A Rare Piece of Australian Banknote History!

[@prashankandasamy8309]

The older notes are definitely more impressive in terms of artistry. Thank you for sharing and educating us on that $50 polymer note. Quite unique.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@prashankandasamy8309 thanks for watching Prashan! It's always great to meet other collectors who have an appreciation for the artistry ☺️

[@altaylor3988]

On a business trip to Oklahoma in the late 1980's, my hosts had invited me out one evening to their favourite Eatery... They were interested in anything Australian but were particularly floored when I showed them Australian Notes and Coins, before long there was the whole restaurant gathered round ....They were stunned when I said I could tell the Value of any Note or Coin Blindfolded or in the Dark... So I was duly tested and ended up 100% correct.... What they had not digested was the Difference in Sizes, Shapes and edge Knurling to assist Sight and Colour Blind people... They were amazed at the use of Plastic. My Hosts later informed me I had drawn the attention of the a Senator and Police Chief

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@altaylor3988 what a great story!! Thanks so much for watching and sharing 😊

[@peecee1384]

@@altaylor3988 Americans seem a bit stuck in their ways with their banknotes and coins. I love the machines they have that squash 1 cent coins to create souvenirs. We wouldn't dream of doing that.

[@Kim_Miller]

I was a prison chaplain in NSW for twenty years before retiring a few years ago. One of my clients was a young guy who worked with computers and figured he could produce his own polymer counterfeits on a high res inkjet printer. He saw it as a bit of a challenge. The tricky part was getting white ink as most of the windows have a white image in them. Somehow he made some and got it operating in a cartridge. He produced $20 notes as I recall and passed them successfully in his rural city. He got a bit cocky and was found out. The guy got arrested and charged and after the court gave him a non-custodial sentence I got a referral to go see him. He was a bright young man, newly married and had a nice job, and was very lucky he didn't serve time inside.

[@peecee1384]

I grew up with the paper decimal banknotes and they are my favourite. Classic designs. When they were new they had a wonderful smell.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@peecee1384 so many visitors to the shop are taken back to their past when they see the old paper notes, it always a laugh to hear stories about them going through washing machines or even what people could actually buy with them back in the day!

[@hevvab8151]

Loved the information from this video, so you've got yourself a new subscriber! Might even have to come and have a look at your shop :) Cheers.

[@yogibarista2818]

Polymer notes are exceptionally tough. Multiple times I've used a fiver to get me home when a piece of glass has slashed a bicycle tyre so bad that something was needed to hold the tube in. One time I had to wait for a new tyre and rode with it like that for a few weeks - and still got my money back at the end.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@yogibarista2818 thanks for watching! If that story is true, that may just be one of the most impressive banknote stories I've ever heard!! 🤯

[@peecee1384]

@@yogibarista2818 Wow 🤣

[@mattivation_inc]

So great! Another innovative Australian achievement on the world stage!! We really do punch above our weight in so many ways!! 🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@mattivation_inc Absolutely! Thanks for watching too ☺️

[@JimWemm-ql1ge]

Thanks Matt for another great video. Awesome to hear all is going well at the shop. 🍻

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@JimWemm-ql1ge thanks for watching Jim!! ☺️👍

[@Dezy.1]

The first polymer $10 bank note with the colours definitely looks better in my opinion. Would much prefer that one today. Great video!

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@Dezy.1 thanks for watching Dezy!! It'd be cool to see a note with two totally different styles on each side like that again too!

[@keithmcwilliams7424]

I used to like the smell of the old paper notes.😊

[@QuentinChristensen]

Fascinating information Matt! I definitely had never heard of that banknote (and just having googled it and found a couple of prices, I don't think I'll be buying one any time soon either!) You are right, it is an amazing piece of Australian numismatic history - and incredible how early it is compared to the release of circulating polymer notes. It looks like they got the composition fairly workable there - do you happen know why it took another 10+ years to produce commercially?

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@QuentinChristensen thanks for watching Quentin! I believe there were numerous features which were researched and developed and I suspect there would have been quite a bit of red tape involved with the official rollout, not to mention the preliminary issues with the first OVDs, there would have been a huge emphasis on quality for the rollout of the other denominations ☺️

[@QuentinChristensen]

@@ThompsonsCoins It could make an interesting book!

