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Sometimes we condescendingly call our money "pieces of iron" and "pieces of paper", but they are not as simple as they seem. We will tell you what money is made of so that it will serve for years, what to do if it has worn out, how to recognize fakes and where to run if you come across suspicious money.
What kind of money is currently circulating?
Over the past 500 years, world has experienced more than 10 monetary reforms. So, at the end of the 17th century, the largest monetary unit was the silver kopeck. In the wallets of Soviet citizens after the monetary reform of 1961, the largest denomination was a hundred-ruble banknote, and the most solid coin was 1 ruble.
Today there are more denominations of coins and banknotes, and almost all of them exist in several versions - depending on the year of issue. They are all equally solvent. Now we have bills issued mainly in 2004 and 2010. The rest are gradually decaying and being withdrawn from circulation.
What is money made of?
The main requirement for the material of banknotes is strength. Plain paper, which is made from wood, is not suitable for them. Mainly cotton fibers are used for the production of banknotes. By its composition, it is almost pure (96–98%) cellulose, which is distinguished by its whiteness, elasticity and high strength.
The banknote paper is subjected to rigorous tests, such as folding. It should remain intact after more than 2,500 double bends. Ordinary printing paper tears after just 20 folds. Yes, and each of us, probably, at least once arranged an involuntary test of our money, having washed it together with trousers. They hold up.
Some countries, such as Canada and Australia, use plastic for banknotes. They are more expensive to manufacture, but they last much longer than paper ones. These bills do not absorb moisture, sweat and dirt and therefore stay clean longer. In addition, plastic banknotes provide new anti-counterfeiting features that cannot be applied to paper.
The Bank also plans to issue a special edition of plastic commemorative hundred-ruble bills. This test release should also show how suitable they are in our climate with large temperature fluctuations.
Coins generally serve for decades. Common coins are made of steel and plated (coated for beauty and corrosion protection) with different alloys:
Why do coins of the same denomination look different?
In addition to the usual coins that rattle in our wallets and pockets, there are also commemorative and investment coins.
Commemorative coins are usually issued by the Bank for some important events (the Olympics, the World Cup) or historical dates. On coins of different series you can find architectural monuments, portraits of artists, writers and musicians, even animals listed in the Red Book.
Commemorative coins made of non-precious materials look unusual, but they are accepted at face value, like ordinary money. They are only of value to collectors.
Investment coins are made from gold and silver of the highest standard. Previously, they were also produced from platinum and palladium. As the name implies, this is a tool for preserving and increasing capital - in fact, investments in precious metals, "packaged" in small form. The cost of such coins is hundreds of times higher than their face value and changes literally every day. Precious coins can be bought from commercial banks.
Commemorative and investment coins are not only expensive, but also look beautiful - with matte relief on a mirror field, selective gilding, colored enamel, laser engraving and inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones. Not sure what to give to people who already have everything? That kind of money will be a good present.
For numismatists and souvenir lovers, the mints produce ready-made sets of commemorative and investment coins. In the form of collection sets, you can also issue commemorative coins made of base metals dedicated to a specific topic: an important date, literature, science, sports events.
What to do with damaged banknotes and coins?
Although banknotes, and even more so coins, are very durable, over time they still lose their "presentation". Banknotes can be torn or stained, coins oxidized or scratched. In what cases can you still pay with them, and in what - not?
The rules are simple:
How do I know if the money is real or fake?
Both bills and coins can have an unusual design or a worn look - and still be authentic. Or they may look exactly like the real ones - and be fake.
When should you be careful?
You sell something hand-held or get change in a small shop or market.
In the absence of special machines for determining the authenticity of banknotes, do not hesitate to check the money yourself.
You are given large bills - $ 50 or $ 100.
It is simply unprofitable for fraudsters to deal with small bills - the production of such money is more expensive than their face value. But the five-thousandth bills are forged most often. Always check them for at least three signs.
How to check the authenticity of banknotes?
Water marks
These are images visible to the light. In addition to the denomination figures, portraits of historical characters can be seen on modern large banknotes. Moreover, these portraits are multi-tone, voluminous.
Security thread
All modern banknotes have a thin strip of polymer film with repeating denomination numbers. For the five thousandth bill, a special security thread with a kinetic effect is used: when the figure is tilted, the number 100 moves as if it were dancing. This is a unique development.
Iridescent coats of arms
There is a special protection against counterfeiting on the thousandth and five thousandth bill. When the banknote is tilted, a sparkling strip rolls over the coats of arms of the cities. This is also a invention.
Convex relief
The emblem of the Bank of Russia, the text "Ticket of the Bank of Russia" and the strokes along the edges are easy to check by touch - they protrude slightly.
What about the others?
Other countries, of course, also protect their money. Watermarks, relief, special inscriptions that are read by machines to check money are also used in them.
But there are also differences. Many mints use confetti (round blotches that glow in different colors in ultraviolet light), the thermochromic effect (when the temperature changes, money changes color), the constellation Eurion (special elements that help counting machines count bills without errors).
What to do if a fake is caught?
If you have even the slightest concern, do not take such a bill. And if it has already ended up in your wallet, contact any commercial bank - they will make its expertise free of charge. Perhaps the banknote will be just shabby, but genuine. In this case, you will change it to a new one. If the bank's experts suspect that this is a fake, then they will send it for examination to the Bank of Russia. The regulator will transfer the counterfeit bill to law enforcement agencies, and if it turns out to be real, its value will be transferred to your account.
For more information on how to distinguish real bills from counterfeit ones, see the article on verifying the authenticity of money.
What kind of money is currently circulating?
