The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country of the south coast of India. The capital city is Colombo. Up until 1972 the Island was called Ceylon. After various European countries occupying parts of Sri Lanka, in 1815, the British made Sri Lanka part of the British empire. They called the island Ceylon. Ceylon gained independence from Britain in 1948. between 1956 and 1972 differences between the Sinhalese and Tamil ethnic tribes caused tensions. Then in 1972 the country became a republic called Sri Lanka. In 1983 the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) more commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, started an insurgency war against the government that lasted until the ceasefire accord in 2002
Monetary Unit:
1 Rupee = 100 cents
the note above is a 2 Rupee note from 1972 - it still has central bank of Ceylon on the top right - it has a picture of King Parakrama on the front and a ruin on the reverse.
The notes above are 50 rupee note, with a man in traditional headgear on the front and temple ruins on the back, then the 20 Rupee note, with a bird mask on the front and boys fishing on the reverse. Finally we have the 10 Rupee note, with the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, on the front and a Buddhist shrine on the reverse.
The Kingdom of Spain, is a sovereign country in south-west Europe, with a capital of Madrid. The basis for modern Spain was after the fall of the Moorish control of the area. The unification of the crowns of Castile and Aragon. Spain was a leading power in Europe throughout 16th and 17th centuries and was peppered with wars in which Spain went to war with most of its neighbours. This was also the period when Spain expanded it's empire to the Americas and Asia.. A defeat in the Napoleonic wars saw some of Spain under French control but in 1814 saw the defeat of Napoleon's army and the return of Ferdinand VII. these wars left Spain, economically ruined and the wars of independence saw many of the American colonies gain their independence. The Rif War discredited the government and undermined the monarchy which led to a period of authoritarian rule under General Miguel Primo de Rivera. The Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936 between the Nationalists led by Franco and the Republicans which were backed by the USSR, Mexico and the International Brigades. Franco's forces won and he ruled until 1975. when the country reverted to being led by King Juan Carlos I, and in 1978 a new constitution was agreed returning the country to a democracy. In 1986 Spain joined the European community (later the EU) and started using the Euro in 2002.
Monetary Unit:
1 Peseta = 100 centimo up to 2002
1 Euro = 100 cents 2002 onwards
The 3 notes above are from the 1928 issue.The 100 Peseta note has the Don Quixote monument in madrid, on the front with the head of Cervantes, the author of Don Quixote and a painting of Don Quixote by Pidal on the reverse. the 50 Peseta note has the Prado museum along with the bust of Diego Velazquez on the front and the painting by Velazquez "La rendicion de Breda" on the reverse. the 25 peseta note has the bust of Pedro Calderon de la Barca with his monument in santa ana square, Madrid on the front and a scene from one of his plays on the reverse.
I love the art work on these notes and that they are a slightly different shape to other notes, but also front and back have different colour schemes. I think these stand up as works of art in their own right.
The next two notes, above takes us into the 1950's. The 50 Peseta note, from 1951, has Sadiago Rusinol, a Catalan painter, on the front and his painting "Jardines de Aranjuez" on the reverse. the 1954, 25 Peseta note has Isaac Albeniz, the Spanish composer on the front and the Court of the Lions in the Alhambra on the reverse.
The note above is a 1992 issue of the 2000 Peseta note. It features the Spanish Botanist and priest, Jose Celestino Mutis, on the front and the botanical gardens on the reverse
This note above is from the Spanish civil war issued by the Igualada co-operative in barcelona in 1938. as banknotes were scarce, quite often areas would produce their own notes.
Above is the very unusual 1938 postage stamp / disk issue in which they used a cardboard dick stamped on one side in ink and attache a postage stamp to the other. these were issued towards the end of the Spanish Civil War.
In the last post - a couple of days ago - I highlighted a story about British banknotes and how, after a campaign, women portraits where to be used again on British banknotes. It was a positive story and one where the "powers that be" listened to the public. however, since then an altogether more negative story has emerged.
The woman who started the campaign, Caroline Criado-Perez, a feminist , deserves praise for spotting, highlighting and doing something about this. However, among the praise, was a torrent of abuse and threats. luckily she is made of stronger stuff than the anonymous, sexist cowards that sent her the tweets.
British 19th century novelist Jane Austen will become the face of the new 10 pound note, the Bank of England said on Wednesday, defusing criticism that women are under-represented on the country's currency.
