Mark Dominus21h ago
In 1996, tired of squabbling between EU countries about whose favorite person or building should be on the EU banknotes, the currency commission held a competition for a new design: “The ground rules for the design strictly prohibited displaying any recognizable national monuments or heroes that risked giving greater prominence to one country over another.” The winning design was a series of bridges that were stylistically typical of different kinds of European bridges, but which weren't any specific bridges. For example:
Show threadMark Dominus20h ago

Then in 2011 those trolls the Dutch built seven bridges in one town that were all designed to look exactly like the imaginary banknote bridges. They even painted the bridges the same colors as the banknotes.

So now the EU banknotes depict the bridges of Spijkenisse, South Holland. (pop. 72,500)

Show threadmeowki20h ago

@mjd They should hire this firm lol:

https://www.snohetta.com/projects/norway-s-new-banknotes

Norways new banknotes

The beauty of boundaries

Show threadAdam Trickett  19h ago

@meowki @mjd They are different but how good are their anti-counterfeiting measures?

Historically British banknotes have had two people on them, the reigning monarch on one side and someone dead but famous on the other side.

Back in 1990 when a few series was introduced they increased the size of the face and reduced the body, as they claimed that people were very good at spotting forged banknotes because people were good with faces.

Show threadWouter Lindenhof

@drajt @meowki @mjd

Dutch money had quite a few different counterfeit measures. Most bills were too expensive to recreate (even if only half of the counterfeit measures were recreated) while the larger bills were generally refused. As such it was not an interesting target for criminals.

7:46amToot!