List of motifs on banknotes

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This is a list of current motifs on the banknotes of different countries. The customary design of banknotes in most countries is a portrait of a notable citizen on the front (or obverse) and a different motif on the back (or reverse) - often something relating to that person. One exception to this is the Euro banknotes, where non-existent architectural structures have been chosen to avoid the impression of a national bias. Even though most banknotes have more than one motif on each side, only the main motifs are described here.

Contents 1 Argentina 2 Australia 3 Brazil 4 Canada 5 Colombia 6 Croatia 7 Denmark 8 Egypt 9 England 10 Estonia 11 Euro Area 12 Hungary 13 Iceland 14 India 15 Japan 16 Jersey 17 Lithuania 18 Norway 19 Pakistan 20 Philippines 21 Poland 22 Romania 23 Russia 24 Scotland 25 Serbia 26 Slovakia 27 South Africa 28 Sweden 29 Switzerland 30 Turkey 31 Ukraine 32 United States

[edit] Argentina

The official currency of Argentina is the Argentine peso (ARS). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
ARS 2	Bartolomé Mitre	Mitre Museum
ARS 5	José de San Martín	Cerro de la Gloria, Mendoza
ARS 10	Manuel Belgrano	National Flag Memorial
ARS 20	Juan Manuel de Rosas	Battle of Vuelta de Obligado
ARS 50	Domingo Faustino Sarmiento	Casa de Gobierno
ARS 100	Julio Argentino Roca	Desert Conquest

[edit] Australia

The official currency of Australia is the Australian dollar (AUD). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
AUD 5	Queen Elizabeth II	Parliament House
AUD 5	Henry Parkes	Catherine Helen Spence (Federal note)
AUD 10	AB 'Banjo' Paterson	Mary Gilmore
AUD 20	Mary Reibey	John Flynn
AUD 50	David Unaipon	Edith Cowan
AUD 100	Dame Nellie Melba	Sir John Monash

[edit] Brazil

The official currency of Brazil is the Brazilian real (BRL). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
BRL 1	The Republic's sphinx, portrayed as a bust	Sapphire-spangled Emerald Hummingbird
BRL 2	The Republic's sphinx	Hawksbill Turtle
BRL 5	The Republic's sphinx	Great Egret
BRL 10	The Republic's sphinx	Greenwing Macaw
BRL 20	The Republic's sphinx	Golden Lion Tamarin
BRL 50	The Republic's sphinx	Jaguar
BRL 100	The Republic's sphinx	Dusky Grouper

[edit] Canada

The official currency of Canada is the Canadian dollar (CAD). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
CAD 5	Wilfrid Laurier	Children playing winter sports
CAD 10	John A. Macdonald	Peacekeeping forces and war memorial
CAD 20	Queen Elizabeth II	Artwork of Bill Reid
CAD 50	William Lyon Mackenzie King	The Valiant Five and Thérèse Casgrain
CAD 100	Robert Borden	Maps of Canada, historic and modern

[edit] Colombia

The official currency of Colombia is the Colombian peso (COP). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
COP 1000	Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (face)	Jorge Eliécer Gaitán (body until the chest) and a crowd
COP 2000	Francisco de Paula Santander	The door of the Casa de la moneda
COP 5000	Jose Asuncion Silva	Hacienda El Paraiso, from Maria
COP 10000	Policarpa Salavarrieta	Guaduas main plaza
COP 20000	Julio Garavito Armero	The Moon, a reference to the Garavito Crater
COP 50000	Jorge Isaacs	A paragraph of La María

[edit] Croatia

The official currency of Croatia is the Croatian kuna (HRK). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
HRK 5	Fran Krsto Frankopan and ban Petar Zrinski	Castle in Varaždin (mirrored)
HRK 10	Juraj Dobrila	Arena in Pula
HRK 20	Ban Josip Jelačić	Castle of the Eltz family in Vukovar and Vučedol Dove
HRK 50	Ivan Gundulić	Dubrovnik
HRK 100	Viceroy (ban) Ivan Mažuranić	Church of Saint Vitus in Rijeka
HRK 200	Stjepan Radić	Building of the High military command in the Austrian fortress Tvrđa in Osijek
HRK 500	Marko Marulić	Diocletian's Palace in Split
HRK 1000	Ante Starčević	Statue of the medieval king Tomislav and Zagreb cathedral in Zagreb