The writer of classics such as "Pride and Prejudice", "Sense and Sensibility" and "Emma" will replace naturalist Charles Darwin on the reverse of Britain's most popular banknote.
Britain's central bank sparked an outcry in April when it announced former prime minister Winston Churchill would replace social reformer Elizabeth Fry on the reverse side of the five pound note, depriving the currency of its only female historical figure.
Mark Carney, the first foreigner to head the bank in its 319-year history, praised Austen as "one of the greatest writers in English literature" and said the choice of future banknote characters would be reviewed to ensure a row of this sort did not erupt again.
"We believe that our notes should celebrate the full diversity of great British historical figures and their contributions in a wide range of fields," he told a gathering at the Jane Austen House Museum in Chawton, the 17th century house where the author wrote some of her best-known novels.
"We want people to have confidence in our commitment to diversity. That is why I am today announcing a review of the selection process for future banknote characters."
The Austen notes are likely to come into circulation in 2017 and will feature a portrait adapted from an original sketch by Jane's sister together with the quote 'I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading!' from Pride and Prejudice.
REFORMIST ZEAL
Carney, who headed the Bank of Canada before taking the helm of Britain's central bank on July 1, is keen to assert his reformist credentials in an antiquated institution where doormen still dress in top hats and pink tail-coats.
Whether Carney, who has four daughters, will succeed in redressing the gender imbalance on the bank's monetarypolicy committee remains to be seen. The nine-strong body has been male-only since May 2010, and only four women have served on the committee since its creation in 1997.
In his first public press conference since taking office, Carney made only the slightest reference to monetary policy.
"You can be comforted that our job at the Bank of England is to protect the value of the new Jane Austen note," he said. "In fact, maintaining confidence in our currency is the fundamental responsibility of your central bank."
Like many other countries, Britain changes the design of its banknotes at regular intervals to address counterfeiting risks.
While the sovereign has been depicted on British banknotes since 1960, the vast majority of historical figures - introduced in 1970 - have been men. The pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale appeared on the 10 pound note from the mid-1970s, but the notes went out of issue in the early 1990s.
Carney said it was never the Bank's intention that none of the four characters on its notes should be a woman, but it would invite feedback from the public on whether it could to do more to comply with its commitment to equality. The conclusions of the review will be announced by the end of the year.
In Canada, the signature of the central bank governor is carried on bank notes but in Britain that honour goes to the chief cashier.
(Reporting by Christina Fincher; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)
The Republic of South Sudan is at this time, the world's newest country, formed in July 2011 and is recognised by the UN as an independent state. Its capital city is Juba . The First and second Sudanese civil wars have been raging in sudan for the last 20 years and so there was a referendum in which 98.83% of the population voted for independence. After independence, there are still at least 7 armed groups still at war with the government.
Monetary Unit: 1 South Sudanese pound = 100 piasters
The Republic of South Africa is a country at the southern most tip of the continent of Africa. South Africa has 3 capital cities - Pretoria (executive) , Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town ( legislative ). In 1961 South Africa became a republic stripping Queen Elizabeth II of her status as head of state. the new government legislated to keep the apartheid system in place and the African National Congress (ANC) led the opposition to that system, with increasingly more countries internationally beginning to boycott South African business. it wasn't until 1993 that F W de Klerk negotiated with Nelson Mandela to start a transition away from apartheid. universal election were held in 1994 and the ANC won power and have been in power ever since.
Monetary unit:
1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence up to 1961
1 Rand = 100 cents 1961 onwards.
The 2 Rand note above is from 1990 has Jan Van Riebeek, founder of cape town on the front and a refinery on the reverse.
Somaliland is a de facto state that is not recognised by the UN but is recognised as an autonomous region of Somalia. The capital city is Hargeisa. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia at a conference in Burao , under the leadership of Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur , in 1991. The war in Somalia has, for the most part not affected Somaliland. monetary unit : 1 Somaliland shilling = 1 Shilin (somalia) The note above is the 5 Shilling note from 1994 with Greater Kudu and what I think may be the high court building in hargeisa on the front and camels on the reverse.