[@rudolphvanthoff1391]

Fun fact, which you probably already know… the first series polymer $5 note has the word “FIVE DOLLARS” printed 55 times on it… this note you have shown is new for me! Thanks for teaching us about it

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@rudolphvanthoff1391 that is a very cool fact and I did not know that!! Thanks for sharing and for watching the video ☺️☺️

[@mark123655]

Great vid.. never knew about that trial note. Sadly the platic tech is no longer Australian with Innovia Films taking full control of Securency in 2013.

[@kebabking7025]

I’ve seen a number of these kind of trial banknotes appear for sale but never knew too much of the story! Cheers Matt, keen for you to find some more trial banknotes

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@kebabking7025 thanks for watching mate! I think education is the key with a lot of this old historic material, the more you learn the more interesting these things become!

[@marycarlos4179]

The 1988 notes could not be used in ATM's as the used to get stuck. Rumour at the time was they melted inside the machines, i think the truth was a very minor thickness difference. When the RBA collected them back, they were recycled into compost bins a d distributed through local councils, if i remember correctly, the price was $10. I still have my compost bin.

[@kaynef6637]

Your shop is looking beautiful , nice job 👍

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@kaynef6637 thanks so much Kayne! It's been a massive project to get it up and running but so rewarding ☺️ thanks for watching mate!

[@ChuckyMcNubbin72]

Thank you. Australia had the first successful polymer banknotes in circulation. Yes, both Haiti and Costa Rica had polymer banknotes in circulation from 1980 to 1984. They used tyvek polymer substrate. Polymer banknotes were also developed but not issued into circulation for 5 other countries, that I'm aware of at least.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@ChuckyMcNubbin72 thanks for watching!! ☺️

[@melissahealy1950]

isle of man also had tyvek £1 notes

[@ChuckyMcNubbin72]

Yes, they did, but they weren't issued into circulation. There are several other countries that had polymer notes,also not issued into circulation. ​@melissahealy1950

[@mcduncanpresents9389]

Thanks for the video once again Matt, never knew they came up with polymer notes back in the 70's. What are they worth these days, and do you know how many were produced? Were they actually released, or did since sticky fingers obtain them back in the day?

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@mcduncanpresents9389 this one is 3 grand which as usual with historical banknotes, seems unbelievably cheap for a tangible piece of currency history. There was a large number produced but only a tiny amount remain out there, it's not known exactly how they ended up in private hands either, perhaps our mate Nugget took a few souvenirs?! (I'm not sure but everyone has their theories)

[@prismaticmarcus]

@@ThompsonsCoins That was my question. So they weren't acvtually legal tender? They were just prototypes?

[@DrJRaven]

The Australian government should have the treasury print on the currency “Legal Tender for all goods and services”.

[@legojenn]

I like our Canadian polymer notes. I think that they use the Australian technology. They never seem to look dirty.

[@ondrejsedlak4935]

One of my ex-wife's friends actually worked on the design of the newest polymer notes. They were already working on them back in 2008 and unfortunately couldn't show us anything to do with it as it was top secret.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@ondrejsedlak4935 that's awesome! I imagine there would be a few people out there with some very interesting stories which they aren't allowed to share! ☺️ Thanks for watching!

[@davwkea]

That is very interesting. I have a polymer note from Fiji that is incredibly worn, much more than the note you are showing. These notes are really tough and the ink sticks on pretty well.

[@ray.shoesmith]

I remember the first plastic $10 (as well as the first $1 and $2 coins). It was a PITA because it was so tall.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@ray.shoesmith just be grateful we weren't around for the pre federation banknotes which were probably better stored in a suitcase than a regular wallet 🤣🤣 thanks for watching mate!

[@MrSpook00]

Very cool video! I might drop by for a gander!

[@homebrandrules]

what a cheerful fella you are, i,m envious.

[@laustinspeiss]

Great clip and info, but please drop the little giggles at the end of each story link. My dad was on the decimal currency conversion board, there was a lot of work going on behind the scenes in ‘65 and ‘66

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@laustinspeiss thanks for watching! I definitely won't stop with the giggles but appreciate the support! 😁 Your Dad must have seen some very interesting things back then!

