The Museum of the National Bank of Belgium has several inflationary notes on display. The most remarkable ones are the 500 billion dinar note of former Yugoslavia and that of 1 million trillion Hungarian pengö (or 1 followed by 18 noughts!).
Tag: banknotes
Theresienstadt: notes as a disguise of sheer misery
By the end of the Second World War the Allied Forces gradually liberated all concentration camps. Joy and gratitude coincided with a growing awareness of the havoc and devastation caused by the war. Amongst others: the genocide of the Jewish people.
Museum Spring Day, 17 May 2009
The Museum of the National Bank of Belgium takes part in the 2009 edition of “Printemps des Musées”, the yearly museum day in the Walloon provinces and in Brussels. The theme of this year: “Colours!”
Magritte for a mere 500 francs
The 500 francs Magritte type, issued 16th April 1998, was the last new note of a series that started some 147 years ago. 1998 was also the first centenary of Magritte’s birthday. To commemorate this Belgian surrealist artist the Brussels Museum of Fine Arts organised an exhibition with no less than 335 pieces out of his vast body of work.
The oldest Belgian paper money (1837-1850)
In 1830 Belgium was the most industrialised country on the continent. In the period 1830-1848 a very small number of banks financed the Belgian industrial revolution. Each of them had the right to issue paper money.
1851: The first-born notes of the National Bank
Nowadays, the National Bank of Belgium is the only financial institution authorized to print banknotes in Belgium. However, this has not always been the case. During the first half of the 19th century several banks put their own notes in circulation. The Bank which was founded by law of 5 May 1850 issued its first series in 1851.
The cradle of the European banknote stood in … Sweden
In 1654 Christina, the young Swedish queen, caused upheaval when she abdicated and became a convert to the Roman-Catholic faith. Her extravagancy and the recently ended Thirty years’ war (1618-1648) had left her country with enormous debts. To make financial matters worse, her successor and cousin, Charles X Gustavus, continued warfare with Poland and Denmark. These lasting conflicts were a serious threat to the economy and caused a depreciation of the copper plate money or kopparplätmynt.
First centenary: time for innovation
The design of the euro banknotes depicts the architectural styles of seven periods in Europe’s cultural history. Compared to the former notes of the member states of the euro area which can be regarded as glorious portrait galleries, the euro notes no longer depict portraits from famous persons of the euro area. Questions that might have given rise to discussion were, amongst others: who? males? females? what nationality? In the 20th century the portrait became one of the main motifs of the Belgian notes.
Paper money, a Chinese invention?
First paper, then paper money. This is pure logic. It is hardly surprising that the first notes or better, the first paper money, appeared in China. With the invention of paper and printing on its account, this country was almost destined to produce the first paper money.
Emergency money
Everybody knows probably the stories about butter and eggs which have been smuggled from the countryside to the city during the war. But how were these butter and eggs paid for?
