Norway's new bank notes
October 9, 2014 11:46 PM   Subscribe

Norway, which is not part of the Euro currency cooperation, has new design for its bank notes. Whereas the older note design from the 90s featured prominent Norwegians, the theme for the new currency is the ocean. One side features a pixelated motif from design giants Snøhetta, and the other side features detailed nautical images designed by The Metric System. Visual News has some coverage here, and you can look through all the submissions, including the discarded ones, in a Norwegian language PDF from Bank of Norway here. The winning design will be worked over slightly to incorporate security features, and the new bills will be in circulation from 2017.
posted by Harald74 (30 comments total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
IIRC the Euro paper currency features detailed drawings of architecture that doesn't exist. This can't be any worse.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:07 AM on October 10, 2014


The shipping container 100 submission is sad/hilarious.
posted by fleacircus at 1:09 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


These notes are beautiful, this kind of abstract design makes a lot of sense for currency. If you're wondering, 100 Krone is worth about $15 US. Historical exchange rates. Norway is horribly expensive, my memory is an ordinary beer at an ordinary café costing about $12.
posted by Nelson at 1:09 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


Ah memories! We few, we happy few, we band of brothers (and sisters) who sailed through the ends of finished posts in the long boat will get a twinge from the sight of the 100 kroner note.
posted by Cranberry at 1:10 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


Why are there so many different kinds of Euros?
posted by Metro Gnome at 2:33 AM on October 10, 2014


There aren't many different kinds of Euro. Euro notes are all the same, pretty much, although the lettering changes very occasionally when a country joins and has a new language. The coins are the same on one side with a design from the country where they were minted on the other.

Norway is not part of the European Union and therefore cannot use the Euro currency, so has its own currency.

Other countries like the UK *are* part of the European Union but have retained their currency.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 2:46 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


The coins are the same on one side with a design from the country where they were minted on the other.

The designs for each coin are based on their country of origin, which is why Euro coins from Vatican City are worth more than their face value as collectibles.
posted by alby at 2:52 AM on October 10, 2014


Someone on twitter pointed out that the notes have a hard-to-pin-down "Atari 2600 cartridge art" vibe.

I really like them.
posted by selfnoise at 3:51 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


I really like these - they seem like a nice progression from the previous issue from the 90s which were already teetering towards abstraction on one side.

IIRC the Euro paper currency features detailed drawings of architecture that doesn't exist. This can't be any worse.

Euro notes have to be used by the 18 nations of the eurozone (and informally by a few more) so the design was pretty much doomed to be bland by necessity. The history of Europe is one of millennia of squabbling and constant internecine warfare, so finding historical figures that are recognisable to 300+ million citizens but also politically neutral is impossible. Landmarks are out too, as you'd inevitable leave some countries feeling neglected. So, safe images of generic "European" architecture it is, with plenty of bridges to symbolise joining together and unity and all that nice stuff.

Incidentally, since Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007 the new issue of Euro notes will have "EURO" written in Latin, Greek and Cyrillic type: EURO / ΕΥΡΩ / ЕВРО.
posted by sobarel at 3:55 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


I love banknote design competitions, and this one has a great theme.

Switzerland had one a while ago to replace the current series designed in 1991 (there are pictures of all past series). The commission went to one of the 2nd-prize winners but there's no word on when the new notes will go into circulation, they have been delayed repeatedly. Fun fact: the Swiss National Bank keeps an alternate banknote design as a ‘reserve series’, to be issued as a last resort if counterfeiters undermine confidence in the banknotes in circulation.
posted by ormon nekas at 4:18 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


Why are there so many different kinds of Euros?

Well, they were going to be all German starting about 75 years ago, but some people took issue with that.
posted by indubitable at 5:35 AM on October 10, 2014 [9 favorites]


Euro notes have to be used by the 18 nations of the eurozone (and informally by a few more) so the design was pretty much doomed to be bland by necessity.

Not necessarily - there are a lot of animals that are found in multiple countries in Europe. Animals are much better than fictional bridges, IMO.
posted by cmonkey at 5:46 AM on October 10, 2014


When I first saw a link to these a few days ago my first thought was that someone had made a big goof in the file format or something. I like the designs, so much more visually interesting than US banknotes.
posted by Dip Flash at 5:48 AM on October 10, 2014


They seem to be cribbing what the Icelanders do with their coinage.
posted by lodurr at 6:00 AM on October 10, 2014


I love unusual bank note designs. Those pixilated images are bad ass. Then again, I was one of those who let out a little squee when the US added color to our currency.
posted by slogger at 6:31 AM on October 10, 2014


Looks great to me; I don't get why all bank notes have to look like a steampunk cosplaying wet dream.
posted by The River Ivel at 6:35 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


Why are there so many different kinds of Euros?

