Gradually, Then Suddenly
ZIM85, 2008, 10 Billion ZWR

Slot Comment:

3rd Dollar Banknote AA Prefix $10,000,000,000

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Note Details

  

Set Details
Note Description: 10 Billion Dollars 2008
Grade: 68 EPQ
Country: Zimbabwe
Note Number: ZIM85
Signatures/
Vignettes: 		- Sign. #8
Certification #: 8087731-028
Owner: Revenant
Set Category: World
Set Name: Gradually, Then Suddenly
Slot Name: ZIM85, 2008, 10 Billion ZWR
Research: See PMG's Census Report for this Note

Owner's Description

Reuters reported the announcement of the $1 Billion, $5 Billion, and $10 Billion dollar banknotes on 19 Dec 2008 - a literal week after the last batch of notes was announced.

The Zimbabwe regular banknotes feature an image of the Chiremba balancing rock formation - three balancing rocks that are in Matobo National Park. The image of the stones was chosen as a metaphor for balancing development and environmental protection following the country’s transition from white-ruled Rhodesia to the majority black ruled Zimbabwe. The Matobo Hills are composed entirely of granite and it makes for some unique and interesting formations.

The back side of the Trillions Series banknotes all feature a pair of images that have some kind of national, cultural or economic significance to Zimbabwe. These images are different on each denomination though some of the images seem to have been used more than once on different denominations throughout the series.

The 10 Billion dollar banknote features images of the Kariba dam and of a miner. While Kariba Dam has appeared on Zimbabwean banknotes all the way back to the beginning, with ZIM1, this artwork does not appear to be the same as any of those used in previous series. This artwork seems to have premiered with the Third Dollar series, on ZIM66 (5 ZWR). This image of the dam also appears on ZIM90 (50 Trillion). The miner image also appears on ZIM68 (20 ZWR), ZIM74 (50 000 ZWR) ZIM82 (500 Million ZWR), ZIM89 (20 Trillion ZWR).

For a little more information on Kariba dam, see the note comments on ZIM1.

Mining has also long been a major industry in Zimbabwe with the major export / mined resource being Gold. As of 2021 mining accounted for about 12% of national GDP. It seems as though, once agriculture collapsed, the mining industry became one of the few remaining sources for foreign money to flow into the country. When the economy started to “dollarize” the miners were some of the first ones to want to be paid in something other than Zimbabwean dollars.

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