[@desgoulding7154]

Thanks for information. Hope you are well mate

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@desgoulding7154 thanks for watching Des! I'm busier than ever but wouldn't complain, it's a great learning experience for sure! ☺️

[@smartfizi]

Thanks for sharing 👋👋❤❤

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@smartfizi thanks for watching!! ☺️

[@melbournestacker]

Hey Matty, any idea of how many of these notes still exist?

[@philiprachtman1217]

Hi Mat did you get your grapefruit ?

[@petersinclair3997]

A missed opportunity? In the last days of old notes being official currency, tellers would treat old notes as “mutes” (mutilated) and in the BNSW’s send through the Bank’s Chief Cashier’s Department, before sending the old currency and genuinely mutated notes to the RBA to be destroyed. It was possible to just substitute a decimal note for the out going currency, provided the total value of the batch was retained. I mentioned to a Wynyard, Sydney coin and note shop, who said they offer 10% over face value, but I thought it too much of a hassle and didn’t proceed. p.s. Who did have fabulous coin collections were the coin counter in the Bank’s coin room.

[@drinno8900]

So glad you can go surfing and still buy a chip sandwich with out handing over a soggy note

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@drinno8900 If only I knew how to surf, the washing machine was the biggest swell my notes ever saw 🤣 thanks for watching!

[@Rygoat]

Out of curiosity do these all share the same serial number? or did they get printed with individualised numbers?

[@peecee1384]

Same. 2 varieties.

[@billsmith281]

Wow I didnt know about this polymer trail note, can i ask what the approximate value of one of these is??

[@peecee1384]

@@billsmith281 $3000

[@cultureofcurrency]

Our bills in the US are a bit bland.... I have always thought that. Good video as always. Never seen one of those.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@cultureofcurrency thanks so much for watching! I've not handled a heap of US currency but have always thought it was a little odd that all denominations look so similar, particularly difficult for people with vision impairments I imagine 🤔

[@cultureofcurrency]

@@ThompsonsCoins Yes!!! There is no braille or ways of knowing! Easy to scam I guess.

[@HolidayInGuantanamo]

​@@ThompsonsCoinsAt least US paper currency have different images on them. Vietnamese currency all have Ho Chi Minh on them, so gets pretty confusing for many tourists inadvertently overpaying by 10x 😅

[@peecee1384]

@@HolidayInGuantanamo They are different colors, though. I love my Dong 🤣

[@BenJones-kd8hs]

Is that $50 note legal tender?

[@peterdoyle3205]

Was it circulated or just for testing in house?

[@peecee1384]

In-house

[@MartintheTinman]

Haiti had the first polymer banknotes, made of Tyvek. Ours were the first made of BOPP, Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene

[@peecee1384]

@@MartintheTinman We had the first successful ones. Tyvek was not a success.

[@MartintheTinman]

@@peecee1384 doesn't negate them being first but you do you

[@MartintheTinman]

@@peecee1384 BTW our first lot weren't a success either. They were withdrawn and shredded. You should also be able to remember that the first five dollar note in 1995 had ink that could easily be rubbed off. Most of these notes were muted too because of damage particularly to the image of the Queen

[@peecee1384]

@@MartintheTinman "Australia introduced the ten-dollar note to celebrate its bicentennial. This was the world's first true polymer banknote." [Wikipedia] I'll leave it at that.

[@MartintheTinman]

@@peecee1384 you have vanquished me, oh valiant knight. May your legend live on in song and prose

[@matthewvaughan1200]

Is it still available and how much is it Matty ?

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@matthewvaughan1200 yeah mate its up on my site now for 3 grand, a bargain for something so historically significant! 🤩

[@Capncoin]

Awesome sauce

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@Capncoin thanks for watching!! ☺️

[@homebrandrules]

so what are the collectors paying for the 1988 10 dollar polymer note and the road test 5o buck note ? cheers

[@peecee1384]

@@homebrandrules $40 and $3000+

[@homebrandrules]

@@peecee1384 THANKS MATE. I,LL GIVE you 3k for both of them DEAL ??

