Recent from talks
Banknotes of Zimbabwe
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Banknotes of Zimbabwe
The banknotes of Zimbabwe are the physical forms of Zimbabwean currency, including the dollar ($ or Z$) and the ZiG. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has issued most of the banknotes and other types of currency notes in its history, including bearer cheques and special agro-cheques ("agro" being short for agricultural) that circulated from September 2003 until December 2008, and bond notes from November 2016 until November 2019: Standard Chartered Zimbabwe also circulated their own emergency cheques from June 2003 to September 2004.
The first Zimbabwean banknotes were rolled out for the first dollar between July 1981 an April 1982, and replaced those of the Rhodesian dollar at par: banknotes (and later bearer cheques) of the first dollar circulated until August 2006, when they were replaced by bearer cheques of the second dollar due to high inflation (which escalated into hyperinflation in March 2007). Cheques (and later agro-cheques) of the second dollar were itself replaced by banknotes of the third dollar in August 2008, which were itself replaced by those of the fourth dollar in February 2009. The power-sharing government of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai abandoned the Zimbabwean dollar in April 2009, and banknotes of the third and fourth dollars were demonetised in September 2015 after over 6 years of disuse. Zimbabwean banknotes were reintroduced in November 2016, initially in response to a shortage of hard currency.
The main feature on the front of Zimbabwean banknotes is an illustration of the Domboremari near Epworth – one of the many balancing rocks of Zimbabwe: the Domboremari also appeared on bearer and agro-cheques, as part of the Reserve Bank's logo. The back often shows the culture or landmarks of the country. Banknotes issued between September 2008 and April 2009 (for the third and fourth dollar) lacked modern security features, due to sanctions against the Zimbabwean government and the Reserve Bank at the time.
The first banknotes of Zimbabwe were issued by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (formerly Reserve Bank of Rhodesia) for the first dollar (ZWD) in 1980 to coincide with the independence of Zimbabwe. These notes replaced the circulating banknotes of the Rhodesian Dollar at par. The first series of banknotes ranged from $2 to $20, and carried the signature of Dr. Desmond Krogh, then the last Governor of the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia from 1973. From 1994 to 1997 the Reserve Bank issued a new series of notes ranging from $2 to $100, although the $2 banknote was withdrawn and replaced by a coin in 1997. As rising inflation started to affect the purchasing power of the Zimbabwean Dollar, the $500 and $1000 banknotes were issued from 2001 to 2005 with enhanced anti-counterfeiting measures.
In May 2003, the Reserve Bank allowed the Cargill Cotton Group to issue emergency bearer cheques to cotton farmers, via a Standard Chartered Zimbabwe branch in Harare: Cargill issued these cheques due to a shortage of money caused by high annual inflation, which according to The Herald, was around 269.2% in June 2003. The Reserve Bank later issued special traveller's cheques on 8 August 2003, with six denominations ranging from $1000 to $100000: the traveller's cheques were short-lived and unpopular, because they could only be used once, the user needed to present proof of identification when using the cheques, and the banks levied a commission fee on the use of the cheques.
The Reserve Bank eventually issued their own Bearer cheques on 26 September 2003, with denominations ranging from $5000 to $20000. These, and subsequent issues of the first and second dollars were time limited and lacked sophisticated anti-counterfeiting measures which were heavily used in many modern banknotes such as those of the Swiss Franc. In the first half of 2006 new denominations of $50000 and $100000 were issued, with the $1 million denomination being planned for September 2006; it was subsequently never issued.
The time limits were either ignored or extended by multiple decrees, meaning that all notes of these issues remained legal tender in practice until 21 August 2006.
On 1 August 2006 the banknotes of the second dollar (ZWN), with less elaborate designs, replaced those of the first dollar at the ratio of 1 000 to 1. The redenomination (codenamed Operation Sunrise) was heavily publicised under the banner Zero to Hero, but was also rapid and disorganised which resulted in many people being unable to convert their old Bearer cheques to new issues before the lapse date, The Reserve Bank Governor Dr. Gideon Gono said that "10 trillion (first dollars) were still out there and it had become manure".
