WORLD banknotes

This section covers a slim fraction of the notes published by countless nation-states and Central banks over the last hundred years or so. The Standard Catalogue of World Paper Money (SCWPM) catalogue was the go-to reference book for World notes until 2020!  To learn more why this publication (by Krause) became itself a "collector item," (no longer published) check out this COINS WEEKLY ARTICLE. For more interesting write ups on coins or the banknote hobby check Noteworthy Reads.

My first online reference point has been the bank note museum (BNM) up until 5 years ago. I still turn to the BNM often for convenience & to sort out discrepancies from Numista (which has become my first reference site).  Both tend to be more accurate after the SCWPM became dated (& peppered with periodic gaps!) See this thread for an example. I first used the BNM exclusively: and then crossed referenced the BNM info with Numista which hosts a catalogue that has continued to evolve.

While I am relatively new to acquiring collectible World currency (started around 2015), I employed strategies I had acquired from 40 years of collecting Bank of Canada sets.  Initially, I focused on Commonwealth nations and countries I once visited. Recently, I have acquired Special Serial Numbered notes from certain Asian countries particularly the Philippines.  

To learn more about my ongoing journey, check out my Collector Corner's page & to view my approach to my World sets, please hit the link below.

1937 -1954

With King George's sudden death and subsequent abdication of Prince Edward, the portrait of King George VI was engraved for this new bilingual 1937 Series.   Most denominations are popular amongst banknote collectors but the most sought after happen to be the first/short Osborne & Towers signature, or the "a" variety printed with a few limited prefixes.

The 1935 DESIGNS continued to be used with a reahaul in the 1937 colour conventions. The BOC chose to re-use the reverse engravings of the 1935 TEN for the back of the new TWO (& vice-versa: or the back of 1935 $2 for the 1937 $10). The reverse design of the 1935 FIVE is kept on the newer 1937 FIVE but the colour scheme returns to the more familiar blue (previously established by the Chartered and Dominion series). (The reddish orange for TWO & the dark blue for FIVE colour conventions continue to this day).   The ONE HUNDRED features Canada's first Prime Minister, John A Macdonald AND the ONE THOUSAND featured Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier. The 1935 $500 bank instrument was no longer issued in 1937 (silently dropped).

1954 -1969

This was Canada's longest running series and featured Queen Elizabeth II two years post coronation on ALL the denominations (she was also on the $100 & $1000 notes).   For some, it became evident that the original Karsh portrait had cast a gargoyle-like image from the queen's hair.  In 1956, the plates were Modified (to eliminate this devilish shadows) so that the original series eventually became known as the "Devil's Face" for the first 2 years of the 1954 Series.  While several million banknotes were issued, brisk World demand has kept the BV (Book Value) of the Devil's Face series significantly elevated (in comparison to the Modified).  

Also, significant is the fact that the portraits of both Prime Ministers Macdonald and Laurier were dropped from the two highest denominations ($100 & $1000).  What many world collectors don't realize is that there are several scarce replacements, test notes & signature change-overs on the Modified (or "1956") series!  To learn more, take the link below:

1969 - 1985:

In the wake of Canada's 1967 Centennial, this series acknowledged Canada's identity with the addition of the nation's Coat of Arms and by reinstating the two prime ministers' Laurier & Macdonald portraits onto the FIVE and TEN Dollar denominations (respectively).  In addition, William Lyon Mackenzie King and Sir Robert Borden were added to the FIFTY and ONE HUNDRED Dollar denominations.  A revised Queen Elizabeth portrait remained on the ONE, TWO and TWENTY Dollar denominations. To learn more about this & the 1979 series, take the link below:

1979: 

In 1979, the BOC printers transferred the serial number to the back of the FIVE Dollar and TWENTY Dollar notes by revising the original 1969 & 1972 designs.  The TWENTY Dollar had the greatest colour scheme change differentiating it further from the ONE Dollar note. Take the link below for further info:

