Fluorescent and Ultraviolet Properties

of

Bank Notes

Now we come to the fluorescent properties and inks of notes. Most of these features are never seen by the average user or collector, for these features can only be seen under UV lighting. Yet this is by far the most interesting and least talked about security feature. Today when new notes are produced, the governments usually mention the fluorescent properties. But this was not always so. It use to be this information was circulated in the bank community and exchange houses, but not generally mentioned to the public.

Luminescent compounds can be combined with anything to give it fluorescent properties. It can be combined with the treads, security dots, security strip, and inks. The compounds combined with inks in some notes were probably zinc-orthosilicate or calcium silicate. Zinc-orthosilicate gives a greenish to yellow appearance and calcium silicate gives a orange to red color. I believe these to be the most common compounds used(but not positive). I am sure that there are other compounds in use today, but have not found information on them yet. Needless to say this area is speculation and information on this subject is scarce, as can be expected the banknote manufactures are not eager to give this information out. If anyone has information on this subject I would like to here from you

The earliest notes that I have found that utilize invisible printing or fluorescent properties are the notes produced by the printer J Schmidt. The notes from Bohemia & Moravia (table below). They all have overprinting in invisible ink. The serial number and crest on the Korun 100, p7a, also seems to glow when exposed to UV lighting. The 500 Korun note, Pick, 11a, is the earliest that I have found with fluorescent properties in the underprinting of the note. The design under the center portion of the note and it has an overprint in invisible ink of 500 at the underneath of the portrait. The Czech note p-67, 100 Korun, 1945, also appears to have fluorescent properties in the underprinting and the serial number. There may be other notes earlier then this but I have not run across them as of this date.

Modern notes to day may have a little or a lot of fluorescent properties. From simply coloring the serial number and signatures, to elaborate design.

The (p) before the number stands for the Pick # and is obtained from the

1997 Standard Catalog of World Paper Money

Published by Krause Publishing