On October 16, 2024, the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) put into circulation a banknote to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the coronation of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamony. The anniversary will fall on October 29th.
The 200,000 Riel banknote represents the highest denomination ever issued by the NBC. In fact, the new denomination is double the value of the previous high denomination 100,000 Riel note.
Design celebrates King Norodom Sihamony’s reign
The visual design of the commemorative banknote focuses on the King as well as Cambodia’s traditions.
Front side
The official portraits of the King and the Queen Mother are the primary images on the face of the note. In the background, Cambodia’s history and culture is represented by naga sculptures (dragon/mythical snake) and traditional ornaments.
Back side
A painting of His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni signing a document is the primary image on the back side. Other images and inscriptions include: a declaration, អបអរសាទរ / ខួប២០ឆ្នាំ នៃការត្រង់រាជ្យសម្ប ត្តិ ព្រះករុណា នរោត្តម សីហមុនី / (២៩ តុលា២០០៤-២៩ តុលា ២០២៤) (CONGRATULATIONS 20th anniversary of the coronation of His Majesty Preah Bat Samdech Preah Boromneath Norodom Sihamoni (October 29, 2004 – October 29, 2024); a sculpture with the year 2024; and an image from the Bayon Temple.
Modern-day king, modern security features
Just as King Norodom Sihamoni is a modern-day king, the paper banknote honoring his reign contains a reported 68 security modern security features.
Some of the key security features include:
- A Golden Hologram stripe (11mm-wide)
- A 3mm Hologram security thread with cleartext in Gold
- ‘TRILUMIC® UV’ which is visible under UV light, revealing a brilliant true color halftone image. (This unique feature also appears on Cambodia’s 15,000 Riel and 30,000 Riel commemorative banknotes.)
- A watermark (image of the King and an ornament)
- Microprinting
Elements to aid visually impaired consumers
Also on the front side of the note are raised (tactile) markers to help visually impaired consumers identify the note’s denomination. These markers appear as nine horizontal, continuous-dashed lines at the bottom, and as two dots and five bars at the right edge.
20m commemorative banknotes were printed by the National Printing House and are now circulating alongside Cambodia’s other currencies.
Sources/References:
National Bank of Cambodia
Notafilia
Khmer Times
Pattaya Mail
The Star
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