I’m an American and as such, I know where my money comes from. For one thing, I hear about the US Mint and the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing printing more of it often and I even got a chance to see the outside of the branch in Philadelphia at one point (pictured here, but we showed up too late for a tour). For added humor the US Engraving website is, I kid you not, http://www.moneyfactory.gov/. Accurate.
I have collected money from my various trips and love sharing it with my daughter as everyone’s money, it seems, it way cooler than ours. Sure, the USBEP has been spicing things up a bit, but to a 9 year old, Kenya’s shillings have way more color and much cooler animals on the back. Where do other country’s money come from? I started looking around and found some interesting info. (all photos pilfered from the government run websites linked to in each section) I simply went to the large National Geographic world map outside my office and started pondering where it all gets made.
The Royal Canadian Mint or Monnaie Royale Canadienne
This first one is not too unlike the US Mint. Heck the names are even the same. But they have colored coins for the Royal Wedding. I’m not in need of royalty, but colored coins would be cool.
Hong Kong Note Printing Limited
Note printing in Hong Kong is run by a private company and three banks are allowed to issue notes? So the notes from the three banks are all a bit different and the company has on its board members of “the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), China Banknote Printing & Minting Corporation and the 3 note-issuing banks.”? A bit confusing but still the money looks pretty.
Bermuda Monetary Authority
Again, some pretty money and not only that, the Monetary Authority has released a shipwreck series of proof coins! While I’m not a fan of shipwrecks (especially that of Adventurous Kate’s) they obviously have had enough to print proof coins for two years. And if you want to see the coins on exhibit just wander on over to BMA House, 43 Victoria Street, Hamilton. This Exhibit is open from 9am – 4:00pm daily (Monday – Friday).
Kremnica mint
A mint with a long history. Just check out the Wikipedia article on it. And it is one of the oldest running mints in the world, started in 1328. Today it mints coins for up to 25 countries.
THE CENTRAL BANK OF TURKMENISTAN
Not speaking the language, I just want to note that the Central Bank of Turkmenistan not only controls all of the country’s monies, but it also still uses frames on its website.
Central Bank Of Peru
In searching for Peru’s main printing or minting facilities/authority I went for to their central bank’s website. And how handy it is! Right here, on the main page, they show you inflation numbers and bank rates. Handy! That’s how.
Qatar Central Bank
Interesting. I go to the Qartar Central Bank’s website, the English version, and click on the little snippet at top that say “Banknotes” expecting to be delivered to a website showing very fancy money with pictures of probably dead leaders or scenes from the country. Or both. What I get instead is an box asking me for a user name and password. Huh? I try my standard username and password combo: Martin Bishop and “Too Many Secrets”. No good. Come back 5 minutes later and it’s working. Suspicious. I think they are on to me. Interesting note under this note (below) “The value numeral and 3 vertical bars appear on the left hand side of banknote, to help the partially sighted recognise the note.”
And thus ends my lighthearted romp through a few different world banks, their notes and mints. Do you have any interesting tidbits you have collected on your journeys?
Australia some years ago “invented” plastic (polymer) banknotes which last much longer (they are washable and don’t tear easily) and are far more difficult to forge. NZ and Vietnam and a few other countries now use the same technology for their banknotes.
Perth Mint, in Australia, is considered to be one of the world’s best and busiest mints, with its clients including a number of small countries around the world. It was established as the third British Mint after Sydney and Melbourne (both now closed – and interestingly ownership wasn’t transferred from Britain to Australia until the early 70s I think) and it produces the world’s best quality silver and gold billion, and other services include private minting (fancy having your own coins made, Peter?). What I also find incredible is that it was established in the late 1800s to serve the mining boom towns of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie – still rich towns whose industry is based on mining – and now the whole state is Australia’s richest – due to mining. (No, I’m not some freaky mint historian – I only know all this because my hubbie and I wrote two editions of Lonely Planet’s Perth and WA guidebook.)