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Polymer notes???

7 posts in this topic

There was a recent article in the ANA magazine about polymer notes. I never really thought much about paper, but I'm liking these. I just bought about a dozen or so of them from eBay for $20.

 

I'm not trying to "invest" in notes, or at this point build any particular kind of "set". Just make a really colorful, interesting album, something I can educate my kids with, and accumulate new issues.

 

So help a newbie out, what are some of the "best" polymers?

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Although I am a newbie to coins and currency, I believe Australia was one of the first countries to issue the polymer notes. The notes are sprayed with a special coating that is more water resistant than untreated notes. (Sort of like Turtle Wax for a car).

 

The notes should have a longer a "shelf life".

 

Cheers!

N

 

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Although I am a newbie to coins and currency, I believe Australia was one of the first countries to issue the polymer notes. The notes are sprayed with a special coating that is more water resistant than untreated notes. (Sort of like Turtle Wax for a car).

 

The notes should have a longer a "shelf life".

 

The notes are not sprayed. They are made of a multi-layer polymer substrate developed by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) primarily to combat counterfeits. The substrate is only marginally more expensive than paper and lasts a little longer. Polymer notes has features that makes counterfeiting difficult.

 

Although the polymer notes are incapable to maintaining the "security thread" that we see now in US notes, they can have watermarks. Polymer notes can also have "windows," clear or translucent areas on the note with watermarks that are nearly impossible to counterfeit. Another feature is to create "pin holes" in the substrate so that they do not go through all of the layers, but are visible when held up to the light. since the substrate is made of 5 layers, this is easy to accomplish but difficult to duplicate.

 

RBA reports that the number of counterfeit violations have been reduced dramatically. They still see some because some paper notes still circulate and those are now the most forged. RBA is not recommending that the Aussie government demonetize the old paper currency because they do not have the capacity to replace every note in circulation. They will remove the paper currency through natural attrition.

 

Scott :hi:

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I do have a few polymer banknotes from Nigeria, much more durable than the old paper note versions. Polymer is a much more durable material, technologically advanced and difficult to replicate paper on the other hand is easier to duplicate, what with all the high tech photocopiers available today, counterfeiting currency couldn't be more easier.

 

The History of Polymer or plastic money is actually related to the fight against the counterfeiting of paper money which has continued to grow all over the world at very alarming rates.

 

There were some hybrid polymer banknotes produced and sometimes circulated before the Australian notes were issued. Namely the Tyvek and Bradvek plastic money. These all had test runs between 1980 and 1983 in Costa Rica, Haiti and Isle of Man. These plasti notes didn't do so well as thy were heavier, bulky and plastic, which ran the color and faded in the harsh sun-rays, these countries have actually reverted to using paper money. The countries that do use polymer money have found that at least for now counterfeiters are finding it difficult to copy the technology now in use.

 

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