Queen Elizabeth collections

I have been collecting World banknotes for the past 10 years & about midway through I realized I had gravitated towards a common theme, Commonwealth nations featuring QEII.

Here's one of my favourites:


Here's a thread on Numista which covers some of my sets & others who have also contributed.

 

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The easiest QEII nation to acquire (less $ & in higher grades) was Belize:


But a bit more tricky (going back a decade) were the British Honduras (earlier versions):

The higher the denominations get very tough & pricey.

And the 1980 series becomes easier & better grades are readily available:

(these have interesting variations: 1980 Monetary Authority, 1983 Central Bank & 1983-87 Modified Arms versions). Many collectors get the variations.

The higher the denomination, the more difficult & less often the notes are offered:




I found the $20 quite difficult & typically auctioned higher than my budget. So I went to the next series (so long as they were large format or pre-1996). Here's a $2.00:


And the $20.00
which features a zoo of cool animals from the nation on the reverse:

 

Just the length of her reign and the spread of the Commonwealth probably means Queen Elizabeth II's portrait was on more coins and banknotes than any other person.

I do have quite a few banknotes with her portrait (in no particular order):

 

Oh and, comment on that Canadian $20 bill OP posted: that came out in 1935, when she was still 9-year-old Princess Elizabeth, and her grandfather George V was king. This is the earliest depiction of Elizabeth on any banknote.

 

-Yes, you're correct: that was why I posted that 1935 $20 note. It is a small seal 1935 $20 (the most accessible example) but still very tough compared to the large seal (especially in VF or higher grades). Twenty Dollars was a lot of money back then & the 1935 series lasted only a brief 2 years. But I will get back to Canada later. I started with Belize b/c I think its a pretty easy nation to pick up (in UNC).

@Troodon you posted a lot of lovely examples. I actually don't have that (last) $1.00 issued from Belize b/c it has been listed (on eBay) for almost as much as the 1980 version (which I think is crazy). So I picked up the 1980 version from Allen's of Ohio.

I would say that after Belize, 1970's Australia, Canada & New Zealand are fairly inexpensive for the lower denominations. I will approach this alphabetically from now on by going down under to- Australia.

Australia:
First came the P-30 "Commonwealth of Australia" text under the Governor & Secretary signatures (1953-1960) & then the "Reserve Bank of Australia" from 1961-1965 (P-34). Both are tough in better condition but the Commonwealth is the toughest. The "Reserve" easier example is the "pre-decimal" (pre-dollar) example below:

Next are the dollar versions from the 1970's with the "Commonwealth of Australia" in the title. Here's the 3rd signature (P-37c) while the 2nd signature & * replacements can be the tough ones to find.
(Love the art on the back of these).

Next up is P-50a the first polymer where QEII's image was now a permanent feature of their FIVES:


These, like the "Australia" (1980) $1.00 are fairly easy (& inexpensive) to come by in higher grades.

 

Ironically I got that from a coin store's "bargain bin" for I think $1 because it's in pretty beat up condition. Wasn't aware it was particularly rare.

In Australia they moved the Queen from the $1 bill to the $5 bill because they stopped printing $1 notes when they replaced them with coins. The note type both you and I posted was the last type of Australian $1 bill ever made.

Only QE2 note that I have that I didn't post was of a New Zealand $2 bill since it had the identical portrait on the $1 bill, just slightly different colors. (Didn't post the reverses to keep the post from taking up space, but if anyone wants to see them click on the link in my signature.)

At some point do want to get older Canadian notes. There's 2 older $1 types with QE2's portrait I don't yet have. The 1973 $1 note I posted is the last $1 bill Canada released before they switched to the "Loonie" $1 coin. (They kept making $2 bills until 1996 when they replaced those with coins. These days they don't print any note smaller than $5.)

 

-The 1990 $1.00 from Belize is not rare. The reason I did not buy it was that it was offered (in UNC) by only a few sellers so I passed it up for the older 1980 version. Most lower denominations are not "rare" as they had large # issued & were affordable to keep (not spend) in comparison to higher denominations which were difficult to keep in pristine condition. Even larger denominations aren't really rare but "tough" (or difficult) to find in higher grades.

