Quick answer: commemorative folder notes are banknotes that a central bank issues for an anniversary or event and sells to collectors in an official folder, pack or envelope. Most are made in the tens of thousands, a few in the hundreds. The rarest ones in this guide include the Philippines 100,000 piso of 1998 (1,000 made), Romania's 2018 Great Union 100 lei (10,000 made) and the Transnistria anniversary folders (a few thousand each).
This guide lists 98 commemorative banknotes from around the world, sorted by continent and by rarity. For each note you will find the story behind it, what exactly you get (the note alone, a folder, a set or an uncut sheet) and how many were made, based on central bank announcements, Numista and banknote catalogues. 43 of them were made in 300,000 pieces or fewer.
Jump to: Europe · Asia · Africa · Americas · Oceania · Collecting tips · Sources
How we rate rarity
| Rarity | What it means | Notes in this guide |
|---|---|---|
| Rare | Fewer than about 15,000 made, or very rare on Numista | 13 |
| Scarce | About 15,000 to 100,000 made | 24 |
| Moderate | 100,000 to 1 million made, or no figure but scarce on Numista | 28 |
| Common | Over 1 million made, or a circulating issue | 33 |
Issue size is only part of the story. Notes sold only in their country, notes that had to be bought in person, and folders that were often thrown away are harder to find today than the numbers suggest. Where no official figure exists we say "not published".
The rarest commemorative folder notes
- Romania 100 lei Great Union (2018): 10,000
- Belarus Millennium collector series (2000): numbered aa 0000001–0002500
- Belarus 20,000 rubles National Bank 20th anniversary (2010): 3,000 in booklets
- Transnistria 10 rubles 15 years of the currency (2009): 1,000 in folders
- Transnistria 1, 5, 10 and 25 rubles, 20 years of the currency (2014): 2,020 of each in folders
- Transnistria 1 ruble 35 years of the republic (2025): 2,500 (2,490 in folders)
- Philippines 100,000 piso (1998): 1,000
- Armenia 50,000 dram (2001): not published
- Maldives 5,000 rufiyaa (2015): not published
- Brunei 20 dollars, 40 years of interchangeability (2007): 2,000 matched sets with Singapore; uncut sheets of 3 (200) and 24 (25)
- Fiji 2,000 dollars Millennium (2000): not published
- Australia 10 dollars, staff presentation folder (1988): 499 folders (998 notes)
- Australia 5 dollars Federation, block of 4 (2001): 1,500
What each rarity level looks like
Rare: fewer than about 15,000 made, or very rare on Numista
Image: McpoJMdeLeon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Image: Central Bank of Armenia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Scarce: about 15,000 to 100,000 made
Image: National Bank of Ukraine, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Image: National Bank of Romania, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Moderate: 100,000 to 1 million made, or no figure but scarce on Numista
Image: Česká národní banka, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Image: National Bank of the Kyrgyz Republic, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Common: over 1 million made, or a circulating issue
Image: Antoshka3032, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Extreme Banknotes (a note from our stock)
Photo: Extreme Banknotes (a note from our stock)
Image: National Bank of Kazakhstan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Europe
41 notes: 6 rare, 20 scarce, 12 moderate, 3 common.
Transnistria: 10 rubles 15 years of the currency (2009)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 1,000 in folders
Marks 15 years of the Transnistrian ruble, the currency of the unrecognised breakaway region of Moldova.
What you get: The note in a special folder (US$50, sold out).
Transnistria: 1, 5, 10 and 25 rubles, 20 years of the currency (2014)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 2,020 of each in folders
Marks 20 years of the Transnistrian ruble.
What you get: Each note in its own folder.
Transnistria: 1 ruble 35 years of the republic (2025)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 2,500 (2,490 in folders)
Marks 35 years of the self-declared Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic.
What you get: The note in a folder. New issue.
Belarus: Millennium collector series (2000)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: numbered aa 0000001–0002500
Issued for the year 2000, shortly after Belarus redenominated its rouble.
What you get: Notes with the special "aa" series in a collector folder. Per the Gietl catalogue.
Belarus: 20,000 rubles National Bank 20th anniversary (2010)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 3,000 in booklets
Marks 20 years of the National Bank of Belarus.
What you get: The note in a special booklet.
Romania: 100 lei Great Union (2018)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 10,000
Issued on 1 December 2018 for the centenary of the Great Union of 1918, when Transylvania, Bessarabia and Bukovina joined the Kingdom of Romania.
