15 September 1999
Design of $10 millennium bank note unveiled
The Reserve Bank today unveiled the design of a special $10 bank note to commemorate the new millennium.
The $10 millennium bank note depicts New Zealand's development into the digital age and some of the recreational pursuits that make New Zealand special. It was designed by graphic design company Cue Design Limited.
The millennium bank note will be printed on the same flexible polymer plastic as the $20 and $100 notes that are currently in circulation.
Reserve Bank Currency Department Chief Manager Brian Lang said today, "Primarily, this bank note is a celebration of New Zealand moving into the new millennium. However, another key objective in releasing it is to gauge public reaction to new security features, which we will test for future use with our other plastic bank notes.
"People will notice that there is no portrait of a well-known person on this note. Historically, having a face depicted on a bank note made the note much harder to forge. This is because, from infancy, people are able to detect even small differences in faces. Having a portrait on bank notes thus used to make things difficult for forgers.
"However, these days, scanning technology means that faces and other visual details can be replicated sufficiently accurately to deceive the eye. This is one of the reasons that bank note manufacturers have had to include more sophisticated anti-counterfeiting features on notes. The $10 millennium bank note will incorporate some of these new and innovative security features, details of which will be released closer to the time the notes are available.
"In total, two million of these special notes will be printed. Five hundred thousand are earmarked for sale in commemorative packs and 1.5 million notes will go into general circulation alongside existing design notes. Commemorative packs should be available in late October and circulating notes will be available early next year", Mr Lang concluded.
Information on how the commemorative bank note packs will be marketed is attached. The notes issued into general circulation early next year should be available from bank branches around the country at that time.
For further information contact:
Lisa Weekes
Communications Officer
Phone 04 471 3767, pager 026 103 787
Email weekesl@rbnz.govt.nz
MEDIA RELEASE
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For immediate release |
15 September 1999 |
SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION MILLENNIUM BANK NOTE AVAILABLE SOON
A special commemorative edition of the new $10 millennium bank note will go on sale from mid to late October, 1999.
The bank note will be marketed in New Zealand as a joint venture between the Reserve Bank and MoneyWorld New Zealand. MoneyWorld Group of Companies has also been appointed as the worldwide marketing agent for the project.
MoneyWorld New Zealand Chairman, Colin Bell, said the commemorative notes will be a collectors item and will make an ideal gift for parents and family members to buy for their children.
"A limited number of the commemorative bank notes will be printed, which will have special features to make it a collectors item," Mr Bell said.
"The serial numbers will be red and will have the prefix `NZ', and the Reserve Bank Coat of Arms will be overprinted in one area of the note."
Mr Bell said the limited edition note will be available in four forms:
- A single note presented in a special commemorative booklet which tells the story of the bank note and explains the design (price: $19.00 incl GST).
- A single note presented in a special folder which outlines the key features of the design (price: $19.00 incl GST).
- A pair of notes in an uncut sheet presented in the special folder (price: $37.00 incl GST).
- Twenty notes in an uncut sheet which will be sold with a certificate of authenticity (price: $345.00 incl GST).
Mr Bell said only 150,000 special edition commemorative notes will be available in New Zealand while another 350,000 notes will be marketed internationally.
People will be able to order the special edition notes via the 0800 number 0800 4 NOTES (0800 466 837).
For more information contact:
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Wellington contact for MoneyWorld |
Reserve Bank of New Zealand |
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Verve Consulting Ltd |
Collectors Currency Section |
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Ph 0800 466 837 (0800 4 NOTES) |
Ph 0800 426 467 ( 0800 4 COINS) |