Hub AI
Banknotes of Zimbabwe AI simulator
(@Banknotes of Zimbabwe_simulator)
Banknotes of Zimbabwe
The banknotes of Zimbabwe are the physical forms of Zimbabwean currency, including the dollar ($ or Z$) and the ZiG. The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe has issued most of the banknotes and other types of currency notes in its history, including bearer cheques and special agro-cheques ("agro" being short for agricultural) that circulated from September 2003 until December 2008, and bond notes from November 2016 until November 2019: Standard Chartered Zimbabwe also circulated their own emergency cheques from June 2003 to September 2004.
The first Zimbabwean banknotes were rolled out for the first dollar between July 1981 an April 1982, and replaced those of the Rhodesian dollar at par: banknotes (and later bearer cheques) of the first dollar circulated until August 2006, when they were replaced by bearer cheques of the second dollar due to high inflation (which escalated into hyperinflation in March 2007). Cheques (and later agro-cheques) of the second dollar were itself replaced by banknotes of the third dollar in August 2008, which were itself replaced by those of the fourth dollar in February 2009. The power-sharing government of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai abandoned the Zimbabwean dollar in April 2009, and banknotes of the third and fourth dollars were demonetised in September 2015 after over 6 years of disuse. Zimbabwean banknotes were reintroduced in November 2016, initially in response to a shortage of hard currency.
The main feature on the front of Zimbabwean banknotes is an illustration of the Domboremari near Epworth – one of the many balancing rocks of Zimbabwe: the Domboremari also appeared on bearer and agro-cheques, as part of the Reserve Bank's logo. The back often shows the culture or landmarks of the country. Banknotes issued between September 2008 and April 2009 (for the third and fourth dollar) lacked modern security features, due to sanctions against the Zimbabwean government and the Reserve Bank at the time.
The first banknotes of Zimbabwe were issued by the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (formerly Reserve Bank of Rhodesia) for the first dollar (ZWD) in 1980 to coincide with the independence of Zimbabwe. These notes replaced the circulating banknotes of the Rhodesian Dollar at par. The first series of banknotes ranged from $2 to $20, and carried the signature of Dr. Desmond Krogh, then the last Governor of the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia from 1973. From 1994 to 1997 the Reserve Bank issued a new series of notes ranging from $2 to $100, although the $2 banknote was withdrawn and replaced by a coin in 1997. As rising inflation started to affect the purchasing power of the Zimbabwean Dollar, the $500 and $1000 banknotes were issued from 2001 to 2005 with enhanced anti-counterfeiting measures.
In May 2003, the Reserve Bank allowed the Cargill Cotton Group to issue emergency bearer cheques to cotton farmers, via a Standard Chartered Zimbabwe branch in Harare: Cargill issued these cheques due to a shortage of money caused by high annual inflation, which according to The Herald, was around 269.2% in June 2003. The Reserve Bank later issued special traveller's cheques on 8 August 2003, with six denominations ranging from $1000 to $100000: the traveller's cheques were short-lived and unpopular, because they could only be used once, the user needed to present proof of identification when using the cheques, and the banks levied a commission fee on the use of the cheques.
The Reserve Bank eventually issued their own Bearer cheques on 26 September 2003, with denominations ranging from $5000 to $20000. These, and subsequent issues of the first and second dollars were time limited and lacked sophisticated anti-counterfeiting measures which were heavily used in many modern banknotes such as those of the Swiss Franc. In the first half of 2006 new denominations of $50000 and $100000 were issued, with the $1 million denomination being planned for September 2006; it was subsequently never issued.
The time limits were either ignored or extended by multiple decrees, meaning that all notes of these issues remained legal tender in practice until 21 August 2006.
On 1 August 2006 the banknotes of the second dollar (ZWN), with less elaborate designs, replaced those of the first dollar at the ratio of 1 000 to 1. The redenomination (codenamed Operation Sunrise) was heavily publicised under the banner Zero to Hero, but was also rapid and disorganised which resulted in many people being unable to convert their old Bearer cheques to new issues before the lapse date, The Reserve Bank Governor Dr. Gideon Gono said that "10 trillion (first dollars) were still out there and it had become manure".
Recent media