What you get: The polymer note with a BNR leaflet (sold at 150 lei).
Romania: 100 lei Eugeniu Carada (2026)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 16,000 in folders; 1,000 sheets of 4
Marks 190 years since the birth of Eugeniu Carada, the founder of the National Bank of Romania.
What you get: The note in a BNR folder (240 lei), or an uncut sheet of four (840 lei). New issue.
Ukraine: 30 Years of Independence set, 20 to 1000 hryvnia (2021)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 50 hryvnia: 30,000 in total (2,000 in binders, 3,000 in envelope sets)
For the 30th anniversary of independence the NBU printed special versions of six denominations, each with the colour-shifting inscription "30 years of Ukraine's independence" on the front.
What you get: Single notes, a loose six-note set in an NBU envelope, or a hardcover binder with matching serial numbers. The binder sets are the rarest; Numista rarity 58 for the 50.
Ukraine: 20 hryvnia Ivan Franko (2016)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 1,000,000 printed; 20,000 in souvenir envelopes
For the 160th birthday of the writer Ivan Franko. It introduced a colour-shifting SPARK feature and a moving-image window thread; the special serials start with ЦБ.
What you get: The note in an NBU souvenir envelope (sold at 31 hryvnia). The envelope version is the collectible one.
Estonia: 10 krooni 90 years of the Republic (2008)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 30,000 in folders
Marks 90 years of the Republic of Estonia; the kroon itself disappeared when Estonia adopted the euro in 2011.
What you get: The note together with a 1-kroon coin in a folder (200 krooni). A currency that no longer exists.
Poland: 20 zł Jan Długosz (2015)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 30,000
Marks 600 years since the birth of Jan Długosz, the 15th-century chronicler who wrote the first great history of Poland.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder. The smallest Polish issue.
Poland: 20 zł Baptism of Poland (2016)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 35,000 (30,000 reported)
Marks 1,050 years since Duke Mieszko I was baptised in 966, the moment usually taken as the birth of the Polish state.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Romania: 100 lei King Carol I (2024)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 30,000 in folders
Marks 185 years since the birth of Carol I, the king who led Romania to independence in 1877–78.
What you get: The polymer note in a BNR folder (sold at 150 lei).
Poland: 20 zł Polish Legions (2014)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 50,000
Poland's first polymer banknote, for the centenary of the Polish Legions formed by Józef Piłsudski in 1914.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder. First Polish polymer note.
Poland: 20 zł Independence (2018)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 50,000
Marks 100 years since Poland regained independence in November 1918 after 123 years of partition.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Ukraine: 100 hryvnia souvenir note (Narbut design) (2018)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 100,000 in total, 50,000 in packs
It recreates Heorhii Narbut's 100 hryvnia of 1918, often called the most beautiful Ukrainian note, for the centenary of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921 and of Ukraine's first paper money.
What you get: A non-payment souvenir note, half of them in a souvenir pack. Not legal tender.
🛒 In stock: Ukraine 100 Hryven 2018 UNC souvenir note
Poland: 20 zł Our Lady of Częstochowa (2017)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 55,000
Marks 300 years since the 1717 papal coronation of the Black Madonna of Częstochowa, Poland's most venerated icon.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Poland: 19 zł PWPW centenary (2019)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 55,000
Celebrates 100 years of PWPW, the Polish Security Printing Works founded in 1919. The odd 19-złoty face value points to the founding year.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder. Odd denomination.
Poland: 20 zł Marie Skłodowska-Curie (2011)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 60,000
Marks 100 years since Marie Curie won her second Nobel Prize, in chemistry, in 1911.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder (sold at 47 zł).
Poland: 20 zł Battle of Warsaw 1920 (2020)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 60,000
Marks the centenary of the Battle of Warsaw, where Polish forces stopped the Red Army in August 1920.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Poland: 20 zł Bolesław Chrobry (2025)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 70,000 in folders
Marks 1,000 years since Bolesław I the Brave was crowned the first King of Poland in 1025.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder. Newest Polish issue.
Poland: 10 zł 90 years of independence (2008)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 80,000
Marks 90 years since Poland regained independence in 1918.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder (sold at 15 zł).
Poland: 20 zł Juliusz Słowacki (2009)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 80,000
Marks 200 years since the birth of Juliusz Słowacki, one of Poland's great Romantic poets.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder (sold at 29 zł).
