News & Notes Volume XI, No. 16

September 30, 2025

 From the Internet Bookshelf

Documenting the Development of Polymer Notes

• When Polymer Banknotes Were Issued, by Country, 1988-2023 (Visual Capitalist). from 2024.
• Polymer Banknotes: A Review of Materials, Design, and Printing (Sustainability). Pdf at link. From 2023.
• The Transition to Polymer Currency Notes in Trinidad and Tobago (Central Bank of T & T). Pdf at link. From 2020.
• The Chemistry of Paper and Polymer Banknotes (Compound Interest). Pdf at link. From 2016.
• The Future is Plastic (IMF Currency Notes). Pdf at link. From 2016.
• Bank of England Notes: The Switch to Polymer (Bank of England Quarterly Bulletin). Pdf at link. From 2016.
• Proceeds of Crime: How Polymer Banknotes Were Invented (The Conversation). From 2014.
• The Use of Polymer in Banco de Mexico Banknotes (Banco de Mexico). Pdf at link. From 2013.
• Paying With Polymer: Developing Canada's New Banknotes (Bank of Canada). Pdf at link. From 2011.
• The Reinvention of Banknotes (Reserve Bank of Australia Museum). Pdf at link.

Currency Coming and Going

• Afghanistan's Worn Out Currency (8am Media).
• Cuba's coin problem (Numismatic News).
• Tally Sticks and the Origin of Money (E-Sylum).
• Denmark invalidates its 1,000 kroner banknotes (MRI Bankers' Guide).
• Nepal demurs on redeeming protest-burnt banknotes (MRI Bankers' Guide).
• The Moral Case for Bitcoin (CoinTelegraph).
• The 1920s American Real Estate Bubble (Tontine Coffee-House).
• A Victorian Billionaire's Guide to Financial Triumph (History Extra).
• Museum of American Finance Newsletter, Sept 25, 2025 (MoAF).
• A billion-mark grave for East Germany's money (Geldscheine-online, in German).

The Business of Collecting

• new signature variety found for national bank notes (Numismatic News).
• Some West African banknotes (Numismatic News).
• Horses on Currency, part deux (Numismatic News).
• Argentina's hyperinflationary currency (Banknote World).
• The Paper Money of Memel (Stack's Bowers).
• Early $5 Brown Back from Pennsylvania (Stack's Bowers).
• CGB's Bulletin Numismatique No. 256, October 2025 (CGB Numismatique). Pdf at link. In French.
• BOOK: Banknote Stories (E-Sylum). Link available for free text download.
• A look forward to the 2025 National Stock Certificate Show (E-Sylum).

New Banknote Issues

• Ghana's proposed 500 cedi note (MRI Bankers' Guide).
• Russia is finalizing the design of its new 1,000 ruble banknote (MRI Bankers' Guide).
• Namibia's new currency series (MRI Bankers' Guide).
• Yet another Trans-Dniester numismatic product (Banknote News).
• The Philippine 1,000 peso note (Banknote News).
• Zambia's new 50 kwacha and 100 kwacha notes (Banknote News). Also here (Geldscheine-online, in German).

Local Coin/Numismatic Shows Happening this Week

     Multi-Day Shows​

• Fresno Coin Show, Fresno, CA, Oct 3-4 (Fresno Coin Club).
• Toronto Coin Expo, Toronto, ON, Oct 3-4 (Canadian Coin News).
• Houston Annual Coin Show, Houston, TX, Oct 3-4 (Coinshows-USA).
• NC Numismatic Association Coin Show, Concord, NC, Oct 3-5 (NCNA).
• Pacific Northwest Numismatic Association Fall Convention, Tukwila, WA, Oct 3-5 (PNNA).
• Minot Coin Show, Minot, ND, Oct 4-5 (Coinshows-USA).

