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Bullpucky by the parent poster. The dutch central bank is alive and well with no plans to sell it.

I am guessing Teun is referring to the recent decision by the dutch government to sell ABN-Amro. A bank that has been nationalised ~2008 because they were about to go under (hurray for the free market).

Offtopic: ABN-Amro was bought for around 22 billion and will sell for around 15 billion right now. Hurray for the pond scum that profited from that.

Your money is only guaranteed by the government/central bank up to a certain amount (was 20,000 euro per bank recently upgraded to 100,000 euro), as people found out the hard way a couple of years ago (before the current crisis) when a small bank collapsed and people lost most of their live savings.

In the current crisis there was something with ppl who where saving in an Icelandic bank that collapsed.

Like in eve online you should scatter your money around multiple banks, especially if you have more money than your guaranty. Because you are at a lot of risk when saving a lot of money at a bank; people buy stocks and bonds, because the stocks and bonds are linked to you personally and when the bank dies those stocks are still yours. Of course companies and governments can go bankrupt and even default on the bond too, but one should diversify here too.

I think there is a saying, something with: eggs and one basket.

Because without pictures, it didn't happen:
http://www.intermediair.nl/artikel.jsp?id=1002053 (20,000 guarantee)
http://www.geldenrecht.nl/sparen/2501134/Bank_failliet_spaargeld_en_hypotheek_verrekend.html (40,000 guarantee)
http://www.dnb.nl/over-dnb/veelgestelde-vragen/vragen-over-banken/auto40295.jsp (now 100,000 guarantee)

Pre-euro Dutch money was the absolutely silliest money on earth.

Check out these babies (the top ones are the newest you should be looking at;
10 guilder note
10 guilder note 25 guilder note 50 guilder note
100 guilder note
250 guilder note
1000 guilder note

If you don't have much time, just check out the 250. The newest notes feature almost exclusively abstract images, raised ink as well as different levels of height in paper (quite distinguisable by hand, or even in daylight), LSD induced colors, barcodes, microprints of poems, and no image of any identifiable person whatsoever!

Really, click on those links, and if you collect money (who doesn't? ;-) get your hands on some of those notes.. They are very purdy! Did I mention silly?

I was sad to see these wonderful notes go the way of the dodo with the introduction of the euro.. The euro is even a weaker currency (the guilder was linked to the Deutsch Mark, one of the hardest currencies in the basket).

Pre-euro Dutch money was the absolutely silliest money on earth.

Check out these babies (the top ones are the newest you should be looking at;
10 guilder note
10 guilder note 25 guilder note 50 guilder note
100 guilder note
250 guilder note
1000 guilder note

If you don't have much time, just check out the 250. The newest notes feature almost exclusively abstract images, raised ink as well as different levels of height in paper (quite distinguisable by hand, or even in daylight), LSD induced colors, barcodes, microprints of poems, and no image of any identifiable person whatsoever!

Really, click on those links, and if you collect money (who doesn't? ;-) get your hands on some of those notes.. They are very purdy! Did I mention silly?

I was sad to see these wonderful notes go the way of the dodo with the introduction of the euro.. The euro is even a weaker currency (the guilder was linked to the Deutsch Mark, one of the hardest currencies in the basket).

Pre-euro Dutch money was the absolutely silliest money on earth.

Check out these babies (the top ones are the newest you should be looking at;
10 guilder note
10 guilder note 25 guilder note 50 guilder note
100 guilder note
250 guilder note
1000 guilder note

If you don't have much time, just check out the 250. The newest notes feature almost exclusively abstract images, raised ink as well as different levels of height in paper (quite distinguisable by hand, or even in daylight), LSD induced colors, barcodes, microprints of poems, and no image of any identifiable person whatsoever!

Really, click on those links, and if you collect money (who doesn't? ;-) get your hands on some of those notes.. They are very purdy! Did I mention silly?

I was sad to see these wonderful notes go the way of the dodo with the introduction of the euro.. The euro is even a weaker currency (the guilder was linked to the Deutsch Mark, one of the hardest currencies in the basket).

Pre-euro Dutch money was the absolutely silliest money on earth.

Check out these babies (the top ones are the newest you should be looking at;
10 guilder note
10 guilder note 25 guilder note 50 guilder note
100 guilder note
250 guilder note
1000 guilder note

If you don't have much time, just check out the 250. The newest notes feature almost exclusively abstract images, raised ink as well as different levels of height in paper (quite distinguisable by hand, or even in daylight), LSD induced colors, barcodes, microprints of poems, and no image of any identifiable person whatsoever!

Really, click on those links, and if you collect money (who doesn't? ;-) get your hands on some of those notes.. They are very purdy! Did I mention silly?

I was sad to see these wonderful notes go the way of the dodo with the introduction of the euro.. The euro is even a weaker currency (the guilder was linked to the Deutsch Mark, one of the hardest currencies in the basket).

Pre-euro Dutch money was the absolutely silliest money on earth.

