Foreign Banknotes: Are they Collectibles?

While the US has a wide selection of collectible banknotes. However, there are other historical banknotes from countries around the world that are just as collectible, some by value, some by history behind the note’s country of origin. Here are just a few examples of a very wide expanse of collectible world banknotes.

The Djibouti Franc

Djibouti 100 Franc Banknote
Djibouti 100 Franc Banknote

Our first example comes from the Horn of Africa. The Djiboutian Franc has been around since the late 19th century. When the French Somaliland protectorate was established the French franc had begun being circulated in Djibouti along with other coin currencies. The first banknotes weren’t introduced until almost 30 years later. They were issued in denominations of 5, 20 and 100 franc notes. Since then little has changed in the currency outside of the introduction of higher denominations.

The Indonesian Rupiah

Republic of Indonesia Rupiah 1945
Indonesian Rupiah from 1945
50000 Indonesian Rupiah 2013
The Indonesian Rupiah today
Our next example comes from indochina. The indonesian rupiah has had a roller-coaster ride throughout history. The first rupiah was issued by the Republic of Java in 1946 after World War II as an act of defiance against the Dutch who had originally had the “Dutch East Indies” as a colony before the war. After some diplomatic follies by the Dutch, the Dutch currency had been outlawed by the republican interior of Indonesia. Instead, Java had begun printing their own currency known as the Rupiah. The Rupiah has had a very tumultuous history since its inception, which included serious inflation during the Asian finincial crisis in 1997-98 where it saw its value drop by 80%. Today, the modern Rupiah is a collectible for currency collectors and ETF prospectors. You can see our collection of Indonesian Rupiahhere.

The Vietnamese Dong

Vietnamese Dong in 1951
Vietnamese Dong in 1951
100000 Vietnames Dong in 2013
The Vietnamese Dong Today
The Vietnamese Dong is another foreign currency that has seen its own roller-coaster ride for the currency. When Vietnam was split into two countries, both the North and South Vietnam had their own form of the Dong. In North Vietnam, the Viet Minh government issued the Dong as a replacement of the French Indochinese colonial currency. The south followed suit in 1953 by issuing currency with the same name. In 1978, when the country was reunified, the currency was as well. Today, the original cotton notes used by the Vietnamese have been replaced with a plastic polymer banknote. We have a variety of these collector’s notes available here.

Gary Dyner is the owner of Great American Coin Company. Connect with him on Google+.

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