[edit] Denmark

The official currency of Denmark is the Danish krone (DKK). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
DKK 50	Karen Blixen	Centaur from Landet Church
DKK 100	Carl Nielsen	Basilisk from Tømmerby Church
DKK 200	Johanne Luise Heiberg	Lion from Viborg Cathedral
DKK 500	Niels Bohr	Knight fighting a dragon from Lihme Church
DKK 1000	Anna and Michael Ancher	Tournament from Bislev Church

[edit] Egypt

The official currency of Egypt is the Egyptian pound (EGP). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
LE 1	the Mosque of Sultan Qaitbay	a part of the facade of Abu Simbel Temple
LE 5	Mosque of Ibn Tulun جامع أحمد بن طولون , in Cairo	the River Nile bestowing its blessing on the Valley
LE 10	Al Rifa'i Mosque جامع الرفاعى ,in Cairo	A statute of Khafre الملك خفرع
LE 20	Mosque of Muhammad Ali جامع محمد على at the Citadel, Cairo	relief pharaonic drawings on one of the pillars of Sesostris I Temple
LE 50	Abu Hariba Mosque	an inside view of Edfu Temple
LE 100	Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan جامع السلطان حسن , in Cairo	head of the Sphinx statue

[edit] England

The official currency of England is the pound sterling (GBP). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
GBP 5	Queen Elizabeth II	Elizabeth Fry
GBP 10	Queen Elizabeth II	Charles Darwin
GBP 20	Queen Elizabeth II	Edward Elgar
GBP 50	Queen Elizabeth II	John Houblon

[edit] Estonia

The official currency of Estonia is the Estonian kroon (EEK). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
EEK 1	Kristjan Raud	Toompea Castle in Tallinn
EEK 2	Karl Ernst von Baer	University of Tartu
EEK 5	Paul Keres	The Narva river and the Jaanilinn stronghold
EEK 10	Jakob Hurt	The Tamme-Lauri oak at Urvaste
EEK 25	Anton Hansen Tammsaare	A view of Vargamäe
EEK 50	Rudolf Tobias	The Estonia Opera House in Tallinn
EEK 100	Lydia Koidula	North Estonian limestone shore
EEK 500	Carl Robert Jakobson	A barn swallow flying over a landscape

[edit] Euro Area

The Euro (EUR) is the official currency of the Eurozone (some European Union countries). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
EUR 5	Classical window	Classical bridge
EUR 10	Romanesque gateway	Romanesque bridge
EUR 20	Gothic windows	Gothic bridge
EUR 50	Renaissance windows	Renaissance bridge
EUR 100	Baroque/Rococo gateway	Baroque/Rococo bridge
EUR 200	19th/20th century windows	19th/20th century bridge
EUR 500	Modern windows	Modern bridge

[edit] Hungary

The official currency of Hungary is the Hungarian forint (HUF). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
HUF 200	Róbert Károly	Diósgyőr Castle
HUF 500	Francis II Rákóczi	Sárospatak Castle
HUF 1000	King Matthias Corvinus	Hercules Fountain in Visegrád
HUF 2000	Gábor Bethlen	Bethlen and his scientists
HUF 5000	Count István Széchenyi	Széchenyi Mansion in Nagycenk
HUF 10000	King Stephen I of Hungary	Esztergom
HUF 20000	Ferenc Deák	Hungarian Parliament

[edit] Iceland

The official currency of Iceland is the Icelandic króna (ISK). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
ISK 500	Jón Sigurðsson	Reykjavík grammar school
ISK 1000	Brynjólfur Sveinsson	Brynjólfskirkja
ISK 2000	Jóhannes S. Kjarval	Painting and drawing by Karval
ISK 5000	Ragnheiður Jónsdóttir	Laufáskirkja altar cloth

