Money with star power: Greta Garbo and Ingmar Bergman on new Swedish banknotes
And no, they’re not adopting the Euro in place of familiar kronor—instead, they’re getting ready to take on unfamiliar kronor, as all of Sweden’s bills and coins are replaced by new designs.
The change, first in 30 years, and the first complete turnover ever, is designed to implement new security for the bills, as well as to update the art. The new coins will be about half the weight of the present series (except the 10-krona, which won’t change). The bills will also be a bit smaller.
All of the bills except for 500 and 1000-kronor will be in use in October, with those and the coins coming in a year later. There will also be two new denominations: a 200-kronor bill and a 2-kronor coin. An app for smartphones is being distributed by the government to help people learn and recognize the new ones.
It may make less difference in Sweden than in other countries: reports indicate that more than 80% of all transactions in Sweden are cashless!
For a look at the new currency, click HERE (notes) or HERE (coins).
