Polymer euro banknotes?

[RFW]

Hi to everyone! Just wondering: Australian polymer banknotes seem to work fine. Should we have polymer banknotes in Europe?

[Jes]

I like polymer banknotes

Who knows what may be decided for next euro-note series

[Crazy Bob]

Well, from an EBT point of view, the notes (especially the smaller denominations) will not deteriorate as quickly as they do now, so hits will be longer with these "plastic" notes.

[gatoulis]

I believe that the next series of banknotes will not be 100% polymer but they will be Hybrid!!
Just like Bermuda new banknote series, or Bulgarian commemorative banknote of 20L....

It will be a good thing for EU! the notes will last longer, and maybe will not cost as much as the polymer ones!
I am wondering if polymer notes are still beeing prodused only in Australia! I think that most of the Asian countries are making their polymer notes in Australia!

Anyway... I voted yes to polymer!

[Jes]

I believe that the next series of banknotes will not be 100% polymer but Hybrid!!

I hope you're right!

[RFW]

I am wondering if polymer notes are still beeing prodused only in Australia!

This article from Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_ne ... #Banknotes says that 20 Israeli shekel banknote is printed by Orell Fuessli Security Printing of Zürich, Switzerland.

[Elmo]

I believe that the next series of banknotes will not be 100% polymer but Hybrid!!

I hope you're right!

Then I must disappoint you. Three years ago, at the meeting in Frankfurt we had a presentation at the ECB, and the spokesman said that they will stick to the current cotton bills, because such bills can carry more security features than polymer bills.

[conspiracy mode]
I believe the printers have a hand in this. They want the bills to wear out as soon as possible, so they can print many more bills to replace the worn out bills, and thus make more money...
[/conspiracy mode]

[Jes]

Oh, well...

[top secret mode]I like your conspiracy theory [/top secret mode]

[tabbs]

Three years ago, at the meeting in Frankfurt we had a presentation at the ECB, and the spokesman said that they will stick to the current cotton bills, because such bills can carry more security features than polymer bills.

Yes and no. No polymer notes are planned; while it is correct that they can be produced outside Australia, the technology would still have to be licensed. (Here http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2 ... money.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is a recent example from Canada.) However, about a year ago various newspapers reported that there are plans to add a thin protective layer. Not exactly new from a Dutch perspective http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/3872 ... gje__.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; but the new notes would still feel a little different ...

Christian

[Jes]

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing

[Craft]

I cast my vote on 'No'. I have a few polymer notes from various countries, but I'm not very impressed by them. Paper (cotton) notes feel like more serious money. This may be a bit old-fashioned preference and a matter of habit.

The current euro notes would certainly benefit from some means of increasing their durability. Especially the security thread makes the paper tear easily along the thread's edge, but the paper is rather hard and brittle elsewhere, too. Adding a layer of some reinforcing substance might improve the notes, as mentioned above.

[eurofederal]

I travel extensively to OZ and NZ and I like the "plastic" notes because they seem more difficult to counterfeit HOWEVER, they easily pop out of your wallets , which makes it annoying. What our Central Bank should do first is revamp the design of the euro notes, gosh! They are so unattractive. Europe has so much to offer....We could have our famous musicians, playwrights or even monuments on them. I am sure Europeans could easily agree on who and what......maybe we should adopt the portrait of the queen on one of our bills to make it easier for our fellow UK eurocitizens to adopt the euro as well....Time to change....Polymer? YES, NEw design? YES, YES, YES.

[tabbs]

What our Central Bank should do first is revamp the design of the euro notes, gosh! They are so unattractive. Europe has so much to offer....We could have our famous musicians, playwrights or even monuments on them. I am sure Europeans could easily agree on who and what......maybe we should adopt the portrait of the queen on one of our bills to make it easier for our fellow UK eurocitizens to adopt the euro as well....Time to change....Polymer? YES, NEw design? YES, YES, YES.

Except we already know that the next series of euro notes will basically have the same designs as the current one. As for all those famous people, in my opinion EUrope is not ready for that - in fact, even "less ready" today than a couple of years ago. We would have endless debates about why there are no people or monuments from this or that country on the notes, or why Dante is on the €100 note while Goethe is only on the €50 note, and so on, possibly followed by the usual stuff about the Evil Brussels Empire etc.

As for the portrait of the Queen, yes, it should be on the notes. On notes that say "Bank of England" and "Pounds". The currency union is not all that stable anyway in my opinion, and the last thing it needs is a member that would primarily destabilize it.

Christian