That logic prompted the Bank of England to outsource its printing to De La Rue in 2003.The firm devises 100 or so new banknotes each year as well as around 2,000 "design concepts"—a security feature, say, or a new image for a big-denomination bill.
The Bank of England issues about a billion banknotes each year, and withdraws almost as many from circulation.
The Bank of England issues nearly a billion banknotes each year, and withdraws almost as many from circulation.
State-owned print works make around 85% of the 150 billion banknotes produced each year.
Australia, too, has an equal number of men and women on its banknotes - each one has a male on one side and a woman on the other, apart from one with the Queen on it which has parliamentary buildings on the reverse.
The couple also signed a million pound note each for the Bank's guest book and the Queen was shown the very first banknote she had signed on 29 November, 1937, aged 11.
The Bank of England said: "There is now the equivalent of around £1,000 in banknotes in circulation for each person in the United Kingdom".
There are only two lifts - a rickety two-man chair and a T-bar at the top - and you pay an attendant who is holding a bottle of vodka in one hand and a fistful of banknotes in the other each time you want to use them.
Envelopes each containing $40,000 in banknotes were distributed at the event; a Bahamian delegate photographed the money, and complained of the "insult" to the Caribbean.
The government is issuing new 5,000 won banknotes, worth slightly more than $4 each, amid rumors it may approve the issuance of banknotes in denominations higher than 10,000 won, for years the biggest bill in circulation, and even slash a zero or two off the currency.
For currency alone, millions of dollars in counterfeit banknotes make their way into circulation each year, and 40% of the counterfeits seized this year were digitally produced, compared with 1% a decade ago.In ancient times, counterfeiting was a hanging offence.
