Reference level

S

Letter S designates the Straus reference.

Issue level

1

2

3

etc.

This level identifies specific bank note issues. A bank note issue is considered a separate issue if it significantly differs from other issues and if the issuing authority considers it a separate issue. Significant differences include:

1. Country title (such as Commonwealth of Australia vs Australia).

2. Issuing authority title (such as Banque Nationale de la République d'Haïti vs Banque de la République d'Haïti).

3. Denomination (such as 10 vs 50). Includes redenomination (e.g., 1,000,000 to 100).

4. Substantial design characteristics (substantial differences in bank note design, colour, or size). See also Specific cases / Design changes.

Related issues (i.e., issues that belong to a specific time period and are of uniform design) are grouped together in the order of denomination. This means that within a series of related issues, the 20 denomination will precede the 100 denomination, regardless of the fact that the 100 denomination might have been issued at an earlier date.

Issue numbers are assigned respectively for each country.

Bank note issues are denoted by numbers 1, 2, 3, etc.

Type level

P

S

R

Z

(X)

(Y)

This level identifies specific bank note types. The following types are used:

1. P (proof bank note)
   A proof note is printed with a purpose of establishing the quality, design and other properties of the printing. Proof notes may be unfinished in design and may be missing certain characteristics (serial number, colour, printing phase) that one would expect to see on a finished note. Proof notes are usually made to aid the printer and the issuing authority with the selection of design, colour, etc. A proof note can sometimes bear a 'specimen' overprint. Cancellation holes may be present. Proof notes are usually scarce and unavailable to the public. Note that fully finished notes with zero serial numbers, which are sometimes referred to as 'presentation specimens', are included in this category, as well as trial and essay notes. Proof notes are not legal tender. Proof notes that are known to exist in collectors' hands are represented on country pages. Other proof notes, which are not known to exist in collectors' hands, are represented in special section on Proof notes. The reason for this division is that several proof notes are always made for every bank note issue and most of those proof notes are never known to the public. The listing of proof notes is therefore necessarily incomplete. We have chosen to add proof notes that are known to exist in collectors' hands to our listing on country pages. All other proof notes—where at least some information (usually images) is known to us—can be found in a special section on Proof notes.

2. S (specimen bank note)
   A specimen note is printed to familiarize various parties (foreign central banks, commercial banks, law enforcement agencies) with the newly issued currency. Some countries also make them available to the public. A specimen note is a fully finished note, with all the characteristics of a regular circulating note and it always bears a "specimen" overprint (in English or in local language). It usually comes with zero serial numbers and the consecutive specimen number is often added. Cancellation holes may be present. Specimen notes are not legal tender.

3. R (regular bank note)
   This type comprises all regular, legal tender issues (with the exception of replacement bank notes), including collectors' (commemorative) issues. The same designation (R) is used for regular issues and for collectors' issues as it is sometimes difficult to establish whether a note is a collectors' issue or a regular issue. Since there are no recognized criteria to differentiate between these two types of issue (i.e., there are many 'grey' issues), common designation 'regular issues' is used.

4. Z (replacement bank note)
   Replacement bank notes are sometimes created by the printer to replace damaged or error notes. Such replacement notes bear a special serial number prefix or a special symbol as a part of the serial number to distinguish them from regular notes and to maintain the consecutive serial numbering sequence. Most frequently, however, replacement notes are indistinguishable from regular notes and they bear no special prefix or symbol. Often they are not required at all, as serial numbering is not consecutive and the numbering skips the damaged notes with no replacement.

The following auxiliary types are used:

5. X (promotional notes by security printers). Refer to Promotional notes for more information.

6. Y (other prints by security printers, privately commissioned prints, or prints by non-security printers). Refer to Promotional prints for more information.

Variety level

1

2

3

etc.

The following characteristics identify specific bank note varieties:

1. Minor design characteristics (minor design changes, such as minor and local colour changes, changes in signatory titles, etc.). See also Specific cases / Design changes.

2. Security features. Security features are often changed, added, and upgraded.

3. Date (different years of issue, either as an imprint or as a part of a serial number, e.g., AA 96 vs AA 97).

4. Printer. Notes printed by different printers are assigned a unique variety-level designation only when there are obvious modifications to the bank note. If there are no obvious modifications, a change of printer is classified on a sub-variety level. See Sub-variety level / Note (iv).

5. Printing process (such as offset vs intaglio).

6. Signature.

7. Serial number size, font, format (such as 2-letter vs 3-letter prefix), or colour (such as red vs black colour). This category covers intended serial number colour variations; for unintended variations see Specific cases / Error bank notes.

8. Overprint (e.g., a note without an overprint, with a black overprint, or with a red oveprint).

Bank note varieties are denoted by numbers 1, 2, 3, etc.

Sub-variety level

a

b

c

etc.

