
Last week we challenged you with six questions about world paper money. Did you know the correct answers? Find out below!
1) The 1954-1977 series of Switzerland is known for its intriguing back designs. What is the main design element of the 1000 Franken (Pick-52)?
The “Danse Macabre” or “Dance of Death”. This allegory from the Middle Ages is a representation of the universality of death. The image shows characters from all walks of life being summoned to the grave by death himself. There have been more joyful engravings on banknotes over the years!
2) The 1941 series of Panama (its only banknote series) saw a very brief period in circulation. Why was that?
After President Dr. Arnulfo Arias came to power in Panama in 1940, he sought to reform the nation’s currency. On October 2, 1941, a new series of notes was introduced, denominated in Balboas. However, a week later, on October 9, Arias was deposed in a coup and his successor, President Ricardo Adolfo de la Guardia Aranga, immediately sought to withdraw the notes from circulation and introduced the U.S. dollar as the nation’s paper money (coins denominated in Balboa’s are still in circulation to this day).
3) During World War II, notes were issued on Fanning Island, an atoll in the South Pacific that today is part of Kiribati. Today, you are more likely to encounter halved notes instead of a fully intact one. What’s the reason?
Fanning Island is a remote outpost in the South Pacific today known as Tabuaeran. R.G. Garrett, manager of the Fanning Island Plantations, had 3,000 notes printed in Hawaii during World War II to alleviate a shortage of circulating currency. After the end of the war, most of the notes were redeemed and were halved to invalidate them. Quite unusually, the halves were then used as movie tickets by employees of the company.
4) Banknotes have been made from some unusual materials over the years. True or false: Currency made from aluminum foil was once issued in Germany.
True! In the early 1920s, numerous cities in Germany printed notgeld on aluminum foil. Perhaps the most famous issue is that of the city of Lauta, although there are others. At the same time, notes and coins were made from other unusual materials, including fabric, leather, coal dust, and even gelatin.
5) In 1915, this East European country issued a series of seven postage stamps that could be used as money and are thus listed in the Pick catalog. The design shows the King observing a battlefield. What country was this?
Serbia. The stamps were issued as money due to a coin shortage that was the result of World War I. Listed as Pick-15 through Pick-21, each stamp features an identical design of King Peter I looking over a battlefield with military staff behind him. The two lowest denominations, 5 Para and 10 Para, were valid for postage, but the higher denominations could technically only be used as money (although some are known postally used as well).
6) In the 1820s, notes were printed for the country of Poyais. Where can you find this country on a map?
This was a trick question. Poyais was entirely fictional and part of an elaborate scheme by a Scottish man named Gregor MacGregor to dupe investors into investing in his fictional country. MacGregor created titles, a coat of arms, and currency denominated in Dollars. The country was supposedly located in Central America and the affair, known as the “Poyais Scheme,” was one of the biggest swindles in history. About 250 people even attempted to immigrate to Poyais, but when they arrived, they found nothing but empty jungle, and more than half of the people died.