[edit] India

The official currency of India is the Indian rupee (INR). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
INR 5	Mahatma Gandhi	Tractor
INR 10	Mahatma Gandhi	Rhinoceros, elephant, tiger
INR 20	Mahatma Gandhi	Palm trees
INR 50	Mahatma Gandhi	Parliament of India
INR 100	Mahatma Gandhi	Himalaya Mountains
INR 500	Mahatma Gandhi	Dandi March
INR 1000	Mahatma Gandhi	Economy of India

[edit] Japan

The official currency of Japan is the Japanese yen (JPY). The motifs used are:

1984 Series:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
JPY 1000	Natsume Soseki	Pair of Cranes
JPY 5000	Nitobe Inazo	Mt. Fuji, Lake Motosuko and Cherry blossoms
JPY 10000	Fukuzawa Yukichi	Pair of Pheasants

2004 Series:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
JPY 1000	Noguchi Hideyo	Mt. Fuji, Lake Motosuko and Cherry blossoms
JPY 5000	Higuchi Ichiyo	"Kakitsubata-zu" (Painting of Irises, a work by Ogata Korin)
JPY 10000	Fukuzawa Yukichi	Statue of hōō (phoenix) from Byōdō-in Temple

[edit] Jersey

Banknotes of the Jersey pound (JEP) are issued in Jersey. The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
JEP 1	Queen Elizabeth II	St. Helier Parish Church (commemorative showing Mont Orgueil also in circulation)
JEP 5	Queen Elizabeth II	La Corbière lighthouse
JEP 10	Queen Elizabeth II	The Death of Major Pierson, Battle of Jersey
JEP 20	Queen Elizabeth II	St. Ouen's manor
JEP 50	Queen Elizabeth II	Government House

[edit] Lithuania

The official currency of Lithuania is the Lithuanian litas (LTL). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
LTL 1 (no longer in print)	Žemaitė	Wooden church of Palūšė
LTL 2 (no longer in print)	Motiejus Valančius	Trakai Island Castle
LTL 5 (no longer in print)	Jonas Jablonskis	Sculpture "Vargo mokykla" (School of Hardship) by Petras Rimša
LTL 10	Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas	Lituanica flying over the Atlantic Ocean
LTL 20	Maironis	Vytautas the Great War Museum and its carillon tower, the Statue of Liberty in Kaunas
LTL 50	Jonas Basanavičius	Vilnius Cathedral and its belfry, Monument to Grand Duke Gediminas, Gediminas Tower and the Hill of Three Crosses
LTL 100	Simonas Daukantas	Vilnius Old Town: Vilnius University and Church of St. John
LTL 200	Vydūnas	Lighthouse in Klaipėda
LTL 500	Vincas Kudirka	Loops of the Neman River

[edit] Norway

The official currency of Norway is the Norwegian krone (NOK). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
NOK 50	Peter Chr. Asbjørnsen	Water lillies
NOK 100	Kirsten Flagstad	Norwegian National Opera
NOK 200	Kristian Birkeland	Northern lights
NOK 500	Sigrid Undset	Wreath
NOK 1000	Edvard Munch	Sun (painting by Munch)

[edit] Pakistan

The official currency of Pakistan is the Pakistani rupee (PKR). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
PKR 10	M. Ali Jinnah	Khyber Pass in Peshawar
PKR 20	M. Ali Jinnah	Mohenjo-daro in Larkana
PKR 50	M. Ali Jinnah	Alamgiri Gate of the Lahore Fort in Lahore
PKR 100	M. Ali Jinnah	Ziarat Residency in Quetta
PKR 500	M. Ali Jinnah	Badshahi Mosque in Lahore
PKR 1000	M. Ali Jinnah	Tomb of Jahangir in Lahore
PKR 5000	M. Ali Jinnah	Faisal Mosque in Islamabad

[edit] Philippines

The official currency of the Philippines is the Philippine peso (PHP). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
PHP 5	Emilio Aguinaldo	Scene from the Philippine Declaration of Independence
PHP 10	Apolinario Mabini and Andres Bonifacio	Barasoain Church and the initiation rites of the Katipunan
PHP 20	Manuel Quezon	Malacañang Palace
PHP 50	Sergio Osmeña	National Museum of the Philippines
PHP 100	Manuel Roxas	Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas complex
PHP 200	Diosdado Macapagal	Scene from EDSA Dos and the swearing-in of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as president
PHP 500	Benigno Aquino, Jr.	Scenes related to the life of Benigno Aquino, Jr.
PHP 1000	Jose Abad Santos, Vicente Lim, and Josefa Llanes Escoda	Banaue Rice Terraces, Manunggul jar cover and Langgal
PHP 2000	Inauguration of Joseph Estrada as President	President Fidel Ramos and First Lady Amelita Ramos during the flag-raising ceremonies of the 1998 Philippine Independence Centennial Celebrations.

