The famous work of art The Great Wave off Kanagawacreated by the Japanese artist Hokusai, will appear for the first time on a banknote of Japanto be precise the one from 1000 yen: the woodcut, which depicts a beautiful wave at the foot of Mount Fuji, will therefore appear on the national currency, not unlike several European banknotes that have engraved images of the most important monuments and masterpieces of the various States. In the world, on the other hand, there are banknotes of all kinds, some strange, like the 0 euro banknote, and others actually more beautiful than others. Think that there is even a competition to decide the most beautiful banknotes in the world.
The prize IBNS Banknote of the Year It is an initiative of theInternational Bank Note Society which each year recognizes a new “exceptional banknote” by evaluating dozens of nominations and proposing a final list to its members to choose from. The winners can also be very different from each other, even if they are always recognized very creative, complex and colorful pieces.
For example, if we look at the 2-dollar bill of the Central Bank of Caribbean orientalwinner of 2023, we can observe a complicated but harmonious design that blends the most important elements of the country where it was minted: there are the local cricket star Sir Issac Vivian Alexander “Viv” Richards and some examples of the rich ocean fauna and flora, such as sea turtles. At the same time, the banknote boasts aesthetically pleasing translucent and shiny effects.
Before that he had won the 1000 peso bill of the Philippineswhich in turn had several symbols of the South East Asian country: on the front there is a beautiful Philippine eagle (in serious danger of extinction) and the Sampaguita, that is the national flower, and on the back a beautiful pearl of the South Sea. Going back to the previous editions, we can observe several banknotes of the Mexicoof the Zakharstanfrom the Swissfrom the Scotlandof theUgandaof the Canada and other smaller countries such as Comoros and the islands Faroe. They all have in common bright colours, refined illustrations and examples of elements of national identity. And theItaly? Unfortunately, there is no mention of a victory for the eurozone banknotes, to which Italy belongs and whose banknotes and coins it shares.