                    (Always call ahead to confirm)

      October 4

• Tampa, FL; Timonium, MD; Knoxville, TN; Denison, TX; Rimouski, QC

​​      October 5

• Anaheim, CA; Apopka, FL Hollywood, FL; Collinsville, IL; Orland Park, IL; Decatur, IN; Topsham, ME
  Dedham, MA; Warren, MI; Wyandotte, MI; Lindenwold, NJ; Fairview Park, OH; Gallipolis, OH
  Pittsburgh, PA

Upcoming Online Currency Auctions

• Heritage Tuesday U.S. Currency Auction, September 30 (HA)
• Heritage Tuesday World Currency Auction, September 30 (HA)
• Lyn Knight Auction, September 30 (Lyn Knight).
• Crown Currency Auction 44, October 1 (Crown Currency).
• Stack's Maastricht Showcase Auction, October 2 (Stack's Bowers).
• Heritage Hong Kong World Paper Money Auction, October 4 (HA).
• Heritage GACC U.S. Currency Signature Auction, October 7-10 (HA).
• Spink Hong Kong, Macao, World Banknote Auction, October 8 (Spink).
• Heritage GACC Platinum Session, October 10 (HA).
• Stack's Colonial Currency Auction, October 9 (Stack's Bowers).
• Stack's Hong Kong Showcase Auction, October 17 (Stack's Bowers).
• Stack's Hong Kong Showcase Auction, Session B, October 18 (Stack's Bowers).
• Stack's Hong Kong Showcase Auction, Session C, October 19 (Stack's Bowers).
• Stack's Hong Kong Showcase Auction, Session D, October 20 (Stack's Bowers).
• Stack's L. E. Bruun Collection Auction, October 28 (Stack's Bowers).

Major Coin and Currency Shows

• PAN Show,  Monroeville, PA, October 16-18 (PAN).
• Whitman Winter Expo, Baltimore, MD, November 6-8 (Whitman Expos).

Banknote, Security Printing, and Cash Management Industries

• Spectra Systems mid-2025 performance report (Tip Ranks).

Upcoming Industry Conferences

• The Future of Cash Conference, Warsaw, Poland, November 3-5 (Future of Cash).
• High Security Printing - Asia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, December 1-3 (Reconnaissance).
• High Security Printing -EMEA, Rabat, Morocco, March 2-4, 2026 (Reconnaissance).
• High Security Printing-Latin America, Guatemala City, Guatemala, June 1-3, 2026 (Reconnaissance).
• Security Designers Forum, Istanbul, Turkey, September 7-10. 2026 (Security Designers Form).

From the Annals of Crime

• U.K. motorists advised to keep banknotes handy to defend against "quishing"  (Nottingham Live).
• Museum thefts proliferate (E-Sylum).
• The 300K Sleight of Hand Trick (WCCB Charlotte).

Websites to Like 

(in no particular order)

• Paper Money Forum (Numismatic discussion threads)
• Newman Numismatic Portal (Digital numismatic library)
• Numismatic Bibliomania Society (Includes E-Sylum, the weekly online complement to the NBS's journal, The Asylum)
• The American Revenue Association (Hobby website).
• The Souvenir Card Collectors Society
• New York Toll Script and Tokens (Collector 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)
• Cigar History Museum's coupon gallery
• Boordgeld (Dutch ships' money)
• Depression Scrip (emergency money of the 1930s, and more)
• Wisconsin Depression Scrip
• Caishen's Temple-Asia Money
• Elkader Auction House
• Minnesota Nice
• 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).
• Mintage World (online museum of Indian numismatics).
• Chattanooga Money (site details historical episodes in Chattanooga, Tennessee's monetary and banking history)
• My Georgia Collection (collector site devoted to "Georgia State Notes, Obsolete Currency, Bonds, and Alternative Scrip")
• Banknotesworld ("THE German-language Banknote forum") Discussion threads and more.
• Scotsbanknotes
• Cash Essentials (Industry website devoted to promoting cash usage).
• Kuster's Engineering (Company website). Your expert in currency disintegration.
• PYMNTS.com (Industry website).
• Currency Research (Industry website).
• International Association of Currency Affairs (Industry website).
• De La Rue (Company website).
• Giesecke & Devrient (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, numismatic website run by Ursula Kampmann. German-language version is here. Content is not identical.
• Blog du CNA (Club Numismatique  d'Argenteuil)
• AFEP   Association Française pour l'Étude du Papier-monnaie
• Monnaies Locales Complementaires
• Our Money (Eurozone currency).
• The Ephemera Society of America (Hobby website, with archived articles on ephemera topics)
• A Library of Scrip and Local Currency
• Fictional currency galleries (Deviant Art).
• Pakistani Currency