[edit] Poland

The official currency of Poland is the Polish złoty (PLN). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
PLN 10	Mieszko I	Silver coin from reign of Mieszko I
PLN 20	Boleslaus I the Brave	Silver coin from reign of Boleslaus I
PLN 50	Casimir III the Great	Eagle from royal seal of Casimir III
PLN 100	Wladislaus II Jagiełło	Eagle from tombstone of Wladislaus II
PLN 200	Sigismund I the Old	Eagle from the Sigismund Chapel, Wawel Hill

[edit] Romania

The official currency of Romania is the New Leu (RON). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
RON 5	George Enescu (1881-1955), Coat of arms of Romania at top right	Romanian Athenaeum concert hall at left, A fragment of the score of the Enescu's opera King Oedipus above. A musician's piano at centre right.
RON 10	Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907, Hollyhock flower, an artist's palette and paintbrush	Nicolae Grigorescu's painting "Rodica"
RON 50	Aurel Vlaicu (1882-1913), A mountain flower edelweiss, an aircraft propeller, Romanian coat of arms	Mountain eagle head, "Vlaicu II" aircraft design and "Gnome" engine sketch
RON 100	Ion Luca Caragiale (1852-1912), Comedy masks and a violet flower	Old building of the Bucharest National Theatre, Caragiale's statue at left
RON 200	Issue expected on 01.12.06 Lucian Blaga (1895-1961)	Issue expected on 01.12.06
RON 500	Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889), Lime tree blossoms, a quill and an inkpot	Timpul newspaper, University Library in Iaşi

[edit] Russia

The official currency of Russia is the Russian ruble (RUB). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
RUB 10	Krasnoyarsk, cathedral	Krasnoyarsk hydroelectric plant
RUB 50	Sculpture from Rostral Column	Former stock exchange building
RUB 100	Sculpture from Bolshoi Theatre	The Bolshoi Theatre
RUB 500	Peter the Great, port	Solovetsky Monastery
RUB 1000	Yaroslav the Wise	Church of the Precursor
RUB 5000	Nikolay Muravyov-Amursky	Bridge of Amur

[edit] Scotland

The official currency of Scotland is the Pound sterling (GBP). Under Scottish legislation, banknotes are issued by commercial banks not the government. The motifs issued by the Bank of Scotland are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
GBP 5	Sir Walter Scott	vignette of oil and energy
GBP 10	Sir Walter Scott	vignette of distilling and brewing
GBP 20	Sir Walter Scott	vignette of education and research
GBP 50	Sir Walter Scott	vignette of arts and culture
GBP 100	Sir Walter Scott	vignette of leisure and tourism

The Royal Bank of Scotland issues:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
GBP 1	Lord Ilay	Edinburgh Castle
GBP 5	Lord Ilay	Culzean Castle
GBP 10	Lord Ilay	Glamis Castle
GBP 20	Lord Ilay	Brodick Castle
GBP 50	Lord Ilay	Inverness Castle
GBP 100	Lord Ilay	Balmoral Castle

The Clydesdale Bank issues:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
GBP 5	Robert Burns	vignette of mouse and rose
GBP 10	Mary Slessor	vignette of Nigeria and missionary work
GBP 20	Robert the Bruce	vignette of Bruce, Wallace, Stirling Castle
GBP 50	Adam Smith	vignette of 18th century engineering and agriculture
GBP 100	Lord Kelvin	Kelvin's university lecture room

