Been a long time since I posted anything in the Member's Gallery section. mainly because nothing is happening in my garden at this time. So today I thought of why not give everyone over here a treat, and show the designs of my country's currency notes. Our currency is called the Pakistani Rupee, written as Rs. And internationally it is written as PK Rs, or Rs (PK). 1 Rupee can be divided into 100 Paisa. But nowadays the Paisa coins are no longer produced by the national mint. Out smallest denomination currency note is 10 Rupees (anything small is now in the shape of the coin), and the biggest denomination currency note is 5,000 Rupees! Pakistani currency ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Thanks to global inflation, now many of the small denomination notes (in many countries) are being replaced with coins. So same is the story here, as first it was the 1 and 2 Rupee notes that the State Bank stopped printing over 10 years ago - And in it's place came the 1 & 2 Rupee coins. However last year the 5 Rupee note also was take out of circulation, and replaced with a 5 Rupee coin. So I think I'll start this tour with the recently discontinued 5 Rupee note. It is no longer considered as a legal tender, just a collector's item now. Anyway, here is the front of the 5 Rupee note. It shows the portrait of Barrister Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876 to 1948), also known to us as Quaid-e-Azam (the great leader). He is the one who brought us independance, and was the first Governor General of Pakistan. So all our currency notes carry his picture on the front side. 5 Rupee front ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) On the back side is the new deep sea Gwadar city port. 5 Rupee back ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Security features of this note includes a watermark (which is also M. A. Jinnah's portrait), along with it's denomination (5 Rupees) written on the watermark. It also has a security thread between the paper layers, that say "STATE BANK OF PAKISTAN" over and ovr again. This thread glows a yellow-green under UV light. certain areas of ink also glow yellow under UV light. And the paper also has green glowing fibers too. 5 Rupee watermark ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 5 Rupee front under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 5 Rupee back under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Alright, with each post in this thread I will continue to ad details of another denomination currency note!
Wow. Nice. I like .... money While in Asia I was fascinated and started collecting some notes. Ours, the Romanian Leu/Lei is plastic.
Hehehehehehe... Yes, we get that a lot from people who haven't been to our part of the world. You see (generally speaking) the Pakistani genepool is a mixture of Middle Eastern + Central Asian (even caucasian and Turkish) bloodlines. So most of us end up looking like people from North Mediterranean countries. Which is why Pakistanis living in Italy are often indistinguishable from the locals - Until it's time to speak that is. Of course, we have a small minority that migrated from India in 1947 (when Pakistan was created) - So those people (and now their kids too) are very easy to identify (mainly because of their physically short stature). However we have a tiny population of Africans also, ancestry linked to the coastal tribes of Sudan and Somalia. The funny thing is that a Pakistani African, when travels internationally on our green colored Pakistani passport - Often gets held up for questioning, as many people just don't believe that we have locals of that skin color too. Actually, our football (soccer) team has many people who are Pakistani Africans! I guess it is fair to say that we are a bit like Israel, where the majority will be half Mediterranean and half Middle Eastern - But you will also find pockets of all other color too. Some time ago they made a movie on M. A. Jinnah's life. And the actor that suited him most was Christopher Lee (skin color as well as body posture). So after playing the role of Dracula, he finally played Jinnah! Which actually is an inside joke, as Indians (who till this day have not forgiven Jinnah for breaking India in 2) - Often referred to Jinnah as their Count Dracula! Anyway, here is short clip of the movie - Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLiymgGobTY Well, in the beginning, during the first few years of our independence - We used the same notes that the British had left us with. Because State Bank of Pakistan's mint and press wasn't established. But as soon as it was up and running, we started producing notes and coins of our own design. So that design I think continued till 1971, when we had our 2nd major war with India. During that time, it was believed that our enemy had produced a of fake Pakistani currency. So after the war, we changed the designs of all denomination notes. And so that design continued till about 10 years ago - Where we changed it to this design, to stay ahead of counterfeiters. Yes, I've seen Hong Kong and Australian Dollars, which too are not printed on paper, but on plastic. Personally I think that it's a wonderful idea - One that will extend the life of the note also! However, some here say that plastic