Over the past 500 years, world has experienced more than 10 monetary reforms. So, at the end of the 17th century, the largest monetary unit was the silver kopeck. In the wallets of Soviet citizens after the monetary reform of 1961, the largest denomination was a hundred-ruble banknote, and the most solid coin was 1 ruble.
Today there are more denominations of coins and banknotes, and almost all of them exist in several versions - depending on the year of issue. They are all equally solvent. Now we have bills issued mainly in 2004 and 2010. The rest are gradually decaying and being withdrawn from circulation.
What is money made of?
The main requirement for the material of banknotes is strength. Plain paper, which is made from wood, is not suitable for them. Mainly cotton fibers are used for the production of banknotes. By its composition, it is almost pure (96–98%) cellulose, which is distinguished by its whiteness, elasticity and high strength.
The banknote paper is subjected to rigorous tests, such as folding. It should remain intact after more than 2,500 double bends. Ordinary printing paper tears after just 20 folds. Yes, and each of us, probably, at least once arranged an involuntary test of our money, having washed it together with trousers. They hold up.
Some countries, such as Canada and Australia, use plastic for banknotes. They are more expensive to manufacture, but they last much longer than paper ones. These bills do not absorb moisture, sweat and dirt and therefore stay clean longer. In addition, plastic banknotes provide new anti-counterfeiting features that cannot be applied to paper.
The Bank also plans to issue a special edition of plastic commemorative hundred-ruble bills. This test release should also show how suitable they are in our climate with large temperature fluctuations.
Coins generally serve for decades. Common coins are made of steel and plated (coated for beauty and corrosion protection) with different alloys:
- cupronickel (silver-white)
- copper (reddish)
- nickel (white)
- brass (yellow)
Why do coins of the same denomination look different?
In addition to the usual coins that rattle in our wallets and pockets, there are also commemorative and investment coins.
Commemorative coins are usually issued by the Bank for some important events (the Olympics, the World Cup) or historical dates. On coins of different series you can find architectural monuments, portraits of artists, writers and musicians, even animals listed in the Red Book.
Commemorative coins made of non-precious materials look unusual, but they are accepted at face value, like ordinary money. They are only of value to collectors.
Investment coins are made from gold and silver of the highest standard. Previously, they were also produced from platinum and palladium. As the name implies, this is a tool for preserving and increasing capital - in fact, investments in precious metals, "packaged" in small form. The cost of such coins is hundreds of times higher than their face value and changes literally every day. Precious coins can be bought from commercial banks.
Commemorative and investment coins are not only expensive, but also look beautiful - with matte relief on a mirror field, selective gilding, colored enamel, laser engraving and inlaid with precious and semi-precious stones. Not sure what to give to people who already have everything? That kind of money will be a good present.
For numismatists and souvenir lovers, the mints produce ready-made sets of commemorative and investment coins. In the form of collection sets, you can also issue commemorative coins made of base metals dedicated to a specific topic: an important date, literature, science, sports events.
What to do with damaged banknotes and coins?
Although banknotes, and even more so coins, are very durable, over time they still lose their "presentation". Banknotes can be torn or stained, coins oxidized or scratched. In what cases can you still pay with them, and in what - not?
The rules are simple:
- If the damage is minor (dirt, scuffs, scratches, small tears or chips), you can safely pay with such money anywhere.
- If the money has suffered badly, but most of the banknote or coin has survived and its authenticity is obvious, take it to any commercial bank - there they will be exchanged for whole ones for free.
- If you have in your hands only miserable fragments of money (less than half of a bill) or a coin on which you can no longer make out the image, then, unfortunately, they are no longer considered money.
How do I know if the money is real or fake?
Both bills and coins can have an unusual design or a worn look - and still be authentic. Or they may look exactly like the real ones - and be fake.
When should you be careful?
You sell something hand-held or get change in a small shop or market.
In the absence of special machines for determining the authenticity of banknotes, do not hesitate to check the money yourself.
You are given large bills - $ 50 or $ 100.
It is simply unprofitable for fraudsters to deal with small bills - the production of such money is more expensive than their face value. But the five-thousandth bills are forged most often. Always check them for at least three signs.
How to check the authenticity of banknotes?
Water marks
These are images visible to the light. In addition to the denomination figures, portraits of historical characters can be seen on modern large banknotes. Moreover, these portraits are multi-tone, voluminous.
Security thread
All modern banknotes have a thin strip of polymer film with repeating denomination numbers. For the five thousandth bill, a special security thread with a kinetic effect is used: when the figure is tilted, the number 100 moves as if it were dancing. This is a unique development.
Iridescent coats of arms
There is a special protection against counterfeiting on the thousandth and five thousandth bill. When the banknote is tilted, a sparkling strip rolls over the coats of arms of the cities. This is also a invention.
Convex relief
The emblem of the Bank of Russia, the text "Ticket of the Bank of Russia" and the strokes along the edges are easy to check by touch - they protrude slightly.
What about the others?
Other countries, of course, also protect their money. Watermarks, relief, special inscriptions that are read by machines to check money are also used in them.
But there are also differences. Many mints use confetti (round blotches that glow in different colors in ultraviolet light), the thermochromic effect (when the temperature changes, money changes color), the constellation Eurion (special elements that help counting machines count bills without errors).
What to do if a fake is caught?
If you have even the slightest concern, do not take such a bill. And if it has already ended up in your wallet, contact any commercial bank - they will make its expertise free of charge. Perhaps the banknote will be just shabby, but genuine. In this case, you will change it to a new one. If the bank's experts suspect that this is a fake, then they will send it for examination to the Bank of Russia. The regulator will transfer the counterfeit bill to law enforcement agencies, and if it turns out to be real, its value will be transferred to your account.
For more information on how to distinguish real bills from counterfeit ones, see the article on verifying the authenticity of money.
