Slashdot Mirror

For those too damn lazy to actually copy/paste the links:

http://www.norgesbank.no/english/notes_and_coins/n otes.html
and
http://www.norgesbank.no/english/notes_and_coins/c ounterfeit200kr.html

For those too damn lazy to actually copy/paste the links:

http://www.norgesbank.no/english/notes_and_coins/n otes.html
and
http://www.norgesbank.no/english/notes_and_coins/c ounterfeit200kr.html

Sorry for not giving proper links, but I seem to have misplaced my little 'cheat-note' on how to write that bit of code...

Like so:
<a href='http://www.norgesbank.no/english/notes_and_c oins/counterfeit200kr.html'>Security features on the 200-krone note</a>

Only without the annoying space slashcode insists on mangling the post with.

Your links:
Some Norwegian Banknotes
Security features on the 200-krone note

Sorry for not giving proper links, but I seem to have misplaced my little 'cheat-note' on how to write that bit of code...

Like so:
<a href='http://www.norgesbank.no/english/notes_and_c oins/counterfeit200kr.html'>Security features on the 200-krone note</a>

Only without the annoying space slashcode insists on mangling the post with.

Your links:
Some Norwegian Banknotes
Security features on the 200-krone note

Intrestingly enought, european money seem to be more focused towards making it hard to copy as well as making it easy to see if it's a counterfeight. Many of the ideas used in the swiss note is used in Norwegian banknotes as well:

• Portrait watermark and security thread. When the banknote is held up to the light, you can see the security thread, a dark line bearing the text Norges Bank.
• Fluorescent print on the front. In addition, a narrow strip on both sides of the foil stripe will light up in ultraviolet light.
• Intaglio print, meaning that the print is slightly raised (try that on a inkjet...)
• Foil hologram stripe
• Snowflake with a hidden N, tilt the note to spot it
• Mother-of-pearl effect, tilt the note and marvel at the changing colours
• A register mark on both sides of the banknote. If the banknote is held up to the light, the mark will be completely filled and the ornament will appear symmetrical.
• When the banknote is exposed to ultraviolet light, part of the print as well as small fibres in the paper become fluorescent.
• Microtext hidden in parts of the design.

As for your last comment... without saying anything more on the issue, I think the avrage US citizen is up for a rude surprice one of these days. Suddenly, their money is worth a lot less...

A lot of nations are doing this these days... here in Norway we have a hologram as one of the security feature of the 200 kroner note (roughtly worth 29½USD as of today), but then all our notes except the fifty has it. And I recoon the fifty will have it soon as well.

It stands up very well against everyday wear and tear - even survived a trip in the washingmachine wihtout any trouble (so did the rest of the bill).

While I'm not sure what other nations does, I expect most of them to do something simular to how Norway does it:

Norges Bank withdraws certain notes and coins from circulation by issuing regulations, which are publicly announced in the Legal Gazette. The Bank also runs advertisements in Norway's largest dailies to inform the public. The notes and coins continue to be legal tender for one year from the date of the public announcement. According to the Act on Norges Bank and the Monetary System, the Bank is obliged to redeem notes and coins for another ten years.

The public is encouraged to turn in withdrawn banknotes and coins by contacting banks or Norges Bank in Oslo before the deadline.

Norges Bank will, however, redeem withdrawn banknotes and coins for some time after the statutory deadline. After this, it may be necessary to apply for ex gratia payment for expired notes and coins. The application for ex gratia payment must contain information about why the notes and coins were not redeemed within the deadline date.

So you got eleven years to take those notes out of your mattres, walk down to the bank and exchange them into newer, safer notes. Or you could do like everyone else and keep the money in a bankaccount where they'll earn you interest. After all, private bank deposits are garanteed by the nation - even if the bank should topple your money is safe there... or rather, here.

Yeah, they're including new security features. That's cool and all, but how often do people really check them?
That's the most troublesome thing about it, IMO. ...goes on quoting the bit about leaching, ie washing away the ink to print a higher value note on the same paper.