money is easier to fake, so perhaps that's why we didn't opt for it. Anyway, here is the 10 Rupee note for you all! This 10 Rupees is now the least denomination note in circulation. It is also functioning as a backbone whenever you are given small change. And kids still carry this in their pickets. When I was a kid, I was given 5 Rupees for school, and believe it not not, it lasted almost the whole week! Yet now, many kids even carry 50 or 100 also, and I doubt if it will last them even 2 days. Such has the value and buying power of the once mighty Pakistani Rupee, now reached a record low (due to the global financial situation)... On the front is again M. A. Jinnah, while on the back is the historic Khyber Pass monument, that is between Pakistan and Afghanistan. many great battles, along with lives, have been won and lost here. Many great feats of men have been recorded in history over here, and so many unforgettable legends till this day echo from those parts. Here is a video of the people that till this day live there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOuspHz4MJw People of the Khyber Pass solidly believe in 2 things, many sons, with lots of guns!!! 10 Rupee front ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 10 Rupee back ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 10 Rupee watermark ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 10 Rupee front under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 10 Rupee back under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
OK, here is the next denomination note, the 20 Rupee. In the past (as far as I can remember) we only had a 1, 5, 10, 50, and a 100 Rupee notes. However in the late 80s they introduced a 2 Rupee note, as well as a 500 and a 1,000 too. 1, 2, and 5 Rupee notes have been discontinued and replaced with coins now. But ever since the last 6 or 7 years when they changed the design of the notes (to stay ahead of the counterfeiters), this new denomination of 20 Rupees was also introduced, along with the monstar 5,000 Rs note. Security features of this are identical to the 10 Rs note (even the security thread is the same, but it glows a blue under UV light). However the funny thing is that when this denomination note first came out, it's colors were very similar to the 5,000 Rs note. Only the 5,000 Rs note is a lot longer in size, while 20 is a reasonably short note. Even still, many people got them confused - Which forced the State Bank of Pakistan to change the 20 Rs note's colors. I myself had once seen a middle aged woman crying in the middle of the busy street - She had gone to the bank, where her son (who was working abroad) had remitted her some money from his salary. So she went to the bank and withdrew 20,000 Rupees that day (enough money to last her a whole month in luxury). The cashier gave her 4 monstar 5,000 Rs notes, and she took them, thinking that they at least will be easy to carry. Then she got in a rickshaw, and upon reaching her destination, she asked the driver how much did she owe him? he said: 80 Rupees madam! So she handed him four 20 Rupee notes. Then she got out of the rickshaw to do some shopping. A few minutes later did she realize that she had absentmindedly handed the rickshaw driver four 5,000 Rs notes! He probably realized the woman's mistake, but said nothing and smilingly speeded away. So that's when the woman started to cry, and sobbingly was telling her story to the crowd which gathered around her... A traffic policeman took out his radio, and said: Madam, I can have that driver pulled over right now, just give me his description and the license plate number - But the woman was in no shape to give accurate details... So after many such encounters, including instances where people deliberately tried to push a 20 for a 5,000, State Bank finally decided to change the colors of the 20 to more yellow, green, and orange, (from brownish). On the front is once more M. A. Jinnah, while on the back is the view of the ancient Mohenjo Daro ruins in the Sindh province, dating back to 6,000 years (4,000 BC). This was where the Indus River civilization thrived in the past, next to the Indus river. They had their own written script too (which even now hasn't been fully deciphered). 20 Rupee front ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 20 Rupee back ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 20 Rupee watermark ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 20 Rupee front under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 20 Rupee back under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Old colors of the 20 Rupee (now discontinued) ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Well, you know what they say Frank, easy come, easy go... Personally, I think the lady only had herself to blame for this. Because she should really have been a lot more careful with her money. One really cannot just go by depending on the honesty and kindness of others. We really have to watch out for our own selves... OK, now we come to the 50 Rupee note. This too is very common now. in the past you wouldn't have found any kid with this in his or her pocket. But now it's a very common sight. On the front is again M. A. Jinnah, while on the back is our Mount K2, the second tallest mountain in the world! There are no special stories about this denomination note. But for a very long time it was sort of like the workhorse of the currency notes. But now (as the value of the Rupee has fallen), it is generally given back as change. Mount K2 on the other hand is what's known as the roof of the world. It really is extremely difficult to climb, worse then Mount Everest. It too would have been very well known in the world - But this region is somewhat close to the Siachen Glacier. Where Indian and Pakistani armies are constantly fighting (at the highest battlefield of the world). Here is a scene from the movie Vertical Limit, that very accurately shows how life is like in those parts of Pakistan! