In our world, people try to compete in absolutely everything. At the same time, sometimes things could not even be thought of about the things that the competition was about. One of such amazing competitions is to determine the most beautiful money in the world.
Contest History
When we talk about the most influential and important banknotes on earth, we immediately think about the American dollar, however, there are many other national banknotes that differ not in their popularity, but in their beauty. Paper money has an important advantage over electronic money - they have the ability to embody the art, history and culture of the country in their print field.
Competitions for the title of the most beautiful money in the world have been held since 2004. The responsible organization is the International Banknote Community (SME). It is it that evaluates the aesthetics and stability of each currency in different countries of the world. In the competition for the title of the most beautiful money in the world in each year, as a rule, new money issues participate.
In 2017, 170 different banknotes were selected, of which only 23 remained. A little later, 6 finalists were determined, from which the most beautiful banknote of the world was chosen.
From the moment the competition for the title of the most beautiful money on the planet was introduced, the following bills won in this nomination:
- 2004 - Canada.
- 2005 - Faroe Islands.
- 2006 - Comoros.
- 2007 - Scotland.
- 2008 - Samoa.
- 2009 - Bermuda.
- 2010 - Uganda.
- 2011 - Kazakhstan.
- 2012 - Kazakhstan.
- 2013 - Kazakhstan.
- 2014 - Trinidad and Tobago.
- 2015 - New Zealand.
- 2016 - Switzerland.
- 2017 - Switzerland.
In order for a particular money ticket to win the title of the most beautiful money in the world, according to SMEs, it must be issued for the first time and participate in the country's money circulation for one year before participating in the competition. Since 2004, countries from Europe, Asia, two Americas, Africa, Oceania and other regions of the planet have been participating in competitions.
Note that Kazakhstan and Switzerland are two countries that have won the title of the most beautiful money on the planet more than once.
In 2017, as can be seen from the list, the winner was a note in 10 Swiss francs. The finalists also attended £ 10 of the Royal Bank of Scotland, 10 Canadian dollars, 7 dollars of the Republic of Fiji, 100 NOK and 40 francs of the Republic of Djibouti.
A Russian banknote of 2000 rubles took part in the competition, which on the one hand shows the Russky bridge in the city of Vladivostok, and on the other hand it shows the Vostochny spaceport in the Amur Region. This banknote is also one of the amazing examples of the most unusual money in the world.
Canada Winner 2004
In 2004, that is, in the very first year when the SME Prize for the title of the most beautiful money in the world was approved, 20 Canadian dollars won this title.
The Canadian dollar is Canada's official monetary unit for much of its history. Canada in the late XVIII - early XIX century decided to introduce its own monetary system instead of British pounds. Since January 1, 1858, the Canadian dollar is the official currency of this North American country. The Bank of Canada produces coins and paper tickets, with each ticket bearing its face value in the two official languages of the country: English and French. Many Canadian bills are similar in size and face value to US bills.
Starting September 29, 2004, new 20 Canadian dollars were issued, which this year won the title of the most interesting and beautiful money in the world. On their front side is a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, and on the reverse side is a culture of the Hyde Native American tribes that inhabit northern Canada. The bill has a size of 152x69 mm and is made in green. Note that in connection with the fight against counterfeiting money in Canada, a banknote of 20 Canadian dollars has been issued since 2012, which has a new design.
Faroe Islands - holder of the most beautiful banknote of 2005
In the second year after the institution of the award, 1,000 kroons of the Faroe Islands were at the top of the ranking of the most interesting and beautiful money in the world. The monetary system of these islands is not independent and is subordinate to the National Bank of Denmark. After Denmark was occupied by Germany in 1940, communication between the continent and the Faroe Islands was interrupted. From that moment, the islands began to develop their own monetary unit - the Faroe Krone. In the same year, it was officially recognized by the United Kingdom, and its course against the pound was established. Since 1949, Denmark has been producing Faroese money.
A banknote of 1000 kroons has been issued in the Faroe Islands since 1978. From 2001 to 2005, the National Bank of Denmark reissued banknotes for these islands. On the most beautiful banknote of the world in 2005, the dominant colors are brown and red. Depicted on it are sea birds and the coastal landscape of the Faroe Islands.
