Gradually, Then Suddenly
ZIM82, 2008, 500 Million ZWR

Slot Comment:

3rd Dollar Banknote AB Prefix $500,000,000

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Note Details

  

Set Details
Note Description: 500 Million Dollars 2008
Grade: 66 EPQ
Country: Zimbabwe
Note Number: ZIM82
Signatures/
Vignettes: 		- Sign. #8
Certification #: 1539489-025
Owner: Revenant
Set Category: World
Set Name: Gradually, Then Suddenly
Slot Name: ZIM82, 2008, 500 Million ZWR
Research: See PMG's Census Report for this Note

Owner's Description

The release of this banknote was announced on 12 Dec 2008 - 9 whole calendar days after the last round of notes had been announced.

This ZIM82, 500 Million dollar note has a serial number with an “AB” prefix. The best information I’ve been able to find on this so far suggests that serial numbers starting with “AB,” and, where applicable, “AC” and “AD,” refer to notes from later printings of the note / denomination. So, “AA” would be a note from the first printing / issuance of the denomination and “AB” would be a note from the second printing and issuance. That would also explain why earlier notes, which were in use longer, have examples with “AB” prefixes where this is a lot rarer in notes in the Billions (ZIM83 through ZM87) and Trillions (ZIM88 through ZIM91). The highest denomination I have seen with an “AB” prefix - or anything other than an “AA” - in this series, is a 10 Billion ZWD note. I have never seen any 4th dollar notes (P-92 to P-98) with anything other than an “AA” prefix.

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 500 Million dollar banknote features an image of a cattle farmer in a barn with some cows and an image of a miner. The cattle farmer image also appears on ZIM70 (500 ZWR), ZIM76 (500,000 ZWR), and ZIM84 (5 Billion ZWR). The miner image also appears on ZIM68 (20 ZWR), ZIM74 (50 000 ZWR) ZIM85 (10 Billion ZWR), ZIM89 (20 Trillion ZWR).

While the amount of arable land in Zimbabwe is relatively small, the nation was a great agricultural producer and Zimbabwe’s agricultural industry was very well performing until 2001, when land re-distribution policies instituted by the government caused massive upheaval. At its peak agriculture was one third of national GDP. In 2015, agriculture was still about 18% of Zimbabwe’s GDP. In 2021 it was 17% of GDP, but the agricultural industry employs 60-70 of the working population.

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.

It seems to have been a popular move during the design and printing of the third dollars to pair the image of the miner with images relating to farming and agriculture – highlighting two of the country’s major industries together.

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