Unusual Banknote Denominations

[Elak]

Commonly, banknote denominations are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and up.
Sometimes odd denominations falling outside these units are produced. 2 is the most common of these less-common denominations.

One of the oddest denominations i have seen on a banknote is a recent issue from Poland.

The Polish National Bank issued a 19 Złoty note in 2019. It commemorates 100 years since the founding of the bank's security printing works in Warsaw.

The note features the face of the Prime Minister in 1919 Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and also features a watermark of the Polish eagle found on the first banknote produced by print works in 1920.

The printage is 55,000 note, and the notes are Legal Tender in Poland.

EDIT: here is a link to a report on the 19 Zł note.
https://www.thefirstnews.com/article/beautiful-limited-edition-19zl-banknote-issued-to-commemorate-100-years-of-polish-security-printing-works-7892
.

[Figleaf]

The system you decribe is sometimes called the 1-2-5 system. You find the same system on coins. The euro coin series (1-2-5 cent, 10-20-50 cent, 1-2 euros) and banknote series (5, 10-20-50, 100-200-500 euros) is an example of a perfect 1-2-5 series.

The most popular alternatives are 1-5 (high inflation countries), 1-2½-5 (mostly countries that used the peso/maravedi at some time in their history) and 1-2-3-5 (Russia, Soviet Union, Soviet client states). Also, systems can be mixed.

Outliers are non-decimal series, where each unit has its own system, e.g the modern British pre-decimal series of 1-2½-5 for the pennies, 1-2½-5 for shillings (the florin not fitting in and being created in an attempt to decimalise UK coinage) and (AFAIK) 1-5 for pounds.

Peter

[Elak]

Here is an unusual irish denomination. Four Pounds!

For a short while after its foundation, the Provincial bank of Ireland issued £4 notes. Early on the Irish joint stock banks issued some unusual denominations. The Four Pound note is the oddest on of them.

[Elak]

One of the best known odd Irish denominations is Three Pounds.

This denomination was in use up to around 1916 (the latest known note is dated 1915), and was issued by several banks in quantity.

Irish banks also issued some very odd 'outlier' denominations - I will post a few of these later.

[Elak]

10 shillings was used by many countries as a denomination. It was common in Ireland until Decimalisation killed it off. the last date of issue was 6.6.68.

[FosseWay]

Outliers are non-decimal series, where each unit has its own system, e.g the modern British pre-decimal series of 1-2½-5 for the pennies, 1-2½-5 for shillings (the florin not fitting in and being created in an attempt to decimalise UK coinage) and (AFAIK) 1-5 for pounds.

1-3-6 for the pennies, surely?

One weird one that persisted well into the 20th century was 1-3-4½ for the lowest denomination bracket. Anyone know which it is? 

[Figleaf]

1-3-6 for the pennies, surely?

0.25, 0.5, 1 penny.
0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, 5 shillings (2 shillings does not fit in), 10 shilling banknote.

If you take the threepence and sixpence as penny values, you end up with chaos. Mind that (apart from the brass threepence for a few years) the threepence and sixpence were struck in white metal, while the penny values were made in "red" metal.

Peter

[Henk]

One weird one that persisted well into the 20th century was 1-3-4½ for the lowest denomination bracket. Anyone know which it is? 

Cyprus, 1, 3, 4½, piasters (coins). There also were 9, 18 and 45 piasters coins. 9 piasters being equal to 1 shilling

[Elak]

Four Pounds was a regular denomination back in the early 19th Century in Ireland. It had fallen out of use by 1840!

[Figleaf]

Eerie! The "cameo" in the top right corner is in the style of what the Waterford factory would put on their early larger glassware pieces.

Peter

[Elak]

Things were primitive in those days! 

[Elak]

Another odd denomination, 12 Mark note, Finland 1862.

[Figleaf]

At introduction in 1860, the markka had a fixed rate of 4 to the Russian rouble. That rate held until 1865. The note, although specified in markka was therefore worth 3 roubles, which is not an unusual denomination in the Russian system.

Peter

[Elak]

Three currency units was quite common in the Irish system in 1860 also.