Money might seem simple, but the history of currency is filled with strange mistakes, controversial designs, and surprising decisions.
From typos and political slip-ups to embarrassing design flaws, central banks have made some remarkable blunders over the years.
These mistakes often lead to quick recalls, turning flawed notes into valuable collector’s items—like rare misprint baseball cards but with real spending power.
Here’s a list of 19 strange currency designs that were pulled from circulation for some truly unusual reasons.
The Typo Tenner
Australia’s first $10 polymer note contained an embarrassing spelling mistake—the word “responsibility” was misspelled as “responsibility” in a microprint quoting author David Unaipon.
About 46 million of these notes were printed before the mistake was caught. The Reserve Bank initially denied the error but eventually corrected future printings. The flawed notes are now prized by collectors.
Canada’s Maple Mystery
Canada’s 2013 $20 bill featured what was supposed to be a Canadian maple leaf, but botanists identified it as a Norwegian maple. The mistake upset Canadian naturalists and patriots.
The Bank of Canada claimed it was a stylized maple leaf but quietly corrected the design in future printings.
The Devil’s Face
Canada’s 1954 $1 bill featured an optical illusion in the Queen’s hair that resembled a grinning devil’s face. Religious groups protested, calling it satanic.
The Bank of Canada darkened the Queen’s hair to remove the devilish image.
The Dictator’s Revenge
Romania’s 2005 commemorative note featured Patriarch Miron Cristea, the country’s first prime minister. Historians quickly pointed out Cristea’s role in stripping Jewish Romanians of their citizenship.
After international backlash, the Romanian National Bank withdrew the notes.
The Forbidden Temple
Thailand’s 1988 10 baht note mistakenly depicted a Cambodian temple instead of a Thai structure. This inflamed tensions between the two rival nations. Thai authorities quickly recalled the notes to avoid further diplomatic issues.
The Vanishing Islands
The European Central Bank printed euros in 2002 featuring generic bridges to avoid favoritism toward specific countries.
A Dutch architect later built replicas of these fictional bridges, unintentionally making the euro depict real Dutch structures—much to the ECB’s embarrassment.
The Hidden Message
Kuwait’s 1968 currency set featured decorative Arabic script that, when folded, could be interpreted as supporting Israel—a politically charged statement in the Middle East.
The Kuwaiti dinar was quickly redesigned, making the original notes highly valuable to collectors.
The Vulgar Vignette
Hungary’s 2020 1000 forint note contained an artist’s signature that, when viewed upside down, resembled a vulgar word. The Hungarian National Bank denied the resemblance but quietly corrected future printings.
The Currency Coup
Venezuela’s 2007 bolivar notes accidentally included disputed territory claimed by Guyana on their map.
This sparked diplomatic tensions and threats of economic sanctions. Venezuela halted distribution and modified the design.
The Microscope Scandal
Singapore’s 1990 $50 note showed a reversed microscope image, with light coming from the viewing lens instead of the base—a glaring mistake for scientists.
The Monetary Authority of Singapore withdrew the notes after widespread ridicule.
The Plagiarized Portrait
The Philippines’ 2010 100-peso note featured a bird image copied from a foreign photographer’s work without permission.
A copyright lawsuit forced the Filipino central bank to modify the design.
The Phallic Factory
Jordan’s 1991 1-dinar note featured a smokestack that, from certain angles, resembled a phallic shape. Religious leaders demanded its withdrawal, leading to a quick redesign.
The Mirrored Minaret
Indonesia’s 2016 50,000 rupiah note depicted a mosque’s minaret as a mirror image of the real structure. Religious leaders considered this disrespectful, forcing Bank Indonesia to issue a corrected version.
The Inking Disaster
The United Kingdom’s 2016 £5 polymer note had a printing issue where the ink rubbed off the serial numbers. This created a security risk since serial numbers are used to identify counterfeit bills. The Bank of England eventually corrected the problem.
The Invisible President
North Korea’s 2009 100-won note featured Kim Il-sung, but the watermark of his face was completely blank. The error was seen as disrespectful. The defective notes were recalled, and the officials responsible reportedly faced severe punishment.
The Tactile Failure
Australia’s 2018 $50 note contained a repeated typo of “responsibility” as “responsibilty” in microprint—remarkably, the same mistake made decades earlier. The Reserve Bank of Australia discovered the error after 46 million notes were in circulation.
The Military Misha
Pakistan’s 2006 5-rupee coin depicted a government building that, due to a die-cutting error, resembled a missile silo. India interpreted this as a nuclear threat. The State Bank of Pakistan melted down the coins after diplomatic protests.
The Currency Conversion
Iraq’s 2004 10,000 dinar note featured a waterwheel that had been destroyed years earlier in a military operation.
Iraqis viewed this as incompetence or historical revisionism. The note was replaced with a more accurate design.
The Forgotten Territory
New Zealand’s 2015 $5 note omitted the country’s two largest offshore islands—Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand apologized, explaining that including them would have made the map too small to read. Residents were unimpressed by the excuse.
Money may be designed to reflect national pride and identity, but these mistakes show that even currency isn’t immune to human error.
For collectors and historians, these flawed designs offer a fascinating glimpse into the quirks of modern banking.
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