Next up is:
Bermuda:
The first series featuring QEII are tough in high grades.
Here's an example of 2 "fractionals" or the 5 & 10 Shillings. They show the young queen's profile:
5 /- P-18b:


10 /- P-19b:


Would like to get the 1 pound note from this series but have yet to find one (or was outbid). I also wanted to buy the 1970 $1.00 (P-28a) but these kept going up in price as I looked. I haven't had much luck with Bermuda (not like Seychelles- but close). I had to settle for this 1982 example (P-28b).

$1.00 Bermuda Monetary Authority P-28b:

Some nations can be expensive just due to popularity & Bermuda seems to fit that trend perfectly (sadly for us collectors). @Troodon the 2007 version of your $2.00 seems to be a very sought after variation that wasn't supposed to be issued (but some got out). That's a note I'd love to get someday.

 

JEEZ, I nearly forgot one of my favourite countries (& one that my mum used to gift me souvenirs). The 50 Cent & $1.00 notes she brought back provided my first taste of World currency -so its a crazy oversight which I'll correct below.

Bahamas:
First off are the pre-decimal notes. I have 4/- & would love to get the much tougher 10 Shilling & 1 pound examples.

The nice thing about collecting Bahamas is that there are several tough examples one can hunt for. These include the "Smiley-Butler" signatures found on some of the 1965 denominations plus other tough varieties.

The 1965 "Currency Note Act" series are very accessible in most grades. The higher the denomination, the more difficult some of the notes can be. I would like to get myself a $1.00 with the "Butler" signature but settled for this $3.00 instead P-19a:

Oddly enough, the FIVE was printed in very similar colours as the ONE so often mixed up (a failed design) so like many collectors, I wanted to get one of these

(These are very tough to find with the 2nd "Smiley-Butler" signatures)

The $10.00 (& higher) can be very tough to find in better grades.
P-22a:


Had to post the back of this TEN as it is one of my favourite scenes depicted on a banknote.
The 1968 "Monetary Authority Act" series only lasted 6 years so they can be challenging in higher graded denominations too. The 1974 "Central Bank" series also have some tough "B" Allen signature varieties & higher denominations can also be elusive.

Finally, the 1986 new design also featured some tough signatures. The higher denominations can be quite tough. Here's a FIVE with the first "Allen" signature.
P-45a:

 

The British Caribbean (British Guiana, Trinidad & Tobago plus Barbados) used notes issued by the "Currency Board of the British Caribbean Territories" from 1950 - 1964. The early King George VI versions were short lived & the Queen Elizabeth versions 1953 onward have been tough to get in original condition (due to the damp environment). That is one of the reasons I have no example of what the citizens used to call the "BeeWee" here to share. It's a gap I'd like to fill.

If you'd like to view these notes check out the Banknote Museum's overview of the "BeeWee" here.

 

I started collecting Bank of Canada notes 50 years ago, as a young lad delivering our local newspapers. My collection started like many collectors, what I could find in circulation (payments from my subscribers). Later, I got a P/T job at a carwash & handled plenty of cash. I got a few circulated Modified $20 (as these were the last 1954 notes to be seen since they were issued the largest numbers) but what I really wanted was a Devil's Face. No matter how hard I tried, I rarely saw them. My brother got all the great coins from our grandpa & he lorded over a few Devil Face notes too, including the FIVE:


Out of frustration, I finally bought a circulated $20 from a coin/note dealer set up at our local mall. I still have this note:

*If you'd like to read more about the Devil's Face scandal take this BoC Museum Blog link.

Later, I got a real job, a catalogue & managed to pick up some interesting double-whammies, like this radar-replacement:

I really liked the "Scenes of Canada" series since this was the note I grew up with during my carwash & early working/post high school jobs. QEII was only featured on the $1.00, $2.00 & $20.00 by this time:


Had to get myself a solid radar:

And an error on the 1979 $20.00:


So that's it for Canada. I have a few BIRDS & Journey series too but I think I have added enough here.

