Isn't that depressing???
They say that number is 2% higher than in 2004
And most of the notes were
(by that order)290.000.000 notes...
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pastel
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290.000.000 notes...
290.000.000 notes destroyed in Portugal last year
Isn't that depressing???
They say that number is 2% higher than in 2004
And most of the notes were (by that order)
Isn't that depressing???
They say that number is 2% higher than in 2004
And most of the notes were
(by that order)
For those who can't read Portuguese:
Data from Bank of Portugal
Nearly 290 million notes destroyed last year
Controlled money
was not offering any quality anymore., and are the ones which deteorate more frequently.
In only one year, the Bank of Portugal removed from circulation 289 million notes, a number which corresponds to 40 per cent of the ones processed in the gathering procedure.
The ammortized notes, a technical term for 'destroyed notes', did not have enough quality to continue on the market. Many have deteorated due to contact with water, sweat or have been teared. But many others appeared vandalized: burned, scribbled or with safety measures destroyed.
This data from Bank of Portugal is from 2005 and shows that, comparing with the previous year, the number of destroyed notes in the Carregado complex - where notes are produced, seleceted, evaluated and (if necessary) destroyed is made - raised by 2 per cent.
The largest ammound of notes that had to be ammortized are of lesser facial value: (72%), (33%) and (32%). "These indicators, which reveal a higher deteoration of the smaller notes, can also be useful to show that in Portugal these notes are the ones which circulate more and be an economical indicator of the nation", explains João Matela, from the Bank of Portugal PR.
On the other hand, he adds, the high degree of notes destruction does not leave doubts that "the quality criteria are very high".
João Matela has also said that in the last year something like 727.9 million notes have passed through the selecting systems of the Carregado complex. This is not, however, the total value of notes circulation in the nation. "Only notes that various banks sent to Bank of Portugal, which happens any time an institution has what they consider to be too much money."
Once the notes get to Carregado their quality is assessed. Firstly, false ones are detected and eliminated. Then those deteorated for whatever reason are removed. "Notes full of dirt, some scribbled, others burned and many others that could have been damaged by ATMs", adds João Matela.
Corroded by drugs
in Germany (as we had already pointed out here
)
Recently in Germany a large ammount of €uro notes appears to be desintegrating. After several laboratorial tests the reached conclusions point to the problem being the fact that those notes have been used to inhale drugs. The remains, blended with sweat, have created an acid which corroded the notes, which would get partially destroyed.
Bank of Portugal does not have enough elements which would allow it to confirm or deny if similar cases have already been detected in Portugal, but Judiciary Police (PJ), who through the Scienitfic Police Laboratory is the competent authority to analyse such situations, refers that no note in these conditions has been detected.
According to a PJ investigator contacted by PÚBLICO there is the assurance that many notes end up being destroyed (part of their security marks) by being used in drugs consuming.
The Police notes that many notes, specially new ones, are used to inhale cocaine, while others, with burned edges, are used by heroine consumers when inhaling that substance, which is burned.
Data from Bank of Portugal
Nearly 290 million notes destroyed last year
Controlled money
was not offering any quality anymore.
, and are the ones which deteorate more frequently.In only one year, the Bank of Portugal removed from circulation 289 million notes, a number which corresponds to 40 per cent of the ones processed in the gathering procedure.
The ammortized notes, a technical term for 'destroyed notes', did not have enough quality to continue on the market. Many have deteorated due to contact with water, sweat or have been teared. But many others appeared vandalized: burned, scribbled or with safety measures destroyed.
This data from Bank of Portugal is from 2005 and shows that, comparing with the previous year, the number of destroyed notes in the Carregado complex - where notes are produced, seleceted, evaluated and (if necessary) destroyed is made - raised by 2 per cent.
The largest ammound of notes that had to be ammortized are of lesser facial value:
(72%), (33%) and (32%). "These indicators, which reveal a higher deteoration of the smaller notes, can also be useful to show that in Portugal these notes are the ones which circulate more and be an economical indicator of the nation", explains João Matela, from the Bank of Portugal PR.On the other hand, he adds, the high degree of notes destruction does not leave doubts that "the quality criteria are very high".
