The E-Sylum:  Volume 8, Number 17, April 24, 2005, Article 20

POETS AND PRESSES ON BANKNOTES

Mike Marotta writes: "Pawing through the bargain bins on the
Michigan State Numismatic Society show bourse floor this past
weekend, I found a Central Bank of China 20 cents from 1931
printed by the Chung Hwa Book Company. According to the
"Standard Catalog of World Paper Money," several notes were
printed by this firm. I thought that this might be the "Soong
Dynasty" Bible publishers, but apparently it is not. However, it
still makes an interesting addition to my "authors" collection.

Among the many authors, poets and other literati who have been
featured on paper money are Petofi Sandor (Alexander Petofi)
on the Hungary 1969 10 forint and Robert Burns on the the
Clydesdale Bank 1981 1 pound. Benjamin Franklin would be
the keystone to my collection of authors, but he is only a visitor
here.

I am really not a poetry kind of guy. I write non-fiction. I got
through literature in school on Classics Illustrated comics.
However, I actually earned my C+ in printing shop, so, my
favorites are: Iceland 1961 50 kronur two printers on back;
Bulgaria 1992 50 leva Hristo G. Danov (face) printing press
(back). My deficiencies in fiction aside, I do claim to read
real books, so I like: Iceland 1961 10 kronur Household scene
of reading; Greece 1995 200 Drachmes "To krypso scholeio"
(Secret School).

"Virtually all Icelanders are literate; they read more books per
capita than any other people in the world."
(Full Story)

Also according to Answers.Com, literacy in Estonia is 99.8%.
Therefore, it is appropriate that that nation honored writers
on several issues since 1990.

While commemorative paper money is known, transient honors
appear more often on coins, though less frequently on coins
than on postage stamps. Therefore, banknotes are serious
semata."

  Wayne Homren, Editor

	coinbooks.org Web

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