Friday, May 11, 2012

Thailand: Series 16 Banknotes



Bank of Thailand issued the series 16 50 Baht banknote on 18th January 2012. The remaining denominations are expected to be issued as stated below:

1. 20 Baht - 5 December 2012

2. 100 Baht - 2013

3. 500 Baht - 2013

4. 1000 Baht - 2013


Two commemorative banknotes will be issued in 2012:

1. 100 Baht commemorating 60th birthday of HRH Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn - obverse will be same as present series 15 100 Baht banknote but reverse will be changed.

2. 80 Baht commemorating 80th birthday of HM Queen Sirikit - design is not known. Initial reports say that it will be sold at 200 Baht each.

Updates on series 16 and commemorative notes will be posted in due time.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Thailand: 100th Anniversary Fine Arts Department coin


On 1st March 2012, the Treasury department of Thailand have issued a bimetallic 10 Baht coin to commemorate 100 years of "Fine Arts Department" or กรมศิลปากร which was established on 27 March 1911.

10 Baht bimetallic coin 100 years Fine arts department Thailand

Coin details:

10 Baht: Bimetallic, 8.5g, 26mm, Mintage 2 million coins


Sunday, May 6, 2012

India: Banknotes with Rupee symbol - update


The Reserve Bank of India have issued or will shortly issue more banknotes with the Rupee symbol. These banknotes carry the signature of Dr. D. Subbarao as Governor RBI.

1. 20 and 50 Rupees without any inset letter and year 2012 (on reverse) - press release of RBI on Apr 12, 2012.

2. 500 Rupees with "L" inset letter and year 2012 (on reverse)

3. 1000 Rupees with "R" inset letter and year 2011 (on reverse) - press release of RBI on Feb 21, 2012.

4. 10 Rupees without "P" inset letter and year 2011 (on reverse) - press release of RBI on Feb 17, 2012.

5. 100 Rupees with "R" inset letter and year 2011 (on reverse) - press release of RBI on Jan 18, 2012.


See earlier updates in

India: Banknotes with Rupee symbol - update posted on Dec 28, 2011

India: Banknotes with Rupee symbol - update posted on Nov 25, 2011



Thailand: 20 Baht Series 15 - new signature variety


Thailand 20 Baht series 15 Kittiratt Na-Ranong as Finance Minister

20 Baht (P 109) notes from series 15 are now issued with the signatures of Kittiratt Na-Ranong as Finance Minister and Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul as Governor of BOT.


Thailand: 500 and 1000 Baht Series 15 new signature variety


Thailand 500 Baht series 15 Thirachai as Finance Minister

Thailand 500 Baht series 15 Thirachai as Finance Minister

500 Baht (P 107) and 1000 Baht (P 115) notes from series 15 are now issued with the signatures of Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala as Finance Minister and Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul as Governor of BOT. Note that signature Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul (Governor of BOT) has been modified for Thai banknotes of Series 15 since January 2012.

Thailand: Signature of Governor of BOT modified



Note that signature Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul (Governor of BOT) has been modified for Thai banknotes of Series 15 since January 2012. It is not a new signature variety.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Laos: New 100,000 Kip banknote



New Laos 100,000 Kip banknote

The Bank of the Lao PDR will issue a 100,000 Kip banknote early February in a bid to encourage more people to use the national currency. Speaking at a press conference in Vientiane yesterday, Currency Issuing Department Director General Mr Souphat Khotnhotha said the main purpose of putting the 100,000 kip note in circulation was to make it easier for people to make cash payments.

With the proliferation of trade, frequent cash transactions are becoming an increasing necessity. “With 100,000 kip banknotes, people won’t need to carry so many notes around with them to pay for goods and services,” he said, adding that many people prefer to use foreign currencies as they are easier to carry. At present, the highest value kip banknote is 50,000 kip (US$6) while the highest value Thai baht banknote is 1,000 baht (US$32).

Mr Souphat said the new 100,000 kip note is worth US$12, and this higher value will encourage more Lao people to use their national currency. Economists say the Bank of the Lao PDR will find it easier to manage money supply and keep foreign exchange rates stable if everyone uses the kip in cash transactions.

In response to public concerns that inflation would rise with such a large banknote in circulation, Mr Souphat said it would not result in an increase in money supply. “The supply of money will remain unchanged,” he said. He explained that the presence of the 100,000 kip note would not put any more money into people’s pockets so there was no need to worry about a rise in inflation. He also said the Bank of the Lao PDR would ensure that circulation of both small and large denomination banknotes was sufficient to enable people to pay for goods and services of varying prices. The new banknotes have been printed overseas, and contain a security feature that prevents them from being counterfeited.

Many people have complained about the short supply of small denomination banknotes in circulation, which they need to give as small change. They also said the shortage led to inflation because vendors set prices based on the availability of banknotes. Bank of the Lao PDR officials say that traditional merit-making ceremonies are partly to blame, because so many notes are damaged in the process and it is impossible for the bank to ensure a constant supply of small denomination notes. They said the cost of printing both small and large denomination banknotes was similar, and that constantly having to print more small notes was a costly undertaking.

Source: Vientiane Times

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Hong Kong: New Series 20 Dollars note SCB and BOC




Hong Kong Standard Chartered Bank 20 Dollars New Series
20 Dollars SCB - courtesy Noteshobby @ebay


Hong Kong Bank of China 20 Dollars New Series
20 Dollars BOC - courtesy Noteshobby @ebay


New 2010 Series Hong Kong 20 Dollars banknotes have now been issued by all 3 banks. Above are from the Standard Chartered and Bank of China. 20 Dollars of HSBC can be viewed at Hong Kong: New Series 20 Dollars note HSBC.



Saturday, January 14, 2012

Hong Kong: New Series 20 Dollars note HSBC




Hong Kong 2010 Series 20 Dollars banknote HSBC
20 Dollars HSBC - courtesy Noteshobby @ebay


New 2010 Series Hong Kong 20 Dollars banknotes have now been issued. Above is from HSBC. Notes with same denomination from Standard Chartered and Bank of China are also expected any time soon.



Thailand: 100 Baht banknote Series 15 - new signature variety





Thailand P114 sig 83 100 Baht banknote
P114 100 Baht note with sig 83


100 Baht notes from series 15 are now issued with the signatures of Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala as Finance Minister and Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul as Governor of BOT.



Friday, January 13, 2012

Thailand: 20 Baht banknote Series 15 - new signature variety





Thailand Series 15 20 Baht banknote sig 83
P109 20 Baht note with sig 83


Thailand's Series 15 banknotes are going to be soon replaced by the new Series 16 on 18th January 2012 starting with the 50 Baht note. However, Series 15 notes are still being printed with the signatures of Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala who recently took over as Finance Minister and Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul as Governor of BOT.



Thailand: Series 16 Banknotes to be issued on 18th January 2012





50 Baht obverse with sig 83


On 12th January 2012, Dr. Prasarn Trairatvorakul, Governor of Bank of Thailand announced that the long awaited series 16 banknotes will be issued on 18th January. The first banknote of this series to be issued will be the least used 50 Baht followed by the most widely used 20 and 100 Baht notes. The 500 and 1000 Baht notes will follow later during the year.

Press release of BOT on 12th January 2012.






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