News & Notes Volume III, No. 49                          May 29, 2018

• America's dull currency (Smithsonian).
• "American Default", Part I (Bloomberg). Part II: dropping " bombshell on gold" (Bloomberg). Part III: "The Gamble" (Bloomberg). Part IV: "Victory in Gold Battle"(Bloomberg). The book will be published by Princeton University Press on May 29.
• More political slogans on banknotes (E-Sylum).
• Venezuela demonetizes old banknotes before the new ones are ready, oops (Descifrado, in Spanish).
• In Yemen, Houthi rebels seize millions in forbidden riyals (Archyworldy)
• Afghanistan looks to polymer notes (Tolo News).
• Nigeria ramps up production of small-denomination Naira (This Day).
• Numismatists traveling to Brazil, beware (MRI Bankers' Guide).
• Norway ponders a cashless society (Coindesk). The Norwegian central bank's report is here. (Norges Bank Papers).
• Tourists grumble in cash-free Sweden (The Local).
• Bank of Bhutan's 50th anniversary (Kuensel).
• The politics of 'Kipande" in Kenya (Standard).
• Cambodia's new 20,000 riel note (Coin World).
• Slovakia's souvenir euro banknote features a tank (The Slovak Spectator).
• Saudi Arabia is withdrawing 1 riyal banknotes (Al Arabiya).
• Canadian bank stuck this tourist with obsolete UK money (Victoria News).
• A secret emergency travel stash for your money (The Sun).
• The Tubman saga, a long recap (Coinweek).
• Gut feelings in about currency Diamantina (Dove Press).
• "Cash Matters" organization promotes the use of currency (Cash Matters). Funded by--shock--the International Currency Association.
• The "Rupies" of German East Africa (Mintage World).
• A rare 500 rupee George V note at auction (Mintage World).
• Bolivia's new 10 boliviano note (Banknote News).
• Trans-Dniester 1 ruble commemorative note (Banknote News).
• New fantasy notes from Mujand (Steven Bron). Chacun à Son Goût
• Azerbaijan's new 200 manat banknote (Caspian News). And here (Secura Monde). And here (Banknote News).
• Ulster Bank will introduce "vertical" banknotes (Love Money). And here (Secura Monde). And here (Banknote News).
• A bouquet of 100 yuan notes for that special girl (South China Morning Post).
• This rare note is literally number 1 (Coin World).

           

      

                                      Ulster Bank's vertical notes (Irish Times)                                     

About the Banknote Industry​ Australia's banknote printers on strike (Reuters). De La Rue and PNO Global (De La Rue). Giesecke + Devrient's CEO Seidemann is the new chairman of the ICA (Giesecke + Devrient). Uflex is Indian Banks Association certified security printer (Ink World). De La Rue's contribution to Botswana's banknotes (De La Rue). Dutch Currency Association (Kusters)            Upcoming Industry Conferences High Security Printing Conference Latin America, June 11-13, Dominican Republic (Reconnaissance). African Currency Forum, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, September 2-5, 2018 (African Currency Forum). The Anti-Counterfeit & Currency Expo, Las Vegas NV, November 6-8, 2018 (News Anyway).

              From the Annals of Crime

• Counterfeiting as a trope in 19th century United States (Coinweek).
• Mistaking old notes for counterfeit ones (E-Sylum).
• Dumb and dumber (NY Post).
• Raid on ousted Malaysian PM Najib's house yields $43 million in cash alone (Asia One).
• Counterfeit plant taken down in Mexico City (Yucatan Times).
• Five ways of identifying Nigerian fakes (Pulse).

Websites to Like                                                (in no particular order) Newman Numismatic Portal Numismatic Bibliomania Society The American Revenue Association (Hobby website). The American Historical Print Collectors Society (Hobby website). International Bank Note Society (useful features even for non-members). The Banknote Den (David Lok's website, with superb essays as well as a link to his book, The Many Faces of Money). The Higgins Museum (the one in Okoboji, IA, not Worcester, MA) The Currency Collector (more good essays by John Sandrock). COINWeek (numismatic aggregator with some paper money content). MRI Bankers' Guide (for its updates of new banknotes). Mujand (fantasy banknote maker). Alternative Banknotes and Coins (Alternatehistory). Fantasy thread. Stane Straus's Polymer Banknotes of the World Banknote News (roundup of news and promotional website for The Banknote Book). Tom Chao (collector's blog with active updates). Stevenbron Banknotes (collector's blog with active updates). Mintage World (online museum of Indian numismatics). Chattanooga Money (site details historical episodes in Chattanooga, Tennessee's monetary and banking history) Banknotesworld ("THE German-language Banknote forum") Discussion threads and more. Scotsbanknotes Counting on Currency (Industry website). Kuster's Engineering (Company website). Your expert in currency disintegration. PYMNTS.com (Industry website). Currency Research (Industry website). International Banknote Designers Association (Industry website) International Association of Currency Affairs (Industry website). International Banknote Designers Association (Industry website). De La Rue (Company website). Secura Monde International (Company website). Good banknote news feed. Giesecke & Devrient (Company website). Patronus Systems (Company website). Our Passports (travel documents and other ephemera) Social Money (a Flickr album of photographs illustrating modern complementary currencies, heavy on Argentina). Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (search for banknotes etc.). Where's George? (currency tracking project). Banknoter Numismondo  CoinsWeekly, especially its fine list of links to museums and other numismatic resources. Blog du CNA (Club Numismatique  d'Argenteuil) French Banknotes of War (Collector's website). Abundant material in English and French. AFEP   Association Française pour l'Étude du Papier-monnaie  Monnaies Locales Complementaires Guild of Independent Currencies (promotes local currencies in the U.K.) Our Money (Eurozone currency). The Ephemera Society of America Fictional currency galleries (Deviant Art). Pakistani Currency