Bangladesh Bank
Ten Taka · Bangladesh's first polymer banknote · Year 2000
Historical and Issue Context
Bangladesh's first polymer experiment:In 2000, Bangladesh Bank issued this 10 Taka note on polymer substrate as an experiment, following the path blazed by Australia in 1988 with the world's first polymer banknote.2As the Bangladesh Security Printing Corporation was only equipped for traditional paper money, the central bank commissioned this ancient issue from Note Printing Australia (NPA), a subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of Australia and a global pioneer of polymer technology.4
Guardian™ Technology:The polymer substrate was developed in Australia by the CSIRO (national scientific body) and the Reserve Bank of Australia to combat counterfeiting, and is today marketed under the name Guardian™, manufactured by CCL Secure. More than 40 central banks in the world use it in more than 175 different denominations.9
A short-term experiment:Despite the polymer's durability and safety advantages, the note proved unpopular with the Bangladeshi public and was withdrawn from circulation years later, without the country permanently adopting the polymer for its paper money.2
Part of the 2000–2001 banknote series:This polymer note was issued along with new paper designs of the 100 and 500 Taka denominations, within a series that incorporated for the first time the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the Bangladeshi nation, in various denominations.5
Key Details Visible on the Banknote
- Obverse:portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque (“The Holy House”) in Dhaka, and the national bird of Bangladesh, the “doyel” or white-backed shama (Copsychus saularis).6
- Transparent registration:translucent window with a lotus flower, a distinctive security feature of the polymer substrate that forms a complete image when held to the light.7
- Reverse:the National Parliament building, Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka), designed by architect Louis Kahn, next to the National Martyrs' Memorial (Jatiyo Sriti Soudho) in Savar.8
- Watermark:silhouette of a roaring Bengal tiger, a characteristic motif on the lower denominations of this series.2
- Security thread:Simulated solid thread with text in Bengali, embedded in the plastic substrate.2
- Color:Printing predominantly in red and pink tones, with bilingual texts in Bengali and English and serial numbering in both languages.
Additional Context
The 10 Taka note in permanent circulation has existed in Bangladesh since 1972, with multiple redesigns since then.1This polymer issue from 2000 represents a distinct and ephemeral branch of that history —a chapter shared with more than three dozen countries that have experimented with the plastic substrate since Australia first introduced it in 1988, as documented in this collection's World Polymer Banknote catalogue.
Notes
1. Wikipedia. “Bangladeshi 10-taka note.”en.wikipedia.org.
2. Wikipedia. “Banknotes of the Bangladeshi taka.”en.wikipedia.org: 10 Taka polymer note issued between 2000–2001, then withdrawn due to low popularity.
3. ATSnotes. “Bangladesh banknotes — Bangladesh paper money catalog.”atsnotes.com/catalog/banknotes/bangladesh.html: rank Pick 35–38 (2000–01), 10 Taka as the first denomination of the group.
4. eBay listing and cataloging of collectors, note identified as Pick P-35, printed by Note Printing Australia.
5. Wikipedia. “Banknotes of the Bangladeshi taka”: series printed between 2000 and 2001, with new designs on 100 and 500 Taka paper and the incorporation of the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
6. LA Currency. “BDT — Bangladesh Taka.”lacurrency.com/bdt-bangladeshi-taka: national emblem, Baitul Mukarram mosque and doyel bird on the obverse of the lower denominations of this series.
7. Numista. “10 Taka — Bangladesh”, note #204760.en.numista.com: transparent register with floral motif, safety feature of the polymer substrate.
8. Numist, note #204760: identification of the National Parliament building (Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban) and the National Monument to the Martyrs on the reverse.
9. CCL Secure. Corporate information on the Guardian™ polymer substrate technology, originally developed by CSIRO and the Reserve Bank of Australia.