Poland: 20 zł Lech Kaczyński (2022)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 80,000
Honours President Lech Kaczyński, who died in the Smolensk air crash in 2010; the motto reads "It is worth being a Pole".
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Poland: 20 zł Protection of the Eastern Border (2022)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 80,000
Honours the soldiers, border guards and police who guarded Poland's eastern border.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Poland: 20 zł Warsaw Uprising (2024)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: up to 80,000
Marks 80 years since the Warsaw Uprising of August 1944 against the German occupation.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Ukraine: 20 hryvnia "We will not forget! We will not forgive!" (2023)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: 200,000 in packs, 99,900 in envelopes
Released on 23 February 2023, one year after the full-scale invasion began. It is legal tender but was sold above face value as a collector product.
What you get: The note in an NBU souvenir pack or a plainer NBU envelope.
Poland: 20 zł Nicolaus Copernicus (2023)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: up to 100,000
Marks 550 years since the birth of the astronomer who put the Sun at the centre of the solar system.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder.
Poland: 20 zł Frédéric Chopin (2010)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: up to 120,000
Marks 200 years since the birth of Chopin in 1810.
What you get: The note in its NBP collector folder (sold at 50 zł).
Czech Republic: 100 korun Alois Rašín (overprint) (2019)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: 200,000
The CNB's first commemorative note: a 100 korun overprinted for 100 years of the Czechoslovak koruna and its father, the first finance minister Alois Rašín.
What you get: The commemorative note, sold by the CNB. Numista rarity 61.
Czech Republic: 1,000 korun 30 years of the Czech koruna (2023)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: 200,000
Its overprint recalls the paper stamps glued onto Czechoslovak notes in 1993 when the Czech and Slovak currencies split.
What you get: The note, exchanged only in person at CNB offices, up to five per person.
Moldova: 200 lei 20 years of the leu (2013)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: 200,000 in sleeves
Marks 20 years since Moldova introduced its own currency, the leu, in 1993.
What you get: The note in a protective sleeve, sold at 15% above face value.
Ukraine: 50 hryvnia "Unity Saves the World" (2024)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: 299,952 in packs + 48 in 2 uncut sheets
Issued on 23 February 2024 for the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion. The front shows a stylised map of Ukraine, a girl in a military helmet and ships bringing aid from Europe; the back shows clasped hands in front of the trident.
What you get: The note in an official NBU souvenir pack. Numista rarity 30.
Guernsey: 1 pound Thomas de la Rue (2013)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: 300,000
Marks 200 years since Guernsey-born Thomas de la Rue started his first business; his company became one of the world's biggest banknote printers.
What you get: Commemorative note.
Czech Republic: 100 korun Vilém Pospíšil (2026)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks the founding of the central bank and its first governor, Vilém Pospíšil.
What you get: The note in a CNB folder (2,500 korun). New issue.
Hungary: 2,000 forint Millennium (2000)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Hungary's millennium note for the year 2000, 1,000 years after the crowning of Saint Stephen, showing the Holy Crown.
What you get: Commemorative note. Good to know for Hungarian buyers.
Romania: 100 lei Completion of the Great Union (Ion I. C. Brătianu) (2019)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Honours Prime Minister Ion I. C. Brătianu, who steered Romania through the First World War and the union of 1918.
What you get: Collector note from the BNR.
Ukraine: 50 hryvnia National Bank 20th anniversary (2011)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marked 20 years of the National Bank of Ukraine (1991–2011).
What you get: Commemorative note.
Poland: 50 zł John Paul II (2006)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 2,000,000
Poland's first collector banknote, issued the year after the death of the Polish pope.
What you get: The note in its NBP folder.
Russia: 100 rubles FIFA World Cup (2018)
Rarity: Common · Issued: about 20,000,000
Russia's first polymer banknote, issued for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
What you get: Circulating polymer note, also sold in folders.
Russia: 100 rubles Sochi Olympics (2014)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Issued for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi; it was printed with a vertical layout.
What you get: Circulating note, also sold in folders.
Asia
32 notes: 4 rare, 12 moderate, 16 common.
Philippines: 100,000 piso (1998)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 1,000
Made for the centenary of Philippine independence from Spain. At 8.5 × 14 inches it was recognised by Guinness as the largest legal-tender note; buyers paid 200,000 piso, double face value.
What you get: A collector issue, never meant to circulate. About $1,750 today; auction record €4,800.
