The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 36, August 21, 2005, Article 6

NEW BOOK ON POLYMER BANKNOTES

The following excerpts are from a recent article published
on the web by The Star of Malaysia:

"Polymer banknotes have been around for almost a quarter
of a century, with more than three billion bills circulating in
26 countries today. Malaysia first joined the plastic money
club with a RM50 denomination.

Now, three Malaysians have put the country ahead of the
polymer pack. After eight months of research, three Malaysian
banknote collectors wrote, compiled and designed a collector’s
tome, World Polymer Banknotes – A Standard Reference.

The trio – Peter Eu, Ben Chiew and Julian Chee – claim the
book is the first reference in its category which documents
and records the history, development and listing of world
polymer banknotes."

"Collecting polymer currencies can be an educational journey,
if not an appreciation of the artwork. "

“Compared to paper banknotes, the polymer banknotes are
twice as expensive to produce, but last four to five times longer.
As a result, they are replaced less often which leads to lower
production costs. They can more durable and won’t fade with
handling. Hence, they can be washed and won’t get damaged
in the washing machine,” he says.

Polymer banknotes are clean throughout their life. Impermeable
to water, sweat or liquid, they don’t absorb moisture, odour
or get stained. The final overcoating (with a protective varnish)
also protects the banknote from excessive ink wear."

"In the late 1970s and early 1980s, du Pont pioneered this
evolution of technology in currency with its Tyvek polymer, a
material that was jointly developed by du Pont and American
Banknote Company. It was later discovered that the printing
ink does not bond to the Tyvek material and after handling a
few times, the ink on the notes smudges and wears off."

"In the late 1980s, the Reserve Bank of Australia developed
and perfected the technique with Guardian polymer, and
introduced plastic banknotes in 1988. Today, all countries
that issue polymer currency use this version."

World Polymer Banknotes – A Standard Reference (1st
edition 2005/2006) is available from MPH, Kinokuniya and
other major bookstores at RM39.90. It can also be purchased
from the website, www.eurekametro.com

The 208-page reference book lists more than 500 banknotes
with 60 banknotes illustrated in high-resolution images. It is
educational for both collectors and non-collectors as it includes
the currency history, data of each country, description of the
artwork of each banknote and information of the currency."

To read the full article, see: Full Story

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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