[@AndyRRR0791]

How mucha fer cash...?

[@sdjuxu]

He was stocky?

[@jimbond6013]

Lots of short men were nicknamed "nugget" years ago.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@sdjuxu I don't think so, it probably referred more to his height. But legitimately, I originally thought it was a food reference 🤣🤣 thanks for watching!

[@laustinspeiss]

‘chunky’ ?

[@andrewjgrimm]

Are there any seven dollar banknotes?

[@petersinclair3997]

Why do you ask? Prompted me to think, was there ever a Guinea (21 shilling) note or coin. England?

[@andrewjgrimm]

@@petersinclair3997 It was what the CSIRO was using when practicing doing banknotes.

[@peecee1384]

@@andrewjgrimm Fiji was the first country in the world to issue one. After their rugby 7's team won the gold medal at the olympics.

[@ausbare140]

Many years ago I saw that Australia also makes Vietnamese bank notes. I would be interested if Australia makes bank notes for other countries.

[@peecee1384]

@@ausbare140 Papua New Guinea might be one. New Zealand have them not sure who makes theirs. Then there is Canada, Brunei, Fiji, that I can think of.

[@dennis12dec]

The Philippines has joined by introducing the new ₱1000 polymer banknote in April 2022 and today our Central Bank or Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has released the new ₱500, ₱100 and ₱50 denominations of the new polymer banknotes in general circulation.

[@paulgerrard9227]

I at anz worked across from the rba melbourne when the commemorative $10 note was released. I bought ten. Sequential numbered. From. 000050 to 000059..and i was told they could be random numbers. Only the rba allowed ten. The post office limited sales to two. Took them to a dealer and they arent actually that valuable. Still the best design imo. Like art

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@paulgerrard9227 thanks for sharing your story Paul that's fascinating! It must have been quite interesting to see and handle Australias first polymer banknotes at the time of issue, very cool!! 😎

[@peecee1384]

@@paulgerrard9227 Just about everyone bought some 🤣

[@peecee1384]

Sold!

[@craigmitchell8472]

Interesting ❤

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@craigmitchell8472 thanks for watching Craig!!

[@COLINJELY]

There are people here who advocate for the closing down of the RBA. Similarly there are those in the US who want to do away with the Federal Reserve I find this rather strange because these organisations are the ones that actually issue currency.

[@Ggdivhjkjl]

Why didn't Nugget just use Bitcoin?

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@Ggdivhjkjl I think he needed something that was actually functional for daily transactions 🤣

[@CaptainKremmen]

He was designing something for that worked efficiently for everyone, rather than something extremely slow and energy-intensive for criminals.

[@bro031]

Nice $50 note would like to own but yeh I like gold coins more that’s why I sold my star notes , predecimal and early decimal note collection , I like the counterfeit tech in our note but the art work on them isn’t as nice as the pre-decimal notes the only nice modern ones in my opinion is the 2001 federation $5 note and the 1988 $10 are my favourite designs. Do you have any kookaburra pennies and or could you do a video on them as they are something people may not know existed for a short time.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@bro031 thanks for watching!! I definitely will next time I have one in the shop, they are fascinating! The hope is to one day have a full range of educational content on these historically significant items for people to enjoy and learn from ☺️

[@stephenmanning1553]

Most of my family and friends are saying our current banknotes are amongst the best looking on the planet. Unfortunately, I do not have enough of them to make an opinion.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@stephenmanning1553 thanks for watching Stephen! They are certainly very eye-catching and unique!

[@static-san]

That trial $50 note looks so bland. Australia has always had some of the most colourful banknotes in the world. I spotted the paper $10 you showed was marked "Commonwealth Of Australia". I seem to remember that they're rare?

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@static-san as it was for testing they weren't supposed to dazzle with presentation and I agree, Australian notes always stand out and look really great! A common misconception, not all old notes are rare/valuable and the commonwealth ones whilst older, aren't always more valuable. That note is available along with many other old paper 10s in my shop for $20 ☺️

[@Puppydoug]

So after all of that, I still don't know what the bloody thing is worth!