I'm not going to make any friends here today, but honestly I find US notes to be boring and unimagninative. All the same size, rougthly the same design (even thought that is changing for the better with this new 20) and - from an european, or rather norwegian, point of view - all to easy to make a passable, if not perfect, copy off.

Lets compare this to a currence which I'm very familiar with, ie the Norwegian notes (click on each note to bring up more information on each) and coins. While the coins could be counterfitted relatively easily, the cost of doing so would mean you would spend more money than you made. As for the notes, all except the fifty has more or less the same securit feature as the 200 kroner note (roughtly worth 29½USD as of today). The fifty will be updated soon I guess, to give it a Intaglio print and foil hologram stripe like the others have. The amount of counterfeited notes has dropped significantly since the introduction of this single measure... as it is impossible to scan, let alone print, without specialised equipment.

So it's (relatively) easy to make money that is hard to counterfeit, easy to tell apart, easy to see if it the real deal, impossible to 'leach', and - to quote my girlfriend from West Virginia - looks very pretty. The only thing stopping you is the inertia in the system...

Off topic, but the dollar has been falling like a rock the last few days... good news for me who's just about to go on vacation to the US, bad news for Norway, who earn a lot of cash selling oil...

Yeah, they're including new security features. That's cool and all, but how often do people really check them?
That's the most troublesome thing about it, IMO. ...goes on quoting the bit about leaching, ie washing away the ink to print a higher value note on the same paper.

I'm not going to make any friends here today, but honestly I find US notes to be boring and unimagninative. All the same size, rougthly the same design (even thought that is changing for the better with this new 20) and - from an european, or rather norwegian, point of view - all to easy to make a passable, if not perfect, copy off.

Lets compare this to a currence which I'm very familiar with, ie the Norwegian notes (click on each note to bring up more information on each) and coins. While the coins could be counterfitted relatively easily, the cost of doing so would mean you would spend more money than you made. As for the notes, all except the fifty has more or less the same securit feature as the 200 kroner note (roughtly worth 29½USD as of today). The fifty will be updated soon I guess, to give it a Intaglio print and foil hologram stripe like the others have. The amount of counterfeited notes has dropped significantly since the introduction of this single measure... as it is impossible to scan, let alone print, without specialised equipment.

So it's (relatively) easy to make money that is hard to counterfeit, easy to tell apart, easy to see if it the real deal, impossible to 'leach', and - to quote my girlfriend from West Virginia - looks very pretty. The only thing stopping you is the inertia in the system...

Off topic, but the dollar has been falling like a rock the last few days... good news for me who's just about to go on vacation to the US, bad news for Norway, who earn a lot of cash selling oil...

Yeah, they're including new security features. That's cool and all, but how often do people really check them?
That's the most troublesome thing about it, IMO. ...goes on quoting the bit about leaching, ie washing away the ink to print a higher value note on the same paper.

I'm not going to make any friends here today, but honestly I find US notes to be boring and unimagninative. All the same size, rougthly the same design (even thought that is changing for the better with this new 20) and - from an european, or rather norwegian, point of view - all to easy to make a passable, if not perfect, copy off.

Lets compare this to a currence which I'm very familiar with, ie the Norwegian notes (click on each note to bring up more information on each) and coins. While the coins could be counterfitted relatively easily, the cost of doing so would mean you would spend more money than you made. As for the notes, all except the fifty has more or less the same securit feature as the 200 kroner note (roughtly worth 29½USD as of today). The fifty will be updated soon I guess, to give it a Intaglio print and foil hologram stripe like the others have. The amount of counterfeited notes has dropped significantly since the introduction of this single measure... as it is impossible to scan, let alone print, without specialised equipment.

So it's (relatively) easy to make money that is hard to counterfeit, easy to tell apart, easy to see if it the real deal, impossible to 'leach', and - to quote my girlfriend from West Virginia - looks very pretty. The only thing stopping you is the inertia in the system...

Off topic, but the dollar has been falling like a rock the last few days... good news for me who's just about to go on vacation to the US, bad news for Norway, who earn a lot of cash selling oil...