Brunei: 20 dollars, 40 years of interchangeability (2007)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 2,000 matched sets with Singapore; uncut sheets of 3 (200) and 24 (25)
Marks 40 years of the agreement that lets Brunei and Singapore dollars be used at par in both countries.
What you get: Single notes, matched Brunei–Singapore sets, or rare uncut sheets. The matched sets are the ones to look for.
Armenia: 50,000 dram (2001)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: not published
Marks 1,700 years since Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301.
What you get: Commemorative note. Numista rarity 78.
Maldives: 5,000 rufiyaa (2015)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: not published
Marks 50 years of Maldivian independence (1965–2015) with the country's highest-value note.
What you get: Polymer note; an album version also exists. Numista rarity 84; high face value.
Hong Kong (Bank of China): 100 dollars (2012)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: about 1.1 million singles; 10,000 sheets of 3; 20,000 sheets of 30
Marks 100 years of the Bank of China.
What you get: A single note in a folder, or an uncut sheet.
Taiwan: NT$100 Republic of China centenary set (2011)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: 500,000 sets
Marks 100 years since the founding of the Republic of China in 1911.
What you get: A set of three notes (NT$500 per set).
Hong Kong (Standard Chartered): 150 dollars (2009)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: about 1,000,000
Hong Kong's first 150-dollar note, for 150 years of Standard Chartered in Hong Kong.
What you get: Single notes in folders and uncut sheets, sold for charity.
Bhutan: 100 ngultrum Royal Wedding (2011)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks the wedding of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema in 2011.
What you get: Commemorative note.
Brunei: 50 dollars Golden Jubilee (2017)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks 50 years since Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah came to the throne in 1967.
What you get: Polymer note; dated varieties from 2017, 2020 and 2022. Numista rarity 57.
Brunei and Singapore: 50 dollars pair (2017)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks 50 years of the currency interchangeability agreement between the two countries.
What you get: A Brunei and a Singapore 50-dollar note together in a folder.
Kazakhstan: 10,000 tenge 30 years of the tenge (2023)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks 30 years since Kazakhstan introduced its own currency in November 1993.
What you get: Circulating commemorative. Numista rarity 56.
Kuwait: 1 dinar (2001)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks ten years since the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.
What you get: Polymer collector note (Pick CS2). Numista rarity 35.
Kyrgyzstan: 2,000 som (2017)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Kyrgyzstan's first commemorative note, with the Manas monument and an eagle over Lake Issyk-Kul.
What you get: Circulating commemorative.
Mongolia: 20,000 tögrög "800 years" (2006)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: limited, not published
Marks 800 years since Genghis Khan founded the Great Mongol State in 1206.
What you get: Circulating note with a commemorative overprint.
Thailand: 500 baht (1996)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks 50 years of King Bhumibol's reign, one of about 20 Thai commemoratives since 1987.
What you get: Polymer commemorative.
Vietnam: 50 dong (2001)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Marks 50 years of the State Bank of Vietnam.
What you get: Polymer commemorative.
Hong Kong (HSBC): 150 dollars (2015)
Rarity: Common · Issued: about 2,000,000
Marks 150 years of HSBC in Hong Kong.
What you get: Single note in a folder (HK$380), 3-in-1 sheet (HK$1,380) or 35-in-1 sheet.
Macau (Bank of China): 100 patacas (2012)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 2,000,000
Bank of China's centenary note for Macau.
What you get: The note in a special holder (150 patacas); also uncut sheets.
Thailand: 80 baht Queen Sirikit (2012)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 2,000,000
Marks the 80th birthday of Queen Sirikit.
What you get: The note in a hard-paper cover (120 baht).
Philippines: 2,000 piso (1998)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 5,000,000 printed
Shows President Joseph Estrada's inauguration at Barasoain Church in 1998; most of the notes stayed in the vaults.
What you get: Commemorative note.
Sri Lanka: 500 rupees CHOGM (2013)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 5,000,000
Issued for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Sri Lanka in November 2013.
What you get: Circulating commemorative.
China: 10 yuan Beijing Olympics (2008)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 6,000,000
Issued for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
What you get: Commemorative note.
China: 100 yuan Millennium (2000)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 10,000,000
China's first polymer note, for the new millennium.
What you get: Polymer commemorative.
Thailand: 70 baht (2016)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 20,000,000
Marks 70 years of King Bhumibol's reign.
What you get: The note with a leaflet (100 baht).