The Federal Republic of Somalia is a country on the horn of Africa. Its Capital city is Mogadishu. The European scrabble for Africa in the late 1800's inspired the dervish leader Muhammad Abdullah Hassan to unite the different tribes in the area now called Somalia. He continued to resist British and Italian colonial interests until 1920, when an intensive aerial bombardment collapsed the Dervish state. The land was divided between Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland. after WWII the territories were returned to their respective colonial powers. both territories gained independence in 1960 and became Somalia.1969 saw a military coup d'etat which brought in a communist one-party government. 1991 saw the communist government ousted and the north (formerly British) part of the country declared itself independent as Somaliland. Somaliland is a de facto state that is not recognised by the UN.
The note above is the 5 Shilin note from 1978 with Cape Buffalo on the front and banana harvesting on the reverse
The Solomon Islands is a country made up of a large number of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Its capital city is Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal. In 1893 Britain established a protectorate over the islands, the islands acheived self governance in 1976 and independence in 1978.
monetary units:
1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence up to 1966
1 dollar = 100 cents 1966 onwards
the two notes above are both 2 dollars from different years. the first is from 2001 and has a has a see though window on the front left, whereas the other one, from 1997 doesn't have the clear window. both have the coat of arms on the front and fishermen on the reverse.
The Republic of Slovenia is a country in central Europe with a capital city of Ljubljana. on the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire following WWI, Slovenia joined what was to become, in 1929, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. WWII saw the occupation by the Nazi's and was liberated in 1945 and Slovenia rejoined the now Federal Yugoslavia which quickly became a socialist republic. In 1990 the name of the country was changed to the Republic of Slovenia and the following year became an independent country which was accepted by the UN in 1992.Slovenia joined the EU in 2004 and adopted the Euro in 2007.
monetary unit:
1 Tolar = 100 Stotinas up to 2006
1 euro = 100 cents 2007 onward
The note above is the 1992 10 Tolarjev note with Primoz Trubar, the author of the first printed book in the Slovene language. the reverse has the Ursuline church in Ljubljana.
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe, with a capital city of Bratislava. from the end of the 10th century, Slovakia was annexed by Hungary until 1918, when the Austro-Hungarian empire collapsed and Slovakia along with other states joined to form Czechoslovakia. In 1948, Czechoslovakia came under the influence of the pro soviet Warsaw pact. the end of communist rule in 1989 led to the peaceful "velvet revolution" and in 1993 the country split into Slovakia and the Czech republic. Slovakia is a member of NATO and joined the EU in 2004. it adopted the euro in 2009.
1 korun = 100 halierov up to 2008
1 Euro = 100 cents 2009 0nward
The first note above is the 100 Korun note from 1993 with the Madonna from St Jacob's church in Levoca, on the front and Levoca town on the reverse. The 50 Korun note, also from 1993 has St. Cyril and St. Method on the front and the medieval church at Drazovce on the reverse. The 20 korun note from 2004 , has Prince Pribina on the front and Nitra castle on the reverse.
The republic of Singapore is a city state in south east Asia. the British took control in 1824 and two years later incorporated it into the Straits settlements under the control of British India.during WWII the Japanese invaded and in 1942 the British surrendered but took control again in 1945 when Japan surrendered.In 1959 Singapore became a self governing state within the commonwealth and in 1963 declared independence from Britain but Joined The federation of Malaysia. In 1965 the Malaysian government voted to expel Singapore and it became an independent republic.
monetary Units:
1 Dollar = 100 Cents
The Noes above all have the theme of "ships" on the front of each note, they are the 10 dollar note from 1988, with The Trader Vessel Palari and public housing on the reverse. The 5 Dollar note has "twakow" boats on the front and PSA container terminal on the reverse. its from 1997. The first of our $2 notes is in orange and is from 1990 with a Tongkang boat and the reverse has the Chingay procession . The violet and pink $2 is from 1992 and has the Tongkang boat and the chingay procession again and is almost identical to the 1998 issue except that it has a different printer - our one is printed by Thomas de la Rue & co ltd (TDLR). Finally, for this section, here is the $1 note from 1987 with the Sha Chuen on the front and a satellite tracking station on the reverse.
Another theme that Singapore banknotes have are Birds. This one is the $1 note from 1976. It has a Black-naped tern on the front and the national day parade on the reverse
I think I've left the best until last !! this is the $20 note from 1979, it has the Yellow breasted Sunbird on the front and Concorde taking off over Changi international airport, on the reverse. I love the unusual colours used on the front of this note and the sunbird is one of the prettiest birds I've seen.
definitely one of my favourites from the more modern notes.