The following characteristics identify specific bank note sub-varieties:

1. Packaging (such as a cardboard vs leather folder or a folder with a single note vs folder with two notes).

2. Issued form (such as a sheet of 24 notes vs a single issued note).

3. Special serial numbers. Sometimes, special serial number prefixes (such as AA 97 vs HK 97) are used for special occasions or low serial numbers (such as AA 000011) are sold by the issuing authority at a premium.

4. Change of printer, where no obvious modifications to the bank note have been made. See Note (iv).

The characteristics above define sub-varieties. They cannot determine distinct varieties. (i) Simply placing a bank note in a different folder does not do anything for the note itself—it is still the same note. (ii) For the same reason, it should not be decisive whether the note has been issued as a single note or in an uncut form of multiple subjects. (iii) Furthermore, many bank notes have been issued on different occasions with different prefixes and serial number ranges—if we consider a certain prefix or serial number range as being different from another prefix or serial number range, we might as well consider each bank note as being its own unique variety. We do recognise that certain scarcer prefixes or certain low-numbered bank notes rightfully command a premium over what would be a market price for a common note, however, this still does not make them a distinct variety. (iv) The change of printer results in a distinct variety only when there are obvious modifications to the bank note. Obvious modifications are those recognisable under basic or qualified authentication and exclude forensic authentication of high-level covert security features. Different serial numbers (such as AA 111111 vs CD 222222) are not deemed to be an obvious modification. If there are no obvious modifications, a change of printer is classified on a sub-variety level.

Bank note sub-varieties are denoted by small letters a, b, c, etc.

Design changes

Changes in substantial design characteristics define issues; changes in minor design characteristics define varieties. The division between a substantial design characteristic and a minor one is discretionary. This section attempts to establish some guidelines and precedents for the division.

For changes in substantial design characteristics refer to General rules / Issue level. For changes in minor design characteristics refer to General rules / Variety level. For specific examples see below.

Specific examples of changes in substantial design characteristics (a new bank note issue has been assigned):

1. Design change. Example I: Australia S2 redesigned to S3 (orientation bands added on eight places; the issuing authority considered this a new bank note issue). Example II: Romania S6 redesigned to S11 (the clear window has been reshaped and redesigned, obverse design has been modified; the issuing authority considered this a new bank note issue).

2. Colour change. Example: Australia S2 recoloured to S3 (the dominant colour changed from grey to violet; the issuing authority considered this a new bank note issue).

3. Resizing. Example: Romania S6 resized to S11 (the note has been resized from 168 x 78 to 147 x 82 mm; the issuing authority considered this a new bank note issue).

Specific examples of changes in minor design characteristics (a new bank note variety has been assigned):

4. Design change. Example I: Brazil S1R1 changed to S1R2 (name "Pedro A. Cabral" changed to "Pedro Álvares Cabral"). Example II: Australian issues of 1992-1999 redesigned in 2002 (additions of names of the persons depicted on the notes; the two signatories changed positions).

5. Local colour change. Example I: Australia S4 recoloured in 1994 (the portrait on reverse changed from blue to grey). Example II: Samoa S1 received several minor colour changes (producing four distinct varieties).

Error bank notes

Sometimes, the serial numbering ink is chemically unstable, which can cause slight changes in serial number colour. Such unintended and erroneous instances do not warrant a separate variety designation; such notes are deemed to be error notes. Specific examples include: Australia S2 (black/green serial numbers), Papua New Guinea S1 (black/green serial numbers), and Sri Lanka S1 (red/orange serial numbers).

Bank notes such as Australia S1R1 warrant a separate variety listing. S1R1 note showed technical flaws, which has been corrected by using improved technology and improved production process (resulting in a S1R2 note variety rather than in an error note). In comparison, Zambia S1R1 and S2R1 notes showed technical flaws (fading serial numbering ink), which had been corrected by using the correct application of the same technology and of the same production process. No separate variety listing is therefore needed and the flawed note is deemed to be an error note.

Refer to Error bank notes for more information.

Non-legal tender bank notes

Kuwait S1 and Kuwait S2 are examples of bank notes that have no legal tender value. Nevertheless, they have been printed by a security printer (NPA), they are using high-level bank note security, and they have been issued/sold by an issuing authority (the Central Bank of Kuwait). We have, therefore, included them in our listing.

Proper use

Examples:

1. Vietnam S5
   This reference is properly cited at the issue level.

2. Australia S1R1
   This reference is properly cited at the variety level.

3. Brunei S3R3a
   This reference is properly cited at the sub-variety level.

Conditional use

Examples:

1. S7 or S2P2 or S4R1a
   Allowed if the country name is mentioned beforehand.

2. 8 or 3R1 or 4R1a
   Allowed if the country name is mentioned beforehand and if the letter S is directly and clearly linked to the citation (for example, as a heading in the table, where the truncated reference appears).

Improper use

Examples:

1. China S1Z or S2R
   The type level is present, but the variety level is missing. Not allowed.

2. Samoa 1 or Brazil 1R1 or New Zealand 5R1c
   The letter S is missing. Not allowed.

3. S2R2A or Singapore S4R1B
   The sub-variety designation should not be a capital letter. Not allowed.