Paper or Plastic
The makers of banknotes use a high quality of paper made from a mixture of cotton and linen. The paper in US banknotes in made by Crane of Crane & Company and is 75% cotton and 25% linen mixture, making it a very durable product. It will withstand much abuse and has a life expectancy of 15-18 months. Most European countries use a different mixture of cotton and linen.
Some countries are beginning to use plastic in the production of banknotes, increasing durability and counterfeit resistance. The first attempt (to the best of my knowledge) at using plastic for banknotes for general circulation was produced by American Banknote Company for Haiti. They produced a complete series 1, 2, 5, 50, 100, 250, 500 Gourdes (1980-82). The series were printed on Tyvek. In 1983 notes were also issued by the Isle of Man, 1 Pound (p-39) and Costa Rica, 20 Colones (p-236A).
The Australian Printing Plant, a division of the Reserve Bank Of Australia is the leader in this new technology. They produce a polypropylene film that is subjected to a four step process to make a substrate suitable for printing their notes. The first plastic note produced by Australia, for general circulation, was in 1988 to celebrate the Bicentennial of Australia. Since then Australia has converted all of its paper currency to the new plastic currency and has produced plastic notes for many other counties, Brunei, Kuwait, Papa New Guinea, Thailand, and others.
**Some Plastic Notes**