an equal amount of gold bullion held by the Treasury Department. They were issued exclusively for official use in transferring large sums of money between Federal Reserve Banks and were never released or circulated among the public. Only a few examples of issued notes exist today, and they are all in possession of the U.S. government. No issued example is, or has ever been, available to the collecting community, making this specimen the only form available to a collector. Fractional Ownership Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) bridge the physical world of valuable numismatic items with the digital world of accessible, flexible ownership, all while maintaining security and simplicity for…

Nick Bruyer just landed this Nebraska territorial, only the 9th reported from the territory. There are five from the First National Bank of Omaha and four from the Otoe County National Bank of Nebraska City. Only one other bank issued them, the Omaha National Bank. The rarity of Nebraska territorials is due to the small number of issuing banks, coupled with the antiquity of their releases back in the 1860s and 1870s. Nick has a soft spot for aces and deuces, but what’s probably more important to us is his passion for the history leading up to the Civil War and the war itself, as he is the author of “U.S. Treasury Notes 1812-1865, An Illustrated History.” This 272-page book, published in 2023 by Stack’s Bowers Galleries, is the seminal…

Change is coming to the coins and bank notes of the European Union. The so-called euro zone, where a common currency is currently used, comprises 20 of the 27 EU member countries, as well as associated city-states, including Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City. The Maastricht Treaty, through which all EU members are required to adopt the euro and join the common currency union, does not specify a set timetable for countries to join. Denmark is the only EU member exempt from being required to join the currency union. Newly designed euro-denominated bank notes are currently being developed; however, the coinage may also see changes. Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, and Slovakia have stopped using the 1- and 2-cent euro coins. Germany is considering following their example. Each of…

After close to a thousand auctions and millions of collectibles sold, the auction house Holabird Western Americana is closing its doors at the end of 2025. “It is time for me to retire while I still have some gas in the tank and hopefully the wheels can stay on,” said Holabird founder Fred Holabird in a press release announcing his retirement. Fred got his start in auctions in 1984 after working for years as a geologist in the mining industry. He proved to be the perfect fit, as he has a strong passion for historical research and a deep knowledge of American Western culture. “I found, discovered, and sold lots of stuff no one had ever thought about collecting, or even knew existed,” Fred explains. “These things led to discovering…