1985 - 2001

The Royal Canadian Mint introduced the $1.00 coin (dubbed the "Loonie") & the ONE Dollar banknote was formally retired by 1985. The Royal Canadian Mint started minting the $2 "Toonie" signalling the end for the TWO Dollar denomination in 1986. All the colour schemes from former BOC series were carried over to this new series, but the designs were even more elaborate and reflective of Canada's wildlife. The BOC also continued the tradition of printing the serial numbers on the back of the notes in a barcode fashion (similar to the 1979 $5 & $20).  The Birds Series surprisingly dropped the use of the Canadian Coat of Arms. Take the link below to discover what banknotes became most sought after:

2001- 2004

The ONE THOUSAND Dollar denomination was silently retired (in an official effort to "curb money laundering"). This was quite ironic since theives had already turned their attention to digital money laundering.

In 2000, the TEN Dollar note, featuring a close-up of John A Macdonald on the left plus the Canadian Coat of Arms were being prepared for their release the following year. On the reverse, is an image of modern peace keeping soldier, doves, poppies, and the "In Flanders Fields" poem. In 2002, the FIVE Dollar note was introduced featuring Laurier (& similar design elements as on the TEN) with a scene of hockey on the reverse. Both notes had security features that lit up in ultraviolet light and three gold-tinted maple leafs which were visible under normal light.  But, alas, few Canadians seemed to notice the Journey Series security features & after a slew of cheap laser-printed counterfeits, the designs were upgraded with security strips in 2004. The good news, for colletors, was that this security-transition created some short & "Lost Prefixes."  Check the link below to learn more:

2004 - 2011

In order to curb the onslaught of bogus original Journey FIVES and TENS, the BOC updated the Canadian Journey Series featuring new TWENTY Dollar notes with additional security features (most notably- the large metallic security strip) in 2004.  The same elements (plus watermarks) were introduced on the FIFTY, ONE HUNDRED and the original FIVES and TENS. Click the link below to learn which prefixes got cut off or became tough to collect, during the transition to polymer:

2011 -  2018

Bank of Canada printers ditched paper for polymer in 2011 starting with the FIFTY and ONE HUNDRED Dollar denominations. The TWENTY was introduced in 2012 and the TEN and FIVE arrived the following year.  Several new security features were introduced including shifting holographic portraits on see-through windows. But the BOC didn't nail it "air tight" this time either.  To learn more about how the Frontier's Series rolled out, and what prefixes became elusive, click the link below:

2015 & 2017

The BOC commissioned their printers to produce its 3rd Commemorative banknote in 2015. The TWENTY Dollar note celebrated Queen Elizabeth II as the longest reigning queen in England with a new holographic portrait of her when she was coronated in 1952.

In 2017, the BOC celebrated Canada's 150th birthday by designing a new TEN Dollar Commemorative note.  Use the link below to further explore these two recent commemorative series:

2018

The BOC introduced a new Vertical series in November of 2018 featuring the Human Rights pioneer Viola Desmond on its TEN Dollar denomination.  The release slowly trickled out due to the saturation from our 2017 "150" Commemorative & the longevity of the 2013 Frontiers polymer Tens.  The pandemic (& a trend of less cash-use) has also contributed to the glacial pace of this recent series roll out. 

It is now 2026, and the BoC continues to slowly issue (reveal) both the TENS & TWENTY denominations. The Bank of Canada announced the new King Charles $20 would be issued in 2027.  This is several years after the New Vertical Five was supposed to be introduced. Five prefixes for the $10 (FTW, FTY, FTZ, FFA -FFD) took 2 years to roll out.  We know that the Wilkins Poloz FFE change-over prefix was the last of that signature combination & is shortest (less than 1 million) thus far.  In addition, we were pleasantly surprised in January of 2023, with the arrival of the Rogers Macklem FFK signature change over (about 2 million).  

Will there be any shortened "Rogers Macklem" prefixes to keep? When will they release of the Vertical $5? There remains far more questions than answers since the majority of Canadians reject cash for their Credit Cards (CC) & digital payments become the only option.