China: 50 yuan (1999)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 60,000,000
Marks 50 years of the People's Republic of China.
What you get: Commemorative note.
China: 20 yuan Winter Olympics (2022)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 200,000,000 of each
Issued for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics; the polymer version shows figure skating.
What you get: Paper and polymer versions.
🛒 In stock: China 20 Yuan 2022 Winter Olympics UNC
Bangladesh: 60 taka (2012)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Honours the Language Movement of 1952, with the Shaheed Minar monument.
What you get: Commemorative note.
🛒 In stock: Bangladesh 60 Taka 2012 UNC
Bhutan: 100 ngultrum (2025)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks the 70th birthday of King Jigme Singye Wangchuck.
What you get: Polymer note. New issue.
Indonesia: 75,000 rupiah (2020)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 75 years of independence, with Soekarno and Hatta on the front.
What you get: Sold in folders.
🛒 In stock: Indonesia 75,000 Rupiah 2020 UNC
Kazakhstan: 10,000 tenge 20 years of independence (2011)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 20 years of Kazakh independence (1991–2011).
What you get: Circulating commemorative.
Oman: 1 rial (2025)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Oman's first polymer banknote.
What you get: In a card; also uncut sheets of 40. New issue.
Pakistan: 75 rupees (2022–2023)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Pakistan's first 75-rupee note, a 75th-anniversary issue with Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Fatima Jinnah.
What you get: Circulating commemorative.
🛒 In stock: Pakistan 75 Rupees 2023 UNC
Africa
6 notes: 6 common.
Namibia: 30 dollars (2020)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 5,000,000 (only 32,735 bought by collectors)
Marks 30 years of independence with the three presidents of Namibia; an odd 30-dollar value.
What you get: Circulating polymer note.
🛒 In stock: Namibia 30 Dollars 2020 Polymer UNC
Algeria: 1,000 dinars (2005)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
For the 60th anniversary of the Arab League, the League's seal replaces the buffalo head.
What you get: Commemorative version of the 1,000 dinars.
Djibouti: 40 francs (2017)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 40 years of Djibouti's independence (1977–2017).
What you get: Commemorative note.
Libya: 1 dinar (2019)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks the 8th anniversary of the 2011 revolution.
What you get: Polymer commemorative.
Nigeria: 100 naira (2014)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks the centenary of the 1914 amalgamation that created Nigeria.
What you get: Circulating commemorative.
South Africa: Mandela centenary set, R10 to R200 (2018)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 100 years since the birth of Nelson Mandela.
What you get: Circulating commemoratives in all five values.
Americas
9 notes: 1 scarce, 1 moderate, 7 common.
Suriname: 50 dollars Central Bank 55 years (2015)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 50,000 in folders
Marks 55 years of the Centrale Bank van Suriname.
What you get: The note in a folder, sold at five times face value.
Barbados: 5 dollars Central Bank 30 years (2011)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: limited, not published
Marks 30 years of the Central Bank of Barbados.
What you get: Limited-edition commemorative.
Brazil: 10 reais (2000)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 25,000,000
Marks 500 years since the Portuguese reached Brazil in 1500.
What you get: Polymer commemorative.
Canada: 10 dollars Canada 150 (2017)
Rarity: Common · Issued: 50,000,000
Marks 150 years of Confederation.
What you get: Circulating commemorative.
Canada: 1 dollar centennial (1967)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 100 years of Confederation.
What you get: Circulating commemorative; one variety shows "1867–1967" instead of a serial number. A classic vintage commemorative.
Guatemala: 100 quetzales (2025)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 80 years of the Banco de Guatemala.
What you get: Commemorative note. New issue.
Guyana: 50 dollars (2016)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 50 years of independence.
What you get: Commemorative note.
Jamaica: 50 dollars (2022)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 60 years of independence.
What you get: Polymer commemorative.
Mexico: 100 and 200 pesos pair (2010)
Rarity: Common · Issued: not published
Marks 100 years of the Mexican Revolution and 200 years of independence.
What you get: Two-note set in a folder.
Oceania
10 notes: 3 rare, 3 scarce, 3 moderate, 1 common.
Australia: 10 dollars, staff presentation folder (1988)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 499 folders (998 notes)
A presentation version of the world's first polymer note.
What you get: Silver staff folder with two notes, AA00 serials with very low numbers.
Australia: 5 dollars Federation, block of 4 (2001)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: 1,500
Marks 100 years since Australia's colonies federated in 1901.