Check out these babies (the top ones are the newest you should be looking at;
10 guilder note
10 guilder note 25 guilder note 50 guilder note
100 guilder note
250 guilder note
1000 guilder note

If you don't have much time, just check out the 250. The newest notes feature almost exclusively abstract images, raised ink as well as different levels of height in paper (quite distinguisable by hand, or even in daylight), LSD induced colors, barcodes, microprints of poems, and no image of any identifiable person whatsoever!

Really, click on those links, and if you collect money (who doesn't? ;-) get your hands on some of those notes.. They are very purdy! Did I mention silly?

I was sad to see these wonderful notes go the way of the dodo with the introduction of the euro.. The euro is even a weaker currency (the guilder was linked to the Deutsch Mark, one of the hardest currencies in the basket).

Pre-euro Dutch money was the absolutely silliest money on earth.

Check out these babies (the top ones are the newest you should be looking at;
10 guilder note
10 guilder note 25 guilder note 50 guilder note
100 guilder note
250 guilder note
1000 guilder note

If you don't have much time, just check out the 250. The newest notes feature almost exclusively abstract images, raised ink as well as different levels of height in paper (quite distinguisable by hand, or even in daylight), LSD induced colors, barcodes, microprints of poems, and no image of any identifiable person whatsoever!

Really, click on those links, and if you collect money (who doesn't? ;-) get your hands on some of those notes.. They are very purdy! Did I mention silly?

I was sad to see these wonderful notes go the way of the dodo with the introduction of the euro.. The euro is even a weaker currency (the guilder was linked to the Deutsch Mark, one of the hardest currencies in the basket).

Pre-euro Dutch money was the absolutely silliest money on earth.

Check out these babies (the top ones are the newest you should be looking at;
10 guilder note
10 guilder note 25 guilder note 50 guilder note
100 guilder note
250 guilder note
1000 guilder note

If you don't have much time, just check out the 250. The newest notes feature almost exclusively abstract images, raised ink as well as different levels of height in paper (quite distinguisable by hand, or even in daylight), LSD induced colors, barcodes, microprints of poems, and no image of any identifiable person whatsoever!

Really, click on those links, and if you collect money (who doesn't? ;-) get your hands on some of those notes.. They are very purdy! Did I mention silly?

I was sad to see these wonderful notes go the way of the dodo with the introduction of the euro.. The euro is even a weaker currency (the guilder was linked to the Deutsch Mark, one of the hardest currencies in the basket).

The whole point is the banknotes are different colours and sizes, and have differentiating features (such as intaglio printing) placed in different places on the note precisely so that someone with impaired sight can easily tell the fifferent denominations apart (see here for details on the features of Euro banknotes for the partially sighted.

How do those with poor sight differentiate between the different banknote denomintaions in the USA?

regards, treefrog

You can see some published ones here. The 25 guilder note (about USD 12.50) includes most security features according to these pages, but not all features are published. Also the 10 guilder note (USD 5) includes some additional features, also found in 100 and 1000 guilder notes(!)

Features include :

1. Shaded Watermark
2. Intaglio printing (tangible raised ink)
3. Register gauge (patterns on back and frontside match up)
4. 0.3 mm micro lettering (hard to read :)
5. Fluoresent fibres (light up under a blacklight)
6. 0.2 mm micro lettering (even harder to read or print)
7. and finally: Shiny Parts! foil that turns black when copied, and "holographic" planchettes that copiers don't produce.

Another feature, not yet mentioned, is the type of paper used, which is easily distinguished from photocopier paper. And is washer-resistent ;-) However, unlike old US banknotes, the type of paper and ink aren't the chief anti-counterfeiting measures.

Also note that Intaglio printing also makes it easy for the blind to identify banknotes!

IMNSHO Dutch banknotes are the prettiest and best-designed banknotesy in the world, and I rather lament the fact that they will be replaced by the ugly, bad, Euro, in 2002..
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You can see some published ones here. The 25 guilder note (about USD 12.50) includes most security features according to these pages, but not all features are published. Also the 10 guilder note (USD 5) includes some additional features, also found in 100 and 1000 guilder notes(!)

Features include :

1. Shaded Watermark
2. Intaglio printing (tangible raised ink)
3. Register gauge (patterns on back and frontside match up)
4. 0.3 mm micro lettering (hard to read :)
5. Fluoresent fibres (light up under a blacklight)
6. 0.2 mm micro lettering (even harder to read or print)
7. and finally: Shiny Parts! foil that turns black when copied, and "holographic" planchettes that copiers don't produce.

Another feature, not yet mentioned, is the type of paper used, which is easily distinguished from photocopier paper. And is washer-resistent ;-) However, unlike old US banknotes, the type of paper and ink aren't the chief anti-counterfeiting measures.

Also note that Intaglio printing also makes it easy for the blind to identify banknotes!

IMNSHO Dutch banknotes are the prettiest and best-designed banknotesy in the world, and I rather lament the fact that they will be replaced by the ugly, bad, Euro, in 2002..
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