Comoros - 2006 Winner
The African country of Comoros and its 1,000 franc banknote won the list of the most beautiful banknotes in the world in 2006. In 1886, after the Comoros, located in southeast Africa, began to belong to France, the monetary system of this European country, which existed until 1925, was approved on them. Since 1925, Paris has granted the right to the Bank of Madagascar, which owned the Comoros, to independently issue money. In 1960, Madagascar gained independence from France, and at the end of the 1970s Comorian francs appeared. Until 1999, the Comorian franc was associated with the French monetary system, and in 1999, when the euro was created, the Comorian franc was revalued for this new currency. Since 1976, in Comoros, a cash ticket with a face value of 1,000 francs begins to be issued; in the beginning of 2000, tickets were reissued.
The bill of 1000 Comorian francs, as the first in the list of the most beautiful and unusual money in the world in 2006, is dominated by blue, on one side is a man in a boat, and on the other a fish and the coast of the Comoros. On the cash ticket there are inscriptions in French and Arabic.
Scottish bill is the most beautiful banknote of 2007
In 2007, according to SMEs, the title of the most beautiful money in the world for foreign notes earned 50 Scottish pounds, which have a green color.
The Scottish pound was the monetary unit of Scotland even before its reunification with the Kingdom of England in 1707. It was introduced by King David I, taking into account the peculiarities of English and French coins. At the beginning of the 18th century, the Scottish pound was replaced by the British pound, however, it continued to circulate in Scotland throughout the 18th century.
Despite the fact that the Scottish pound does not currently exist, three banks in this mountainous country continue to issue cash tickets for use in that country. These bills are recognized throughout the United Kingdom and have the same value as the pound.
Samoa Cash Ticket - 2008 Winner
In 2008, 20 Samoan tala won first place among the most unusual money in the world. Tala is a relatively young monetary unit of Samoa, it was introduced into circulation only in 1967, until that time the Samoan pound was used in the country. Banknotes with a nominal value of 20 talas began to be issued for the first time by the Central Bank of Most in 1985. A new series of paper banknotes was issued in this country of Oceania in 2008.
The new 2008 ticket, worth 20 tala, depicts on one side a magnificent landscape with a waterfall, and on the other a bird. The bill is dominated by yellow-red colors.
Banknote of 2009: Bermuda
Two Bermuda dollars won first place in the list of the most beautiful money in the world in 2009. The Bermuda dollar has been in official cash circulation in Bermuda since 1970. It is linked to the US dollar in relation to their value in a 1: 1 exchange. The Bermuda dollar is recognized only on the territory of this island nation. Until 1970 and since the 17th century, another currency was operating in Bermuda - the Bermuda pound.
The first known Bermuda dollar banknote was issued in 1992: 50 Bermuda dollars were printed in honor of 500 years since the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus. Currently, in the country issued bills worth 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 Bermuda dollars. The smallest of these bills, thanks to the colorful landscapes, as well as cultural monuments and representatives of the fauna of Bermuda depicted on it, won the 2009 contest of the most picturesque and most unusual money in the world.
Uganda Money Winner of 2010 Contest
An Ugandan bill of 50,000 shillings took first place in 2010 among the most beautiful banknotes in the world. The history of Ugandan shilling begins in 1966, when it replaced the East African shilling. The monetary system of Uganda has been constantly experiencing strong inflation for several decades, and only recently, the cost of the Ugandan shilling has stabilized, and it is the main monetary unit of this African country. Besides him, U.S. dollars, British pounds and euros are also circulating in Uganda.
Since 1966, the first series of paper notes in Uganda was issued, which cost 5, 10, 20 and 100 shillings. Over the next 3 decades, as a result of strong inflation, banknotes of 5,000 shillings (1985), 10,000 (1998), 20,000 (1999) began to be issued, and finally, a bill of 50,000 Ugandan shillings was first issued in 2003 . Currently, banknotes with a value of no less than 1,000 shillings are circulating in this country.
On the front side of the 2010 winning note , a monument in Kampala (capital of Uganda) is printed on the left side, a rainforest is depicted in the center, water is drawn on the right, as well as emblems of the Uganda tribes. On the back of the bill are mountain gorillas. This banknote was developed by the British printing company De La Rue in collaboration with the Bank of Uganda.
