Gradually, Then Suddenly
ZIM68, 2007, 20 ZWR

Slot Comment:

3rd Dollar Banknote AF Prefix

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Note Details

  

Set Details
Note Description: 20 Dollars 2007 - Wmk: Zimbabwe Bird & 20
Grade: 67 EPQ
Country: Zimbabwe
Note Number: ZIM68
Signatures/
Vignettes: 		- Sign. #8
Certification #: 8046904-003
Owner: Revenant
Set Category: World
Set Name: Gradually, Then Suddenly
Slot Name: ZIM68, 2007, 20 ZWR
Research: See PMG's Census Report for this Note

Owner's Description

I was somewhat surprised when I saw the serial number on this note and that it has an “AF” prefix. It is relatively rare in my experience to see 3rd dollar notes with prefixes higher than “AD.”

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 back of this 20 dollar note has an image of a grain stockpile and an image of a miner. The grain stockpile image also appears on ZIM80 (100 Million ZWR). The miner image also appears on ZIM68 (20 ZWR), ZIM82 (500 Million ZWR), ZIM85 (10 Billion ZWR) and ZIM88 (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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