[edit] Serbia

The official currency of Serbia is the Serbian dinar (RSD). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
RSD 10	Vuk Stefanović Karadžić	First Slavic Congress in Prague
RSD 20	Petar II Petrović Njegoš	Njegoš' figure, Mount Lovćen
RSD 50	Stevan Stojanović Mokranjac	Motif from Mokranjac's musical score
RSD 100	Nikola Tesla	Tesla's electro-magnetic induction engine
RSD 200	Nadežda Petrović	Gračanica monastery
RSD 500	Jovan Cvijić	Stylized ethnic motifs
RSD 1000	Đorđe Weifert	Interior of National Bank of Serbia building
RSD 5000	Slobodan Jovanović	Interior of Serbian Parliament

[edit] Slovakia

The official currency of Slovakia is the Slovak crown (SKK). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
SKK 20	Prince Pribina	Nitra Castle
SKK 50	Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius	Dražovce church and Glagolitic alphabet
SKK 100	Madonna at Levoča church	Levoča church and city hall
SKK 200	Anton Bernolák	Trnava in the 18th century
SKK 500	Ľudovít Štúr	Bratislava Castle
SKK 1000	Andrej Hlinka	Ružomberok church
SKK 5000	Milan Rastislav Štefánik	Stefanik's grave

[edit] South Africa

The official currency of South Africa is the South African rand (ZAR). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
ZAR 10	Rhinoceros	Agriculture
ZAR 20	Elephant	Mining
ZAR 50	Lion	Manufacturing
ZAR 100	Buffalo	Tourism
ZAR 200	Leopard	Transport and Communications

[edit] Sweden

The official currency of Sweden is the Swedish krona (SEK). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
SEK 20	Selma Lagerlöf	Nils Holgersson
SEK 50	Jenny Lind	Silver harp
SEK 100	Carolus Linnaeus	Bee pollinating a flower
SEK 500	King Charles XI	Christopher Polhem
SEK 1000	King Gustav Vasa	Harvest by Olaus Magnus

[edit] Switzerland

The official currency of Switzerland is the Swiss franc (CHF). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
CHF 10	Le Corbusier	Le Corbusier’s buildings in Chandigarh
CHF 20	Arthur Honegger	Elements from Honegger's Pacific 231
CHF 50	Sophie Taeuber-Arp	Taeuber-Arp's Dada Head
CHF 100	Alberto Giacometti	Giacometti's Man Walking
CHF 200	Charles Ferdinand Ramuz	Swiss mountains and Lavaux area
CHF 1000	Jacob Burckhardt	Detail from the Palazzo Strozzi

[edit] Turkey

The official currency of Turkey is the New Turkish lira (TRY). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
TRY 1	Kemal Atatürk	Dam in Şanlıurfa - Adıyaman
TRY 5	Kemal Atatürk	Anitkabir Mausoleum in Ankara
TRY 10	Kemal Atatürk	A world map and a sailing ship
TRY 20	Kemal Atatürk	Efes ruins in Selcuk
TRY 50	Kemal Atatürk	Cappadocia rock formations
TRY 100	Kemal Atatürk	Ishakpasha Palace in Dogubayazit

[edit] Ukraine

The official currency of Ukraine is the Ukrainian hryvnia (UAH). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
UAH 1	Volodymyr the Great	Kyiv in the time of Ruthenian Kingdom
UAH 2	Yaroslav the Wise	St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv
UAH 5	Bohdan Chmielnicki	A church in Subotiv
UAH 10	Ivan Mazepa	Cave Monastery in Kyiv
UAH 20	Ivan Franko	Opera house in Lviv
UAH 50	Mykhailo Hrushevsky	Former parliament building in Kyiv
UAH 100	Taras Shevchenko	Dnieper
UAH 200	Lesya Ukrainka	Fortress in Lutsk
UAH 500	Hryhoriy Skovoroda	Mohyla Academy Kyiv

[edit] United States

The official currency of the United States is the United States dollar (USD). The motifs used are:

Denomination	Obverse	Reverse
USD 1	George Washington	Great Seal of the United States
USD 2	Thomas Jefferson	Declaration of Independence
USD 5	Abraham Lincoln	Lincoln Memorial
USD 10	Alexander Hamilton	Treasury building
USD 20	Andrew Jackson	White House
USD 50	Ulysses S. Grant	U.S. Capitol
USD 100	Benjamin Franklin	Independence Hall