Banknotes of Kazakhstan - winners of 2011-2013
In 2011, 10,000 tenge of Kazakhstan was recognized as the most beautiful and unusual banknote in the world. In 2012, this title was awarded to a banknote of Kazakhstan in 5,000 tenge, and in 2013 - in 1,000 tenge.
The Kazakh tenge was introduced as the official currency of the country after the collapse of the USSR in 1993, thereby replacing Russian rubles. The very word "tenge" from Kazakh and many other Turkish languages means "weight, measure." After the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan became one of the first countries of the post-Soviet space, which began to introduce its own national monetary system. The first Kazakh banknotes were printed in the UK, and in 1995, Kazakhstan opened its own printing factory.
The first printed banknotes of Kazakhstan were notes in 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, and 50 tenge, put into circulation in 1993. From 1999 to 2003, the country issued banknotes with denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 tenge. The third series of new notes was issued in 2006.
On the obverse of all the banknotes is the Baiterek monument in Astana, the Kazakh national flag and coat of arms, fragments of the national anthem in the Kazakh language, as well as a portrait of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. On the reverse side of the bills, its nominal value is written in Russian, and some famous building or a famous monument of the country is depicted.
A new series of bank tickets was issued from 2011 to 2014, among which denominations of 10,000, 5,000 and 1,000 tenge won the nomination for the most beautiful money in the world in 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively.
2014 Banknote: Trinidad and Tobago
A banknote with a face value of 50 Trinidad dollars was recognized as the most beautiful banknote of the world in 2014, according to SMEs.
The monetary history of the state of Trinidad and Tobago is associated with many different coins that circulated in this country during various historical periods in connection with the occupation of these islands by such European powers as Spain, France and Great Britain. Such confusion in the monetary system of the British colony, which was the islands of Trinidad and Tobago in the late XVIII - early XIX centuries, led to the instability of its monetary system, and many merchants began to pay each other in a barter way. As a result, throughout the nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries, monetary reforms took place in this country until Trinidad and Tobago gained independence from Great Britain in 1962.
The Trinidad dollar, as the official main currency of the island state of Trinidad and Tobago, was established in 1964. Currently circulating banknotes worth 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 dollars.
The banknote-winner of the contest for the title of the most beautiful money in the world in 2014 (50 Trinidad dollars) was issued by the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago in honor of its 50th anniversary. The bill was executed in golden colors and printed in the UK by De La Rue. In the upper left part of the front side of the bill is the national emblem, and in its center is a red hibiscus flower and a Red Cardinal bird . On the back of the banknote is the same bird, a young girl dressed for a national masquerade, and the new building of the Central Bank of the country. Picturesque colors and beautiful images allow you to use this most beautiful money in the world as a souvenir.
New Zealand and its most beautiful banknote of 2015
In 2015, SMEs called the most beautiful banknote of the planet 5 New Zealand dollars. The modern monetary unit of New Zealand (New Zealand dollar) was established in this country in 1967, replacing the New Zealand pound.
The leader of 2015 among the notes - 5 New Zealand dollars, depicts on his front a portrait of Sir Edmund Hillary - one of the first climbers who climbed to the top of Everest, and on the other side of the banknote is a penguin with yellow eyes. The banknote itself is made in orange.
Swiss banknotes - winners of the competition in 2016 and 2017
In 2016 and 2017, the winners in the ranking of the most beautiful money in the world, according to SMEs, were 50 and 10 Swiss francs, respectively. The National Bank of Switzerland has been issuing paper tickets - Swiss francs since 1907. The first banknotes had a nominal value of 50, 100, 500 and 1000 francs. A few years later, bills worth 5, 10 and 20 francs appeared. All Swiss banknotes were issued in three languages: Italian, French and German. In general, during the XX and XXI centuries, the National Bank of this European state issued about 10 series of new banknotes, which are printed in 4 official languages of Switzerland: Romansh and German on the one hand, and French and Italian on the other.
The winner of 2016 (50 francs) is executed in green, on the front side of the bill is a hand holding a dandelion, the seeds of which are carried away by the wind, as well as the globe in various directions. On the back of the banknote is printed a paraglider that flies over the mountains.
The design of 10 Swiss francs, which became the winner among the most beautiful banknotes of the world in 2017, is made in golden colors. On one side of the banknote are hands with a conductor’s stick, and on the other side is a clockwork.