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The E-Sylum: Volume 23, Number 9, March 1, 2020, Article 30

HIDDEN WORDS IN SEYCHELLES BANKNOTE DESIGNS

This article published last week by PMG discusses words found hidden in Seychelles banknotes. -Editor

1974_10Rupees_Seychelles_BritishAdministration_closeup 1973_50Rupees_Seychelles_BritishAdministration_closeup
1974_10Rupees_Seychelles_BritishAdministration_message1 1973_50Rupees_Seychelles_BritishAdministration_message2

Paper Money Guaranty (PMG) has discovered a mischievous word hidden in the design of the 1968, 1971 and 1974 series of Seychelles 20 Rupees.

Seychelles notes from this era are known to contain coarse language hidden in their designs. On the 1968 and 1974 10 Rupees, the word SCUM can be seen at the bottom-left below the turtle.

A PMG grader discovered that the word POOP can be found on the front of the 1968, 1971 and 1974 20 Rupees, hidden in the branches in front of the bird's tail feathers. The identification was confirmed by PMG's senior graders.

Seychelles is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean several hundred miles northeast of Madagascar. The words are believed to have been hidden in the designs by someone who supported Seychelles' bid for independence from the United Kingdom, which was granted in 1976.

Seychelles also issued 5 Rupees and 100 Rupees notes during this era, but to date no hidden words have been found on these notes. Such a discovery may still await a sharp-eyed numismatist.

The idea that messages can be hidden in plain sight in something as commonly used as banknotes sparks imaginations far beyond the field of numismatics. For instance, currency issued in Japanese-occupied China in the late 1930s and early 1940s sometimes included subversive messages that were widely understood, including an image of Confucius making an obscene gesture.

The "Vampire Notes" issued in Germany in the 1920s have a vampire hidden in the neck of the man featured on the front of the note. This reflected the sentiment that France was sucking the life of out Germany, which was severely affected by postwar hyperinflation.

To read the complete article, see:
PMG Discovers Hidden Word in Seychelles Banknote Design (https://www.pmgnotes.com/news/article/8126/pmg-attributing-seychelles-hidden-text/)



Wayne Homren, Editor

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