The Sveriges Riksbank, or the National Bank of Sweden, has officially issued (1st October) four of its six new banknote denominations as part of a series that focuses on personalities from the fields of literary, visual, and audio arts. The new series entitled “Cultural Journey” was announced four years ago when the National Bank confirmed they would be replacing the current series of notes with new designs; in the case of a 200 kronor note ($US 24), a new denomination will be introduced.
The National Bank conducted a news conference yesterday hosted by National Bank Governor Stefan Ingves and the National Bank’s technical note expert Mårten Gomer. They drew attention to the fact that the public had been encouraged to come to the Bank’s headquarters and exchange their current banknotes for a new 200 kronor note.
Although the National Bank as a rule do not have facilities for the public to exchange banknotes in person, they set up a special service on this occasion in an effort to encourage the distribution of this new banknote value. Members of the public were also invited to the premises of the National Bank to view a special exhibition dedicated to the new banknotes.
The Riksbank announced that the 20, 50, 200, and 1000 kronor notes will be issued today, while the new 100 and 500 kronor notes will be issued this time next year. The Riksbank also confirmed that three new coins announced earlier would be issued at the same time. There will be new one- and five-kronor coins, and a two-kronor coin will be issued for the first time since it was withdrawn from circulation in 1971.
The current 20 and 50 kronor notes, originally issued in 1986 and modified over the last decade, will remain legal tender until June 30, 2016. The 100, 500, and 1000 kronor notes will retain their validity until June 20, 2017, after which time they can only be redeemed by post; there will also be a fee of 100 kronor charged by the National Bank for this service, with no limit on the amount of notes redeemed per transaction.
20 Kronor: Astrid Lindgren (1907 – 2002) Author, / Småland – Purple. Issued on the 1st October 2015
50 Kronor: Evert Taube (1890 – 1976) Composer, / Bohuslän – Orange. Issued on the 1st October 2015
100 Kronor: Greta Garbo (1905 – 1990) Actress, / Stockholm – Blue. Scheduled issue, 1st October 2016.
200 Kronor: Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007) Director, / Gotland – Green. Issued on the 1st October 2015.
500 Kronor: Birgit Nilsson (1918 – 2005) Singer, / Skåne – Red. Scheduled issue, 1st October 2016.
1000 Kronor: Dag Hammarskjöld (1905 – 1961) Author & Diplomat, / Skåne – Brown. Issued on the 1st October 2015.
The chosen regions depicted on the reverse have a known link to the persons chosen. Evert Taube grew up in Vinga and many of his songs are inspired by the Bohuslän archipelago. Ingmar Bergman lived on Fårö, an island off of Gotland, during the latter part of his life. Dag Hammarskjöld was very fond of Skåne, Lappland, and the Swedish mountains. Birgit Nilsson grew up in Västra Karup in Skåne. Astrid Lindgren grew up in Vimmerby in Småland and gained much of her literary inspiration from this region. Greta Garbo grew up in the Södermalm region of Stockholm.
The exchange service for a new 200 kronor note was limited to one note per person and for one day only. For more information on the issue of the new banknotes and coins, please visit the Web site of the Sveriges Riksbank. Information is offered in Swedish and English. Images are courtesy of the Sveriges Riksbank news conference, October 1, 2015, Stockholm.
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