Gradually, Then Suddenly
ZIM72, 2008, 10 Thousand ZWR

Slot Comment:

3rd Dollar Banknote AA Prefix - $10,000

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Note Details

  

Set Details
Note Description: 10,000 Dollars 2008 - Sign. #8
Grade: 66 EPQ
Country: Zimbabwe
Note Number: ZIM72
Signatures/
Vignettes: 		- Wmk: Zimbabwe Bird & 1000
Certification #: 8086850-020
Owner: Revenant
Set Category: World
Set Name: Gradually, Then Suddenly
Slot Name: ZIM72, 2008, 10 Thousand ZWR
Research: See PMG's Census Report for this Note

Owner's Description

Most people probably think the 100 Trillion note (the P-91) is the crown jewel of a Zimbabwe note collection, but I can’t agree with that. I think that honor goes to the P-72.

Where many if not most of the notes in this series could be had in 2021 in 68EPQ for about $30-50 You often see sellers asking for $250-500 for this note in 66EPQ. While the P-91 is the 2nd most valuable note in the series, and, while you often see people ask crazy money for them you can actually get a P-91 in 66EPQ for $100-150 as of 2021 and you can sometimes get a 68EPQ for about $250.

Why are these P-72s so expensive? Because these seem to be comparatively much harder to get in Uncirculated condition. Even many sets of third dollar notes from P-65 to P-91 are “complete” except for this note.

Why? I honestly have no idea. I’ve never found anything that would explain it. But I do think that these really are relatively rare. Because, if someone had a huge stockpile of these and knew they could get $100-250 each for them, I assume those notes would hit the market and we’d see the prices come down.

The P-72 is the first 2008-dated note in the series - the first denomination that goes beyond the initially planned and intended run of 2007 dated notes that ended at the P-71, $1000 note. These were released with the P-73 at the tail end of September 2008, less than 2 months after the 2007-dated series hit the streets on August 1, 2008. The release of the P-73 at the same time is the only thing I have found that might explain why the P-72 seems so rare by comparison. It could be that, at that point, before this series became famous for the Billions and the Trillions, maybe everyone rushed to save and collect the 20,000 P-73 and this one slipped through the cracks. But I’m not sure that explanation is entirely satisfying - almost all the later notes were released in batches of 2-4 denominations and none of the other denominations have the rarity of this one. They’re all common and available. But maybe it happened here because these were the first notes to start the rapid, horrifying ramp up to 100 trillion that grabbed global headlines in the 2nd half of 2008.

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 ZWD banknotes all feature a pair of images that have 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 10,000 ZWR banknote features two images of agricultural / farm equipment on the back. I’ve seen sources that refer to both of these as images of tractors, but I think only the 2nd / right image is of a tractor. I think the 1st / left image is a combine or a harvester.

Adding another layer of interest and intrigue to this note, it is unique amongst the 3rd dollar series for featuring two images that are not used anywhere else in the series. There are other images in the series that feature a tractor working in a field, but that artwork does not match either of the images on this note. There is another instance were one of the images on the backs of these notes was only used once – the image of the monument to the unknown soldier on P-81 was only used on that note. However, that note has a 2nd image that was also used on two other notes in the series. There are no other notes in the series that have two unique images. The fact that both images use an agricultural theme makes it just a little more interesting.

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.

My wonderful wife, who has always been fantastically supportive and tolerant of my insanity when it comes to this set, let me get this as a birthday present for my 35th birthday – relieving her of the annoyance of shopping for me and letting me finally bring my 3rd dollar set to 100% complete in the registry in mid-October 2021.

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