Banknote Blog

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 6 min read What Is on the Chinese 2 Yuan Note? The 1990 Note, Explained Two women on the front, a lone boulder on the far southern coast of Hainan on the back. Here is what China's last 2 yuan banknote shows, when it was issued, and how to tell its editions apart. Quick Answer The Chinese 2 yuan note of the fourth series shows two women on the front, one Uyghur and one Yi (Nuosu), and Southern Heaven Rock on the back, a boulder at the Tian …

Collector's Guide · November 12, 2026 · 7 min read Cambodia's 1979 Riel Notes: The Kak Notes That Brought Money Back After almost five years without money, Cambodia reissued the riel in March 1980. Here is what the 1979-dated notes show, what a kak is, and what to check before you buy a pack. Quick Answer Cambodia's 1979-dated banknotes are the first issue of the second riel, the currency that returned money to Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge years. The riel was re-established on …

Collector's Guide · November 11, 2026 · 6 min read Zimbabwe's Two 500 Million Dollar Notes: P-60 vs P-82 Same denomination, same year, same size. One of them was worth ten billion of the other. Here is how to tell which one you are holding. Quick Answer Zimbabwe issued two different 500 million dollar notes in 2008. The first, Pick 60, is a bearer cheque dated May 2, 2008 and printed with an expiry date of December 31, 2008. The second, Pick 82, is a purple banknote from Decembe …

Numismatic Reference · November 11, 2026 · 7 min read Zimbabwe vs Venezuela: Two Hyperinflations, Side by Side One was a sprint and one was a marathon. Peak rates, zeros removed, the biggest notes each country printed and how each crisis ended, in one place. Quick Answer Zimbabwe's hyperinflation was far more intense; Venezuela's lasted far longer. Zimbabwe's monthly inflation peaked at about 79.6 billion percent in November 2008, and the country stopped using its own dollar in …

Numismatic Reference · November 5, 2026 · 7 min read Billion or Milliard? How to Read Big Numbers on Foreign Banknotes A German "Billion" is a trillion, and a Hungarian "milliárd" is a billion. How the two number scales work, with a word table for the notes in your album. Quick Answer It depends on the language. American English and official British English use the short scale, where a billion is 1,000,000,000. Most of continental Europe and Latin America use the long sca …

Numismatic Reference · November 3, 2026 · 7 min read How Many Zeros in a Trillion? A Guide Written in Real Banknotes Million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion: every big number name, how many zeros it has, and a banknote that actually printed it. Quick Answer A trillion has 12 zeros: 1,000,000,000,000. In American English each new number name adds three more, so a billion has 9, a quadrillion 15, a quintillion 18 and a sextillion 21. Banknotes have reached every one o …

Collector's Guide · Grading · October 2026 How to Read a PMG Banknote Label, Line by Line A PMG label fits a country, a catalog number, a serial number, a grade and sometimes a name into a strip a little wider than the note. Here is what each line tells you, using a label from our own PMG 68 EPQ Zimbabwe 100 Trillion stock. The short answer The top lines identify the note: country and issuer, catalog (Pick) number, date, denomination, serial number and signature variety. The larg …

Collector's Guide · Storage and Display · October 2026 How to Frame a Banknote Without Damaging It A frame is the best way to show a note off and the quickest way to fade one. Here is how conservators frame paper, translated for a single banknote, with exact sizes for the Zimbabwe 100 Trillion. The short answer Use glazing that filters at least 99 percent of UV light, a 100% cotton rag mat, and photo corners or a polyester sleeve instead of tape or glue. Keep the note from touchi …

Collector's Guide · Gift Guide · October 2026 Banknote Gifts for Collectors: The 2026 Holiday Guide Real money from history is a gift with a story attached. Here are our picks at both ends of the budget, plus how to give a note so it arrives in perfect shape. The short answer Good banknote gifts tell a story the recipient can hold: a 2008 Zimbabwe 100 Trillion, a 1923 German railway note, a Venezuelan note that stood for 100 million of the old currency. Under $50 buys two genuine …

Collector's Guide · Education · October 2026 How to Teach Inflation With Real Banknotes A percentage on a slide is abstract. A note with fourteen zeros on it is something a student can hold. Here is a lesson built around real money, with the math, the handling rules and the cost. The short answer Give every student a genuine banknote from a country that went through hyperinflation, then have them do the math the note carries. A pack of 100 consecutive Venezuelan notes costs $39 t …