Each banknote, whether it is a coin or a banknote, has its own “face”, or rather, the front and back. However, it is sometimes very difficult for an ignorant person to understand where the front side of the banknote is and where its back is. Of course, in order to pay for a product or service, such knowledge is not needed, but for some people this issue is important, sometimes even mystical.
Where is the obverse
Obverse - this is the name of the front side of a bill or coin, and this name comes from the French word avers or Latin adversus, which means “facing face”.
In general practice and special literature there is no consensus on how to recognize the “face” of a banknote. Each state has the right to independently establish rules in this matter. Nevertheless, there are some general recommendations for determining obverse. So, on the front side, as a rule, are shown:
- portrait of the ruler, president (current or former), head of state;
- state emblem or emblem of the country; sometimes it happens that the emblems are placed on both sides, then the obverse is the one on which the main symbol of the state is present, higher in rank or larger in size;
- legend showing the name of the state, territory;
- name of the issuing bank.
And if not a face
Sometimes, however, it happens that the front side of a banknote does not have any of the above signs. How to be? In cases where the image placed on the banknote is neither a portrait nor a memorial place, it is customary to consider the opposite side to the side opposite to the one on which the denomination of the banknote is placed, or the one where the serial number is indicated.
In the most difficult cases, it is worth referring to the national catalog of the country that issued the bill. However, this rule is more likely to apply to coins, because they have a much smaller area, on which it is difficult to place all the insignia on it.
Why has the “face” of the ruble changed
Russian banknotes also have obverse signs that fall under the general rules. Nevertheless, at different times, these distinctive features were not the same: the portraits of tsars were always placed on the front side of Russian banknotes, and in Soviet times they were replaced by a portrait of the leader of the proletariat V.I. Lenin, present on banknotes of any dignity. However, after the coup of 1991, power, and with it the political course of the state, changed dramatically, and very soon a new currency was needed, on which the portrait of Vladimir Ilyich was quickly replaced with the image of the Kremlin, a symbol of state power, the country's main fortress. Since that time, and until now, the front side of the banknote of the Russian banknote has ceased to show portraits, so as not to depend on the political course of the state. Images of cities and cultural monuments are not ideologically motivated and will be relevant at any time.
Russian hundred
The front side of the banknote of 100 rubles of the 1993 model was decorated with an image of the Senate Tower of the Moscow Kremlin and a Russian tricolor placed on the dome of the Senate. Actually, such an image at that time had banknotes of any denomination on the obverse, but already in 1995 everything changed: new banknotes of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 thousand rubles were issued. But the new "hundred" appeared a little later - January 1, 1998.
The front side of the bill, the photo of which is posted below, has an image of a quadriga, a Roman two-wheeled chariot drawn by four horses. This bronze chariot of Apollo adorns the portico of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater.
Initially, the banknote of 100,000 rubles had the same image, but after the 1997 denomination, the horses “lost weight” exactly a thousand times and took their place of honor on a banknote of 100 rubles. In this form, hundreds still exist today, however, on October 30, 2013, a new “Olympic” commemorative banknote of 100 rubles was issued. It is symbolic that its release started exactly one hundred days before the opening of the Olympic Games. The front side of the
100 rubles bill has an image of a snowboarder speaking at the Olympics, and on the back you can see a stylized firebird hovering over the Fisht Olympic Stadium. The total circulation of the "Olympic Hundred" amounted to 20 million copies, and some of them were issued in gift wrapping.
Thousandth bill
The 1993 thousandth banknote obverse also had an image of the state flag on the Senate Tower, and already in the 95th the banknote was reissued again. The front side of the 1,000-ruble note, which went into circulation on September 29, 1995, perpetuates the sights of Vladivostok - the top of the rostral column in the form of the Manjur sailboat, which was installed at the entrance to the city in 1982. The second drawing on the obverse is the image of the seaport of Vladivostok, located in the famous Golden Horn Bay, which in itself has a rich history. However, in this form, the “thousand” did not last too long - the denomination struck, and again new money was required . January 1, 2001 saw the light of a new banknote of 1000 Russian rubles, its obverse decorated a monument to the Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise, erected in honor of the founder of the city by residents of Yaroslavl.
The second image on the front side of the banknote is the
Chapel of Our Lady of Kazan, the background for which is the
Yaroslavl Kremlin. In this form, the "thousandth" exists today. Despite the fact that she was re-released twice, her appearance did not change, only degrees of protection were added.
Signs of Authenticity
Each state issuing its own banknotes is simply obliged to take care of protecting their authenticity. Of course, it is no secret that counterfeiting banknotes and coins is a criminal offense, but, unfortunately, such knowledge is not able to stop counterfeiters craving for profit. Most often, signs of authenticity are evenly distributed over the entire surface of the bill, but in some cases most of them are given to the obverse.
For example, signs of authenticity, most often visible from the front, are:
- moire pattern - a special area that changes color and has visible rainbow stripes;
- kipp effect - a latent image that can be seen only by looking at the bill at an acute angle;
- infrared tags - part of the image is covered with a special composition that has the property of glowing in infrared radiation;
- relief inscriptions - made especially for visually impaired people;
- microperforation - denomination denominations stuffed with small holes for people with impaired vision;
- a serial number located in a specific place;
- applying the image with color-changing paint.
Of course, there are other signs - watermarks, protective fibers, magnetic marks, microtext, micrograph, protective metallized thread and so on, but they are most often present on the back or in the thickness of the bill itself.
What money the bank will not accept
Oddly enough, but in some cases the bill will not be accepted from you even if it is real. Banks withdraw from circulation (without cost recovery) the following banknotes:
- shabby, badly worn;
- withdrawn from circulation (at the end of the period of voluntary exchange);
- parts of banknotes with an area of less than 55% of their original size;
- notes damaged by water, fire, chemicals, if together with the destroyed areas less than 55% of the original area is left;
- they also do not accept banknotes if the reverse or front side of the bill does not have one of two denominations, numbers, or if they are badly damaged: lack of a protective thread, severe damage or replacement of the portrait, change of the banknote denomination in the corners;
- the same applies to torn, cut into several parts, glued banknotes, if less than 55% of the area belongs to one of the whole parts.
Signs of money
Well, now you know where the front side of the banknote is, so it's time to talk about the most popular and, they say, an effective sign related to obverse. If you want your money always to be kept in large quantities, you should treat them with respect. There is an opinion that the money in the wallet should be strictly obverse to its owner, and in a certain order - from larger to smaller, so that when you open the wallet, the largest banknotes look right in your face. And in no case should money lie “upside down” - they can “take offense” and leave. Someone believes in signs, someone does not, but it is not difficult to turn your money to face yourself, so what prevents you from trying it - what if it works?