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@Puppydoug thanks for watching, there's a link in the description 👍 it's available for $3,000.

[@peecee1384]

@@ThompsonsCoins It's a good price I think. I checked on ebay they are $3500+ there 😬

[@Auxodium]

Our 5 dollar note should have our new King on there. But no... politics...

[@peecee1384]

@@Auxodium I tend to agree but fear before too long we will bow down to some fly-by-night politician.

[@sormcmxcix]

It was a complete insult to our Head of State. It was similar to the way they claimed it ‘too expensive’ to light up the Opera House to celebrate the coronation but they used the canvas to the opera house to platform the troubles in the Middle East and brought the clashes here to Australia.

[@MartintheTinman]

Shame you didn't mention that it's called BOPP. Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene

[@peecee1384]

@@MartintheTinman Do you know what Glad Wrap is made of? 🤣

[@MartintheTinman]

@@peecee1384 Horse hooves

[@MartintheTinman]

@@peecee1384 freebooters Edit: that's what I'd make it out of

[@MartintheTinman]

@@peecee1384 Traditionally, it was constructed out of a poly material called Polyvinylidene Chloride (PVC). Today, we more commonly see clean wrap cling film manufactured from Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) material. Neither of those are BOPP. Maybe you should do your research before you comment

[@MartintheTinman]

@@peecee1384 polypropylene and polyethylene are two different types of plastic. That's why they're spelt differently

[@romemancer7905]

Plastic bake notes in the early days were rubbish they creased ...tore and lost the print...who at the mint did the R and D on them ...

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@romemancer7905 thanks for watching! Although it doesn't sound like you watched the video 🤣 the mint never made banknotes, they do our circulating coins

[@Hunty49]

Australia stole some ideas from Canada's notes like the braille on the corners so blind people know what note it's is from the bumps.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@Hunty49 it's not actually braille, it's just a tactile feature to assist the vision impaired but it wouldn't be the first time Australia has borrowed some of the concepts from Canada! The coloured $2 coins of 2012 caused quite a bit of controversy too! 😅 Thanks for watching!

[@GiveMeSpaceTravel-bg8td]

I wouldn't say 'stole'. We just know a good idea when we see on 😊

[@peecee1384]

@@Hunty49 Canada switched from paper to polymer. They didn't "steal" our idea just realized it was more cost effective. Shouldn't we all help each other out? Our Friends, anyway.

[@Hunty49]

@@peecee1384 No, Australia stole Canada's idea for the bumps on the notes to determine which are which. Canada bought the polymer note from Australia so we can get out R&D costs back. Must have made heaps. "Several countries and regions have now introduced polymer banknotes into commemorative or general circulation, including: Nigeria, Cape Verde, Chile, The Gambia, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Botswana, São Tomé and Príncipe, North Macedonia, Russia, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Morocco, Albania, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong, Israel, China, Taiwan, Kuwait, Mozambique, Saudi Arabia, Isle of Man, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Libya, Mauritius, Costa Rica, Honduras, Angola, Namibia, Lebanon, the Philippines, and Egypt."

[@peecee1384]

@@Hunty49 No, I don't think they "stole" anything. They implemented a good idea. Canada can have the credit for the idea. Nothing in life would improve if everybody "hogged" good ideas. An Australian doctor helped develop penicillin. Did the rest of the world steal that, or should only Australia enjoy the benefits of that medical breakthrough?

[@EightSixx]

older ones were better!

[@itsamemario8014]

Your goofy school girl giggle is extremely off putting.

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@itsamemario8014 I'll endeavor to never laugh again so you can enjoy yourself champion 🤣 you'll be delighted to know that you've actually made me giggle too!

[@HolidayInGuantanamo]

So... school boys can't giggle? Oh wow. 😂

[@peecee1384]

@@ThompsonsCoins There's always one 🙄

[@peecee1384]

@@itsamemario8014 There's an old saying: "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all". There's a reason for that saying.

[@itsamemario8014]

@@peecee1384 I did say something nice, I took time out of my day to inform the guy that he had an extremely annoying effeminate giggle.

[@jerkmeo]

love it

[@ThompsonsCoins]

@@jerkmeo thanks for watching!! ☺️