Next up is the Cayman Islands!

 

Good stuff, thanks for posting. I had never seen that early $20 CDN note at the top of the thread with a 9-year-old princess, it's very cool.

 

Thanks @LakeEffect! Originally I wanted this Commemorative $25.00 but it was both out of reach & rarely listed -so I shifted my focus on the $20.00

There are 3 1935 $20 variations:
English P-46a (200,000 large Seal)
English P-46b (802,700 small Seal)* *pictured above
French P-47 (202,500 & very scarce)

The majority of notes I see listed have been washed (are light pink & have many "tells" that they've been processed) so it is a challenge to find an original (or EPQ) example.

I will try to list some of my Cayman set tomorrow.

 

Cayman Islands:
Are a fun nation to collect since they have a few odd denominations & great designs. The 1970's series only gets a bit expensive (tough) in the higher denominations ($10 & higher, like most Caribbean nations). The nice thing about Cayman Island currency is that each denomination has its own unique characteristics & reverse design.
The 1972 FIVE (P-2a):
(Sea turtles on front & Sand Dollar/ship on reverse)

The 1972 TEN (P-3a):

(Crabs/coral front & Beach scene/sailing boat on reverse)


Sadly, the $25.00 is a gap I need to fill, but I do have the $40.00 (P-9a) which was issued later in 1981 (dates do not correlate):

(seahorses/ocean life front & regatta on rev)


This first series can be a bit tough but the $1.00 & $5.00 aren't that difficult to get in UNC. The subsequent series are much easier to obtain with only the $25, $50 & $100 notes being a bit tough.

1991 TEN (P-13):

(similar motifs as the earlier $10 version)
The 1991 TEN has a tough "Z" replacement which is challenging (in any condition). Likewise the lighter coloured 1996 $10 (P-18x) had an X/1 "Experimental" prefix with a mere 100,000 notes issued. This one is even tougher than the 1991 replacement.

I think the Cayman Islands remains a popular nation to collect due to its offshore banking & close proximity to the USA (much like Bahamas). Plus, their currency has "knock-it-out-of-the-park" colourful designs.

 

Ceylon:
Below is P-51, the first version of the 5 Rupee


(P-54, a revised 5 Rupees has more orange (especially on the reverse))

Below is the 1954 version of P-54.


It is also the last note issued by Ceylon with the QEII portrait.

See this Banknote Museum link for an overview of Ceylon.

Cyprus:
This is a tough nation to acquire decent examples of banknotes with the QEII image. I will be quite happy if I can snag one VF-EF original example (someday!)

Here image is first seen on this P-30 a 1952 Five Shilling as this example from Banknote Museum.
In 1955, an entire new "Government of Cyprus" series comes out with a 250 Mils (1/4 Pound), 500 Mils (1/2 Pound), 1 Pound & 5 Pound denominations. All notes were "workhorses" & well circulated so you can pay upwards to $500 USD for a VF example. The last date (1960) is a very scarce & pricey example to try to source for the 250 (P-33) & 5 Pounds (P-36) denominations.

 

Nice #12 note from Isle of Man @SteveInTampa! Thanks for sharing.

East Africa: (former Zanzibar & later Kenya)
Like many African nations, East African notes are very tough to find in original condition with nice eye appeal. Their QEII series began in 1953 with the 5 Shillings (P-33) a bright orange note with a lion portrayed on the reverse (similar to the King George VI series). The next 3 denominations (P-34 10/- ; P-35 20/- or 1 Pound & P-36 100/- or 5 Pounds) get slightly larger & can be tougher to source.

Their design was modernized in 1958 with more colour & completely different design elements (eg: queen's portrait on the left). The first versions (P-37 5/- ; P-38 10/- ; P-39 20/- & P-40 100/-) with 4 signatures on the right lasted only 2 years, while the 2nd version (P-41 5/- ; P-42 TEN SHILLINGS ; P-43 TWENTY SHILLINGS & P-44 100/-) with an additional 3 signatures on the left panel, lasted from 1961-1963. These last versions (seen below), with the 7 signatures, are the more common notes to obtain in the higher grades. I'm hoping to source one someday!