What you get: An uncut block of four notes in a folder; single-note folders also exist.
Fiji: 2,000 dollars Millennium (2000)
Rarity: Rare · Issued: not published
Fiji sits on the 180th meridian, one of the first places to see the year 2000, and celebrated with a 2,000-dollar note.
What you get: Presentation note sold by the Reserve Bank of Fiji (FJ$2,560.50 in 2023).
Samoa: 100 tala Queen Elizabeth II (2026)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 20,000
Marks 100 years since the birth of Queen Elizabeth II.
What you get: Polymer commemorative. New issue.
Solomon Islands: 40 dollars (2018)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: 100,000
Marks 40 years of independence (1978–2018).
What you get: Polymer commemorative.
Samoa: 60 tala and CHOGM notes (2024)
Rarity: Scarce · Issued: limited, not published
Issued for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Apia, October 2024.
What you get: Albums and folders; a limited number carry a CHOGM hologram.
Fiji: 7 dollars rugby sevens (2017)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Celebrates Fiji's first Olympic gold, won in rugby sevens at Rio 2016.
What you get: RBF single-note folder (FJ$40).
Fiji: 7 dollars Tokyo 2020 medals (2022)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
Celebrates the men's rugby sevens gold and the women's bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
What you get: RBF folders and small uncut sheets.
Fiji: 50 dollars commemorative (2020)
Rarity: Moderate · Issued: not published
A 2020 Reserve Bank of Fiji commemorative (listed by the bank as "FAI").
What you get: RBF folder; uncut sheets of 15.
Australia: 10 dollars polymer (1988)
Rarity: Common · Issued: reported as 800,000 to 3 million in folders
The world's first polymer banknote, issued for Australia's bicentenary.
What you get: The note in a blue RBA folder with AA serials.
Tips for collecting folder notes
- Keep the folder. For most of these notes the folder, pack or certificate is part of the value. A note without its original packaging usually sells for much less.
- Check the serial number. Many commemoratives use special serial prefixes or matching numbers across a set; low and fancy numbers sell for more.
- Know legal tender from souvenir. Some notes, such as Ukraine's 2018 Narbut 100 hryvnia, are souvenir notes that cannot be spent. Others are real money sold above face value.
- Buy new issues early. Collector notes are sold out quickly at the central bank and then trade on the secondary market at a premium.
- Store them flat and dry, away from sunlight, in the original folder or in an archival sleeve.
Looking for commemorative notes for your own collection? Browse our commemorative banknotes, all real notes that we have in stock and photograph ourselves.
We leave out notes from countries under international sanctions. Images are public domain or freely licensed and credited under each picture; notes marked "our stock" were photographed by Extreme Banknotes.
Sources
- Numista: Ukraine 50 hryvnia Unity 2024
- Banknote News: Ukraine 20 hryvnia 2023
- Numista: Ukraine 50 hryvnia 30 years 2021
- NBU: 100 hryvnia souvenir note 2018
- NBU: Ivan Franko commemorative notes 2016
- NBP: Polish collector banknotes
- Banknote News: numismatic products (several pages)
- Coin World: Romania 100 lei 2018
- Numista: Czech 100 korun 2019
- CNB: 1,000 korun anniversary note 2023
- Gietl: Commemorative Banknotes of the World (sample)
- Bank of Russia: FIFA 100 rubles
- PCGS: Philippines 100,000 piso
- Numista: Armenia 50,000 dram 2001
- Numista: Maldives 5,000 rufiyaa 2015
- CoinWeek: Bank of China 2012 note
- Wikipedia: Hong Kong 150-dollar note
- Numista: Brunei 50 dollars 2017
- Numista: Kuwait 1 dinar 2001
- Numista: Kazakhstan 10,000 tenge 2023
- Wikipedia: Kyrgyz commemorative currency
- Wikipedia: Renminbi commemorative notes
- Bank of Thailand: commemorative notes
- Banknote World: commemorative notes
- The Namibian: N$30 notes issued
- SAnews: Mandela commemorative notes
- Wikipedia: Canadian commemorative notes
- APMEX: Mexico 2010 two-note set
- Numisview: Brazil 10 reais 2000
- RBF: numismatic price list 2023
- Sterling Currency: Australia 1988 $10
- CBS Samoa: CHOGM notes
- Banknote News: Solomon Islands $40
- Wikimedia Commons: commemorative banknotes