ZIMBABWE Paper Money INDEX
     

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President:
Robert Gabriel Mugabe
31.12.1987 - present
Prime Minister:
Morgan R. Tsvangirai
2.11.2009 - present

ZIMBABWE Banknotes, 1980 - Present Issues
- Page Catalog
Numbers		 Denominations Dates

Issuing Authority
For related issues see Southern Rhodesia from 1.10.1923 until 1.8.1953, Rhodesia & Nyasaland from 1.8.1953 to 31.12.1963
Colony of Rhodesia 24.10.1964, Rhodesia (Independent) 11.11.1965, Republic of Rhodesia 2.3.1970
Colony of Zimbabwe Rhodesia 12.12.1979
ZIMBABWE
Zimbabwe independence declared 12.4.1980
ZIMBABWE 1980-94 1 P.1 - P.4 2 - 20 Dollars 1980 - 94 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
REPUBLIC OF ZIMBABWE
Republic of Zimbabwe 17.4.1991
ZIMBABWE 1994-2004 5 P.5 - P.12 5 - 1,000 Dollars 1994-2003 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
EMERGENCY BEARER CHECKS
ZIMBABWE, 2003 13 P.13 - P.14 5,000 - 10,000 Dollars 2003 Standard Chartered (Bank)
EMERGENCY TRAVELLERS CHECKS
ZIMBABWE, 2003 15 P.15 - P.20 1,000 - 100,000 Dollars 2003 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
EMERGENCY BEARER CHECKS
ZIMBABWE, 2003 Bearer Checks 21 P.21 - P.23 5,000 - 20,000 Dollars 2003 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
EMERGENCY CARGILL BEARER CHECKS
ZIMBABWE, 2004 24 P.24 - P.27 10,000 - 100,000
Dollars		 2004 Standard Chartered (Bank)
BEARER CHECK ISSUES
ZIMBABWE, 2006 Bearer Checks 28 P.28 - P.32 50,000 - 100,000 Dollars 2006 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
ZIMBABWE, 2006-07 33 P.33 - P.49 1 Cent - 200,000 Dollars 2006-07 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
ZIMBABWE, 2007-08 NW P.(50) - P.(60) 250,000 - 500 Million Dollars 2007-08 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
SPECIAL AGRO-CHEQUES
ZIMBABWE, 2008 NW P.(61) - P.(64) 5 - 100 Billion Dollars 2008 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
DEMAND NOTES
ZIMBABWE, 2007-08 NW P.(65) - P.(71) 1 - 1,000 Dollars 2007 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
ZIMBABWE, 2008 NW P.(72) - P.(83) 10,000 - 1 Billion Dollars 2008 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
NW P.(84) - P.(89) 5 - 100 Billion Dollars 2008(2009) Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
ZIMBABWE, 2009 NW P.(90) - P.(96) 1 - 500 Trillion Dollars 2008(2009) Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
ZIMBABWE, 2009 REVALUED NW P.(97) - P.(103) 1 - 500 Dollars 2009 Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Dollars are no longer accepted in Zimbabwe. Currency of any other country may circulate.

BACKGROUNDER
Zimbabwe's currency are promissory notes, payable on demand, issued by a bank and intended to circulate as money.

The first banknotes in Southern Rhodesia (1895) were authorized by the Cape of Good Hope and printed in the territory in 1896 by the Argus Company for The Standard Bank.

The Marshall Hole Notes (cards with postage stamps) were used during the currency shortage of the Boer War (1899-1902). Commercial banknotes then became the legal tender from 1922 -1942. (The 'Rhodesian issue' of the Standard Bank of South Africa Ltd and Barclays Bank D.C. & O were the last commercial bank issues).

Currency notes then became the legal tender, issued by the Southern Rhodesian Currency Board from 1940, the Central Africa Currency Board from 1953 and the Bank of Rhodesia and Nyasaland from 1956 until 1965.

In 1964, the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia, the Bank of Zambia and the Reserve Bank of Malawi (as central banks) became individually responsible for their own countries' banknotes with a decimal currency being adopted in 1970 by the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe introduced a new series of banknotes at Independence in 1980.

Banknotes ranged from as small as 9.2 x 5.7cm to as large as 18.4 x 17.1cm. Colours included shades of green, brown, blue, red, purple and grey with images on the front and back of portraits of historic figures, significant scenes or flora and fauna of the country. The 10 shillings, 1 pound and 5 pounds denominations were added to in 1953 with the 10 pound note. These were replaced by the $1, $2, $5 and $10 notes in the 1970s and the $2, $5, $10 and $20 notes in the 1980s.

1994-1995 saw the $50 and $100 notes with a new design format, pastel colours and improved security and handling qualities. New $5, $10 and $20 banknotes are planned for 1997 and 1998.

In 2009 Zimbabwe began the issue of 10 - 100 Trillion Dollar banknotes.

The official exchange rate on 31.1.2009 was ZWD 7,039,188,034 per USD $1. The inflation rate for 2008 was reported as 11,200,000%.

A new family of banknotes with the removal of 12 zero's were started to be issued in mid-February 2009. Denominations of 1,5, 100, 20, 50, 100 and 500 Dollars are planned. These new notes had an interbank exchange rate of ZWD 53.00 to US$1 on 16.2.2009.

It has been reported that the Central Bank issued a notice stating that no current or previous issues of Zimbabwe currency will be honored, however currency of any other country can be used in Zimbabwe for the next year.

The above information is from the Zimbabwe Central Bank website and the CIA World Factbook.

ZIMBABWE LINKS

Central Bank

 Central Bank - Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

 Zimbabwe - Wikipedia

CIA World Factbook - Zimbabwe

 CIA World Factbook - Zimbabwe

 © Garry Saint, Esquire 1999- 2009