THE (ALMOST) PERFECT CRIME

This Bahain 20 Dinar banknote was part of what was an almost perfect crime that threatened the stability of the economy of Bahrain. The note was the largest denomination issued by Bahrain.  In late 1997 a group of con-men approached a South American banknote manufacturer with a forged order from the Bahrain Monetary Agency for several million of the current Bahrain 20 Dinar banknote, which had been introduced in 1993. The manufacturer, believing the men and their order to be legitimate, carefully created printing plates from an original note and secured 8 tons of banknote paper with the original watermark and security threads from the French manufacturer that had provided the paper for the original printing of the notes.  The notes were printed in May 1998. During the first week of June huge quantities of the 20 Dinar banknotes were presented to branches of the Bahrain Monetary Agency and there were a number of currency transactions involving Bahraini Dinars in Lebanon and Europe.  Careful examination of the notes being presented showed subtle difference from the notes that had been in circulation.  Calls were made to Thomas de La Rue, the original printers of the note to see if they had altered the plates.  It was soon determined that they had not printed the notes, therefore the new notes must be forgeries.  On June 8 the Bahrain Monetary Agency announced the discovery of the forged notes.  Individuals that had accepted the forged notes had a week to exchange them. Bahrain soon ordered the withdrawal of all existing 20 Dinar banknotes in circulation and a new 20 Dinar note, bearing the same design but different colors, was introduced.  The forged notes, having been printed by a security banknote printing firm using the latest equipment and using the same paper as the legitimate notes made them the almost perfect forgery.  The biggest difference was that the South American firm had a different numbering machine, thus the forged notes have a larger gap between the two Arabic letters to the left of the serial number on the right hand corner of the front of the note than the original notes. Considering that the original notes had a face value of about $60 and catalog for $80, the price for this scarcer, unauthorized issue is quite reasonable.

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NORTH KOREAN BANKNOTE BARGAIN

Due to severe limits on travel and foreign exchange transactions, banknotes from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea can be difficult and expensive to get.  We have been able to obtain two North Korean banknotes which we can offer at a small fraction of their catalog value.  Both notes feature “Socialist Realism” art that is used for propaganda purposes in North Korea.  The blue 1998 5 Won shows students on the front and a palace on the back.  It has a catalog value of $8.00.  The brown 1992 50 Won shows three young, professionals on the front and has a mountainous landscape on the back.  It has a catalog value of $10.00  Both notes are Crisp Uncirculated and include the North Korean arms on the front.

For coins of Korea please see:
NORTH KOREAN COINS FEATURE TRANSPORTATION THEMES
MULTI-COLORED OLYMPIC COINS FROM NORTH KOREA
SOUTH KOREA COIN SET
KINGDOM OF KOREA 1/4 YANG 1898
SCARCE KOREAN COIN FROM THE MILITARY TRAINING COMMAND

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WARLORD NOTE OF SOMALIA

After the overthrow of the government of Somalia in 1991 the country quickly collapsed into anarchy as various warlords attempted to establish dominance.  The United States sent troops into Somalia to try to stop the fighting, but with little success. This attractive 50 N.Shilin note was issued by Ali Mahdi Mohammed, a warlord who controlled northern Mogadishu.  The note was made to pay his troops who were battling Mohammed Farah Aideed in the “Banana War”.  The war was about who got to collect the taxes on Somalia’s banana exports! The scarce, multi-colored note shows a man working a loom on the front.  The back shows a banana plant and a young person leading a donkey carrying three children. The note is dated 1991, but was issued later.  We offer the note at far less than its $15 catalog value.

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SHIPS ON SCARCE SOMALILAND BANKNOTE

After the collapse of the government of Somalia in 1991, the northern area of the country, once known as British Somaliland, declared its independence and called itself Somaliland.  Somaliland has few resources and has not been internationally recognized, yet it is one of the most stable and best run nations in Africa.  The government finances itself primarily on taxes from the export of sheep and goats to Saudi Arabia.  This 2008 dated 500 Shillings note pictures goats being headed onto an awaiting line of ships on the back and a building on the front.

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BANKNOTES OF BIAFRA

After years of persecution by the Muslim majority who controlled Nigeria, the oil-rich and heavily Christian south-eastern portion of the country declared itself the independent Republic of Biafra, in May, 1967. The independence was to be short-lived however. After over two years of bloody civil war, in which as many as two million people died, Biafra was forced to surrender to Nigeria in January of 1970. During this brief period of independence they made two issues of paper currency. The 1967 issue consisted of just two notes: the 1 Pound, which featured the Biafran arms on the back and the 5 Shillings, which pictured four Biafran women.  The front of both notes featured a palm tree and a bright orange rising sun. From the 1968-69 issue we offer a set of four notes that include the 5 Pounds which pictures a weaver at a loom, the 1 Pound which shows the national arms, the 10 Shillings that features buildings and the 5 Shilling, which again pictures Biafran women.  These are the original notes that circulated in Biafran, not the unissued left-over notes that lack serial numbers.  Biafran notes tend to be hard to find as most were destroyed following the war.  The 5 Pound note in the 1968-69 series catalogs for more than we are asking for that entire set!
Item PM-BIA-SET4  BIAFRA 4 NOTE SET, 5 SHILLINGS - 5 POUNDS, 1968-69,  P3a - P6a  VF-XF sold out

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RWANDA NOTE BARGAIN

This set of three colorful Rwanda banknotes issued in 1988 and 1989 catalog for over $70. We are pleased to offer these attractive Crisp Uncirculated notes for MUCH less.  Included is the 100 Francs that pictures Zebras and a woman and her child, the 1000 Francs pictures dancers and a mother and baby Gorilla, and the scarce 5000 Francs note shows the harvesting of coffee beans.

Also see:
NEW COINS FROM RWANDA

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 CONGO ELEPHANT NOTE BARGAIN

A standing elephant is featured on the colorful 2000 dated 100 Franc note from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  We are pleased to this scarce note, at a small fraction of their $75.00 catalog value.    A hydro-electric power plant is on the back of the notes.  The elephant note catalogs for $75.00!  We are pleased to offer such an attractive note at a small fraction of its catalog value.

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RARE NANSHA (SPRATLY) ISLANDS CURRENCY

The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 100 small islands or reefs in the South China Sea.  The islands are claimed in whole or in part by the Peoples Republic of China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.  The islands sit atop large oil and gas deposits, are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and are located on major shipping lanes.  Various islands are occupied from time to time by fisherman, military forces of the various claimants and oil exploration crews.  In recent years there have been minor military clashes between some of the claimants.  China calls the islands Nansha Islands, and bases their claim on fact that some old Chinese coins and pottery have been found on the islands.  Recently some banknotes appeared that re-enforces their claim on the islands. They are current, regular issue Chinese 1, 2 and 5 Jiao, 1, 5 and 10 Yuan notes that are overprinted in English on the reverse and Chinese on the obverse  "FOR USE ONLY IN NANSHA ISLANDS".  The reverse of each the notes also bears a large red chop that refers to the South China Sea Fleet.  We were able to obtain a limited number of this unusual and mysterious issue.

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