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdzwDpoVvmE 3 O'Clock, time to wake up the Indians!!! (another inside joke that very few will understand completely). 50 Rupee front ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 50 Rupee back ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 50 Rupee watermark ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 50 Rupee front under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 50 Rupee back under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Wow, S-H, that was a sad story about that woman. Not saying it wouldn't happen here, but we hear of many people returning huge forgotten amounts of money, but to not know what the money in your hand is worth or to be confused about what is there due to changing of the printing would be horrific. The colors of your money is really colorful.
Yes well that's because we give a color to every denomination. Like 100 (since over the last 40+ years) always was and still is a red colored note. 50 has been a deep purple. And 10 has always been a light green. So when those 2 new denomination notes (5,000 and 20) came out, they had similar colors, but different sizes. So that's what lead to the confusion - As many people absentmindedly go by the color of the notes. Anyway, now I come to the 100 Rupee note. This is still functioning as the backbone of our currency notes. It is the most produced denomination. In the past this was also the biggest denomination note that we had - Until the mid 1980s, when the 100 Rupee note was upstaged by a 500, and a few months later with a 1,000 too. But even now, this still is the most circulated note, 10 is a close second. It's features of the silver security thread are a very different from all smaller notes. As it has silver security thread that's woven on the front side. Meaning that it pops in and out of the surface of the paper (hence very difficult to counterfeit). And it also carries it's denomination number (100 Rs) printed on this security thread. However this thread glows as a blue under UV light. On the front is (as always) M. A. Jinnah, while on the back is one Jinnah's vacation mansions in the small town of Ziarat, near the city of Quetta in the Balochistan province. That house was almost destroyed recently, when Iranian and Indian backed terrorists fired RPGs at it (out of spite) - But has since been restored. Jinnah was an extremely wealthy man, originally born in Karachi, where his father owned a fishing business - Jinnah decided to take up law as a profession. And so became extremely well known and wealthy in the process. Which is why he had many mansions all over the Indian subcontinent, in nearly all major cities and vacation spots too. There was a plan that Jinnah's mansion now in the Indian city of Bombay (today called Mumbai) was to be used as the Pakistani Embassy. But ever since we swept it for electronic listening devices - And discovered that there was now a bug hidden in every nook and cranny, our Government decided to relinquish all claims to it... But all of his Jinnah's homes that are now in Pakistan, have become museums. This Ziarat home was one of his favorites, and at the end of his life (in 1948), he was resting there - Until he had to be brought to Karachi, however he eventually died on the road that connects Maripur airbase to the city of Karachi. Anyway, here is a video of that Ziarat home: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoQt_Rfn6Pw 100 Rupees front ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 100 Rupees back ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 100 Rupees watermark ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 100 Rupees front under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 100 Rupees back under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
At first I though knowing about another country's currency wouldn't interest me, but you have a great amount of knowledge of it and are making it very interesting S-H. Thanks