 

Eastern Caribbean Central Bankfirst East Caribbean Currency Authority)
These notes, from several islands (Antigua, Grenada, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, etc) are easy & fun to collect. Even the first 1965 Series, like the $1.00 note posted by @Troodon won't break the bank. The first 65 series only issued four denominations ($1.00, $5.00, $20 & $100).

The higher two denominations are the toughest of the bunch.
P-25g:


The second 1985 "Central Bank" series has two versions & this is where it can get interesting as a collector. Initially, Anguilla was left off the map (P-17 to P-20), an obvious oversight which needed to be corrected & was corrected in 1987 & a revised version (P-21 to P-25) was issued up to 1993. However, most people collected the first (Anguilla omitted) early version but did not keep many examples of the 2nd version.

Island issues are coded by the suffix on the serial #:
Antigua - A
Dominica -D
Grenada -G
St Kitts -K
St Lucia -L
Montserrat -M
Anguilla -U
St Vincent -V

P-21U (Jacobs signature with Anguilla is tougher than most error like $1.00 notes P-17a-v)


The later 2nd version, also had two signature varieties (Cecil Jacobs & K D Venner) on the $5.00 & up, plus they added a $10 denomination.

P-23L1 with the Jacobs signature


P-22L2 (with the 2nd KD Venner signature):

The last Venner signature version the toughest to source.

The Central Bank also goofed up on their 1993 Series design (P-26 to P-30) which had a black box underlaying the "0" marker making it tough to sort. This was especially tough to distinguish the $10 from the $50 (all notes are the same size) as these two denominations had similar colour schemes.

P-27a (1993 $10 issued from Antigua)


P-29a (1993 $50 issued from Antigua)


There was so much confusion between the two denominations that the underlay was removed & the new $50 gets a greenish design make-over in 1994. The 1993 series lasted only 1 year so certain island issues can be quite tough to source.

 

Falkland Islands:
I never heard of this place until the skirmish which (called a war) between the UK & Argentina. That's when Margaret Thatcher got nicknamed the "Iron Lady." Anyway, the early versions can be tough but the later versions are pretty accessible. Here's a few:

1967 One Pound:


1960 Five Pound:


1982 Ten Pound:

I posted designs of the back b/c I love the simplicity of their designs (no marker/no text whatsoever- something you don't see often on notes)

The 1983 Commemorative 5 Pound:


This is the basic design of their series & was issued in 1983 to celebrate 150 years of being a British Oversea Territory (a year after "the skirmish") to remind everyone of their allegiance to the crown. This design is what many collectors acquire.

 

Fiji:
Notes from this tiny isolated island nation can be tough or easy to find. Like most currency, the farther one reaches, the harder it is to get a decent example. Scarce examples from New Zealand (with overprints) make the nation interesting to collect. The "Government of Fiji" first QEII notes were first seen in 1953 & were modified in 1967 when they switched to the Dollar system. So we have sterling & decimal versions.
Here is a 10 Bob example of the POUND system
P-52b:

Here is an example of the early "Government of Fiji" series fractional (P-58a):


And here's the later modified $1.00:

 

Fiji: (part 2)

Fiji has a small population so the earlier notes only had limited # issued. There are some fairly inexpensive higher denominations ($10 & $20) with "Government of Fiji" just "Fiji" large sized and in the 1980's standard sized notes that still can be bought without breaking the bank. Large runs were discovered & sold online recently.
P-88a $20:

This style continues into the 90's with an affordable $10.00 note as well.

Fiji's next series gets a design make-over with a more mature version of QEII and the initial releases had tough single-letter prefixes, (subsequent versions more common double-letter prefixes):

P-97 $5.00 (single letter prefix):

(the nice thing about this denomination is that the colour changes to brown with the intro of the reddish $50)

P-99a $20 (single letter prefix):


P-100b (late/short prefix before modification of the seal):