♫ And what’s on the other siiiide? ♫
posted by miles per flower at 6:56 AM on October 10, 2014 [4 favorites]


I am glad that they did not follow Canada's lead and make any of the bills smell of lutefisk.
posted by poffin boffin at 6:57 AM on October 10, 2014 [3 favorites]


Context: there was a widespread urban legend that the new Canadian 100 bills were scratch-and-sniff. People wrote in to the mint complaining that their bills had stopped smelling like maple syrup and that a stronger odorant should have been used.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 7:25 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


Amongst the rejected designs, I quite like the ones featuring the children's illustrations.
posted by Suggestive_Bobcat at 7:49 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


I'm an urban planning student so I suppose I'm biased, but I actually really like the architecture on Euro bills (even considering how they're fake, which is definitely a political necessity) -- I like how they transition from older styles to newer styles so there's some sort of coherent theme and also a commentary on European history.
posted by andrewesque at 8:33 AM on October 10, 2014


Also (and not to derail), as an American, I personally wish we would just get on and make US banknotes different sizes already. I suppose making bills of different sizes is more expensive, but it's just so much more helpful to knowing how much you have in a wallet at one glance -- when I'm abroad I'm fastidious about organizing the bills in my wallet in order, but it's impossible to do in the US since everything looks the same. (Not to mention the obvious advantages for the blind.)
posted by andrewesque at 8:41 AM on October 10, 2014


It is the worst, ugh, and yes, so obnoxiously ableist. The coins are different sizes, so why is the concept of different sized bills apparently so alien to anyone in charge of this sort of thing here?

also can we get rid of that shithead jackson on the 20s please
posted by poffin boffin at 12:35 PM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]


+1 for nix Jackson.

Actually I'd be down with nixing the whole 'presidents' thing, but i suspect that's way too radical and actually-democratic for Americans. but it would be nice if we could get our old emaciated Lincoln back instead of the smug glamour puss we've got on the $5 now.
posted by lodurr at 1:30 PM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


Not necessarily - there are a lot of animals that are found in multiple countries in Europe. Animals are much better than fictional bridges, IMO.

Once you start with the list of mammals, cross off all those that are associated with particular countries or cities, cross off all those species that do not reside in every single EU country, I suspect you are left with rats, squirrels and humans*.

You might be able to come up with a collection of animals that covers everywhere, but then you have to assign values to them, and if the Iberian Ibex is on the 5 and the Reindeer is on the 500, the Spanish will complain; if you do the reverse, the Swedes will. And many common animals actually have different subspecies that vary from place to place; lynx are found from Scandinavia to Iberia, but look different so you're back to picking a species that has a limited range. Or you're at the point of drawing fictional lynx that are somewhere between the specific species, which at least as silly as drawing fictional bridges if not more.

* This is a lie; the only rat species you are left with is the Norway rat, which is obviously associated with a country, and the squirrel and human species show substantial variation in appearance over Europe.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 1:33 PM on October 10, 2014


Apropos the bill size remark above, coins in Norway are designed with the visually impaired in mind: 1 krone has a hole, 5 kroner is bigger, has a hole and ridges on the outside rim, 10 kr is small again with no hole and a ridged pattern on the outside rim, 20 kr is large and has a smooth outside rim.
posted by Harald74 at 1:59 PM on October 10, 2014


I don't know why I find coins with holes so very nifty. I lament the introduction of the euro for depriving us of the punctured peseta and the drilled drachma.
posted by sobarel at 2:16 PM on October 10, 2014


If everyone here made links to currency designs that they liked, that would be cool.
posted by ovvl at 8:44 PM on October 10, 2014


I've always liked Oxenaar's gulden banknotes.
posted by gimonca at 11:01 PM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]


Animals are much better than fictional bridges, IMO.
posted by cmonkey


Man, you just made that comment so someone would take your bait *wags finger*
posted by glasseyes at 5:35 AM on October 11, 2014


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