Well, if you really like to know more about Pakistan and it's founder Jinnah - Then just watch this movie named Jinnah. They say: Few individuals significantly alter the course of history. Fewer still modify the map of the world. And hardly anyone can be credited with creating a nation-state. yet Mohammad Ali Jinnah did all three. Jinnah (the movie). Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSDqru7MFYo Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2HqmZl1Eys The whole movie is actually in a flashback. As it starts at Jinnah's death. However when Jinnah reaches the afterlife, an Angel seems to have misplaced his file - So nobody knows if Jinnah should be sent to Heaven (for creating Pakistan which functioned as a refuge for millions upon millions of Muslims). Or send Jinnah to Hell, for founding a nation, during the creation of which millions lost their lives. Since Jinnah's file (containing all the good and bad deeds of his life) is mission. the Angel has no choice but to take a tour of history, and judge if Jinnah deserves to be in Heaven, or Hell... Anyway, the next denomination note is the 500 Rupee! It also was introduced to the public in the late 80s. So before that, 100 Rs was the biggest note that we had. However today 500 Rs notes are a very common sight. If you go shopping for groceries every alternate day. Then you only need to carry a few 100 Rupee notes. Or a single 500 Rupee note, and you'll probably get back a 100 and a 50 as change. In my opinion, this really is one hell of a difficult note to forge, as this is the only one which glows a red color under UV light (in a small area). Now why exactly did they put this extra security feature in the 500 Rs note, and not in the bigger 1000 or 5000 Rs notes, is an unanswered question... All other security features are the same, including the woven silver thread on the front side of the note (which also carries the 500 denomination text on it). Only here it glows in red and yellow (red really is an unimaginably difficult color to produce under UV light). On the front side is M. A. Jinnah, and on the back is Badshahi Mosque in the city of Lahore (one of the largest and oldest in the world), near which the declaration of Pakistan was announced! 500 Rupees front ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 500 Rupees back ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 500 Rupees watermark ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 500 Rupees front under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 500 Rupees back under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Hi S-H,..very interesting information and very colourful/colorful notes,..i like it when notes are of different sizes,..the higher the denomination note the bigger the size,..its easy to make a mistake when all notes regardless of denomination are of the same size,..and colour.
Yes Philip, that is true. But on the other hand, the US Dollar denominations are all the same size and color. So what I've noticed is that on average US citizens scrutinize a note more than others (so they don't accidentally make a mistake). Which of course is a good thing, as the more closely people look at notes, the less chance of counterfeits circulating. So the disadvantages of having colorful notes, is that people over time often develop a habit of going by the color - Thus becoming a bit absentminded in the long run... OK, without any further ado - Here is the 1,000 Rupee note! Introduced in the late 1980s, it too first had the same issues that we now have with the monster 5,000 Rs note (where you can't easily find any change for it in the market). But soon people got used to it. This note is also not easy to forge, as it has many of the same security features that are on the 500 Rs note. On the front is (as always) a picture of M. A. Jinnah. But on the back is the historic building of the Islamic college in the city of Peshawar. The security thread of this note also glows a yellow and blue under UV light. and just like the 500 Rs note, there are green and blue fibers embedded in the note paper too (that only glow under UV light). The silver security thread also is woven in and out of the paper on the front side, and the denomination 1000 Rs is written all over it. Some areas of the printed ink also glow under UV, and it has raised ink areas too (that one can easily feel by hand). There is a funny story about this note. When this denomination note newly came out back in the 80s. A friend of my father went for lunch at a restaurant, accompanied by his wife. When it was time to pay the bill (which was probably about 130 to 150 Rs in those days), he gave the waiter a 1000 Rs note. His wife looked at him and mockingly said: Show-off... He however said that he is only trying to get some change for this fat note. Anyway, the waiter who took that note - Never was seen or heard from again! Why? Because his job only paid him about 500 to 600 Rs per month! So the moment he got a 1000 Rs note in his hands, a small Angel along with the Devil no doubt would have appeared on both his shoulders. But in the end he instantly decided to vanish with that 1,000 Rs note! I think that man's wife till this day taunts him over this episode!!! Even today this is considered a big note, so if you give this to a shopkeeper, and if you'd have only made small purchases - Then the store cashier will no doubt grimace, (unless you do a few days worth of shopping)... 1,000 Rupees front ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 1,000 Rupees back ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 1,000 Rupees watermark ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 1,000 Rupees front under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) 1,000 Rupees back under UV ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
