...Bhutan - 1 and 10 Ngultrum Series 2019 Hybrid Notes

འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ

Kingdom of Bhutan

 

Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan, Est.1982

Currency - Ngultrum (BTN)

 

Below are the two notes of 1 and 10 ngultrum both issued as part of the 2019 series. It is believed that these are the two notes released with the year date of 2019. I believe both notes are printed on hybrid materials, just like those first released in 2013 (Series 2013). Nothing has changed on the design except the year date and signature on the two notes.

 

One Ngultrum (Replacement Prefix Z)

 

Signature - Dasho Penjore (tenure 2015-)

Issue - Series 2019

Dimensions - 121mm x 60mm

 

Front - Image of Dharmachakra surrounded by two mythical dragons. A Dharmachakra is a circular symbol used mainly in the Dharmic religions of Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. The Dharmachakra resembles a ship's helm wheel.This note that I have posted here has a Z replacement prefix.

 

Back - Simtokha Dzong (castle-monastery). This monastery was built in 1628 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. This is one of its kind built in Bhutan. This Dzong is located approximately 5 kilometers south of Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan.

 

Ten Ngultrum 

 

Signature - Dasho Penjore (tenure 2015-)

Issue - Series 2019

Watermark - Jigme Singye Wangchuk

Dimensions - 126mm x 65mm

 

Front - Portrait of King Jigme Singye Wangchuk (b.1955-). Jigme Singye Wangchuk was the King of Bhutan from 1972 to 2006 when he abdicated in favor of his son, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. Jigme Singye Wangchuk is married with four wives. His second and third wives are sisters. In Bhutan, the law allows for both polyandry and polygamy.

 

Back - The building of Paro Rinpung Dzong. This is a large dzong (Buddhist monastery) and was constructed in 1646. This dzong is located in the town of Paro. Paro is situated south-west of the capital Thimphu and is about 50 kilometers drive by car.

 

 

...Bhutan - 1 Ngultrum 2019 Series Hybrid Note

 འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཁབ་

(Kingdom of Bhutan)

འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་གཞུང་དངུལ་ལས་དབང་འཛིན་

(Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan)

Currency - Ngultrum (BTN)

 

This is the third print of the 2006 series of one ngultrum. In 2013, the reprint (Series 2013) for this one ngultrum was reported to be a Hybrid note. I am not sure if this 2019 print is also a Hybrid note, but for now, I will list this as it is until otherwise. Bhutan has a rather small population of just under 800,000 people, and therefore it is hard to tell if this Hybrid note really prolong the life cycle of the banknote as compared to those cotton based paper banknotes.

One Ngultrum

Series 2019, two dragons facing each other

 

The front of the note features two dragons facing each other. By the look at the designs of these two dragons, these are Imperial/Royal dragons as it has five claws on each leg and not three. This is expected, as Bhutan has a King and the country has been governed under a constitutional monarchy system since 2008.

On the back is the Simtokha Dzong Palace which was built in 1629 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal. Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal was a Tibetan Buddhist lama, who unified Bhutan in 1634, after the battle of Five Lamas. Today, this building is used as a language learning institution. On the top corners of the note, it has two mythical creatures with wings and hands looking at each other.

Ever wonder what is the meaning of Ngultrum? It means Silver in Bhutanese.

Signature - Dasho Penjore (Chairman)

Dimensions - 120.5mm x 60.5mm

Simtokho Dzong Palace

 

Bhutan - 1 and 10 Ngultrum 2013 Hybrid Z Replacement Prefixes

 One Ngultrum (Z Replacement Prefix)

Dated 2013

Reverse

These are reprints from previous releases but printed by Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) instead of De La Rue, using Hybrid technology developed by Louisenthal. In the past, all Bhutanese banknotes were printed by DLR. Unlike those issues (by DLR), these 2013 Hybrid notes have been manufactured with cotton based material and then surrounded by a polyester laminated all over the notes, which will prolong the life cycle of the notes, just like those Swaziland Hybrid notes. These notes should last at least three times longer than the normal paper banknotes (averaging 6 months life span in circulation). However in terms of longevity, Polymer note is still the best as in some cases it can go on for more than 10 years. I only said this based on my personal experience. Of course, the cost of production is always the main factor when deciding which type of technology/materials to be used for printing of banknotes. These Ngultrum Hybrid notes were first introduced in January 2013.

Ten Ngultrum (Z Replacement Prefix)

Dated 2013

Reverse