João Matela has also said that in the last year something like 727.9 million notes have passed through the selecting systems of the Carregado complex. This is not, however, the total value of notes circulation in the nation. "Only notes that various banks sent to Bank of Portugal, which happens any time an institution has what they consider to be too much money."
Once the notes get to Carregado their quality is assessed. Firstly, false ones are detected and eliminated. Then those deteorated for whatever reason are removed. "Notes full of dirt, some scribbled, others burned and many others that could have been damaged by ATMs", adds João Matela.
Corroded by drugs
in Germany (as we had already pointed out here
)Recently in Germany a large ammount of €uro notes appears to be desintegrating. After several laboratorial tests the reached conclusions point to the problem being the fact that those notes have been used to inhale drugs. The remains, blended with sweat, have created an acid which corroded the notes, which would get partially destroyed.
Bank of Portugal does not have enough elements which would allow it to confirm or deny if similar cases have already been detected in Portugal, but Judiciary Police (PJ), who through the Scienitfic Police Laboratory is the competent authority to analyse such situations, refers that no note in these conditions has been detected.
According to a PJ investigator contacted by PÚBLICO there is the assurance that many notes end up being destroyed (part of their security marks) by being used in drugs consuming.
The Police notes that many notes, specially new ones, are used to inhale cocaine, while others, with burned edges, are used by heroine consumers when inhaling that substance, which is burned.
De férias por período indeterminado...
Thank you for this article! It was very interesting to read. Wow, 290M notes a year! That's many times more I was guessing. And that's just the amount of notes that were removed in Portugal (which is still quite a small Euro country). The figures are depressing. So many hit notes were lost forever! But cheer up! We still get hits daily! So not every note end up destroyed in one, two or even five years! 
This hobby demands entering notes continuosly. I have seen this myself; the amount of hits in Finland has steadily been decreasing ever since I moved to Germany. And most of the hits that are still happening there are with my newest notes there. This is a bit depressing, but true.
I have heard that they had some sort of "campain" to rise the average condition of notes circulating in Portugal (or was it in Spain)?? This could explain the 2% higher figures, perhaps? We all know that notes are let to get into worse condition in the Mediterranean countries, than in Finland, for example. So eventhough they remove so many notes from the circulation, there are still many many very old and worn notes circulating. I guess I can say I'm a bit happy that they destroyed the worst ones. Based on what I have seen in Italy, the notes are in horrible condition! I guess this has also something to do with the people and their habits of threating notes a bit more worse than in Nordic countries...
This is just me thinking aloud. Please, give us your opinion.
If you are interested to see a recent 10 mins long German (sorry, it's only available in German) video, where they show you how Euro notes are printed and destroyed in the National Bank of Austria, see here. It's really interesting although you wouldn't understand the speech.
This hobby demands entering notes continuosly. I have seen this myself; the amount of hits in Finland has steadily been decreasing ever since I moved to Germany. And most of the hits that are still happening there are with my newest notes there. This is a bit depressing, but true.
I have heard that they had some sort of "campain" to rise the average condition of notes circulating in Portugal (or was it in Spain)?? This could explain the 2% higher figures, perhaps? We all know that notes are let to get into worse condition in the Mediterranean countries, than in Finland, for example. So eventhough they remove so many notes from the circulation, there are still many many very old and worn notes circulating. I guess I can say I'm a bit happy that they destroyed the worst ones. Based on what I have seen in Italy, the notes are in horrible condition! I guess this has also something to do with the people and their habits of threating notes a bit more worse than in Nordic countries...
This is just me thinking aloud. Please, give us your opinion.
If you are interested to see a recent 10 mins long German (sorry, it's only available in German) video, where they show you how Euro notes are printed and destroyed in the National Bank of Austria, see here. It's really interesting although you wouldn't understand the speech.
Living away from Euro zone in the beautiful Vancouver, Canada since January 2012. Experiences and stories of living in here can be found in here (in Finnish).
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