Famous people through collectibles: Albert Einstein

Everyone in the world must know the name of Albert Einstein, the founder of the theory of relativity. He was born on March 14, 1879.

Banknote, 5 Numismas - Albert Einstein, Kingdom of Kamberra, 2012, Colnect Catalog

During his life, this brilliant mind accomplished so much that he was even named as the Person of the Century by Times magazine. Albert Einstein is most famous for his theory of relativity.

Sugar Packet › Albert Einstein, Spain, 2016, Colnect Catalog

His contributions towards the world earned him various rewards one of them even being the Nobel Prize in Physics. He died at the age of 76, continuing to work until the very end.

Stamp, Centenary of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, Hungary, 2015, Colnect Catalog

Albert Einstein left us a huge collection of breakthroughs and advancements in the field of science. There are a lot of collectibles for people out there who are interested in Einstein or are fascinated with physics.

Kids Meal Toy › Albert Einstein, Europe, 2017, Colnect Catalog

Many different stamp series dedicated to Einstein were issued in various countries: Vietnam, Grenada, Fiji, Mongolia, Zaire, British Virgin Islands, USA, and others. There are many Einstein-themed coins made in Switzerland, Northern Mariana Islands, Thailand, Togo, Nauru, Germany Democratic Republic. Most of these items illustrate him alongside his theories and different physics formulas.

Coin, 10 Yuan (Einstein), China, People's Republic, 1991, Colnect Catalog

Do you want to contribute to Colnect? You are welcome to check Catalog Contribution Guidelines page and start making Colnect better. For collectibles, you would like to buy or sell check our marketplace.

Famous people through collectibles: George Harrison

Everyone knows about The Beatles and everyone's musical taste has been affected by them in one way or another. Not only did the band itself become a legend, but also each individual member managed to completely innovate the pop culture as we know it. 

Gift Card, Beatles 3, France, Colnect Catalog

George Harrison, also known as "the quiet Beatle" was born on February 25, 1943. His interest in music started at his early age. As he got older the interest in Indian culture and mysticism developed in him. 

Banknote, 1,000,000 Dollars, Fantasy Issues, Colnect Catalog

Even though most of The Beatles' songs were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, there are many songs which were composed by Harrison. With music, he introduced Eastern religion and music to the Western audience.

Stamp, Paul McCartney & George Harrison, Mongolia, Colnect Catalog

Even after the break up of the band, his career kept on blooming. Rolling Stones ranked him as number 11 on their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Also, he became a two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee.

Stamp, George Harrison, Chad, 1996, Colnect Catalog

In addition to their work, there are many collectibles dedicated to this amazing band. You can find many collectibles illustrating members of The Beatles or the name of their song. There is a story connected to each collectible which is always fun to learn about. Several years ago we covered "with The Beatles" Stamp and its story. If you are interested in The Beatles then you are welcome to check out more of their collectibles featured on Colnect and have fun :)

Stamp, With The Beatles, United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland, 2007, Colnect Catalog

Colnect has been built by collectors just like you. Are you interested in contributing to Colnect? Then you can go and check our Catalog Contribution Guidelines page and start making Colnect better. For collectibles, you would like to buy or sell check our marketplace.

80,008 Banknotes Cataloged ;)

We are so happy to celebrate the next awesome achievement in Banknote catalog. 80,008 banknotes are reached :)

100 Pesos, 1974, Mexico

We are grateful to the devoted two co-coordinators Vidami Istvan [mozistv] and Imre Csendes [SethChimera] for taking care of category. The help of the category editors and contributors is very much appreciated. Thank you for your time and dedication.

100 Francs, 1949, Belgium

Category of banknotes on Colnect is so various and diverse and includes paper money from 299 countries. There are some interesting facts about banknotes those you can find in our catalog.

The largest dollar bill ever issued was a Gold Certificate that has the face value of 100 000. They were issued in 1934 and were used for transactions between Federal Reserve banks only.

100,000 Dollars, 1934, USA

Banknotes with the £1 face values were in circulation from 1796. During the French Revolutionary wars, banknotes with small face values were printed to replace gold coins. £1 banknotes had circulated until 1988. The last issue of £1 banknote was decorated with the picture of Sir Issac Newton.

1 Pound, 1978, UK

Do you know that Martha Washington is the only woman memorialized on US paper money? Her portrait was printed on a silver certificate in denominations of $ 1 issue in 1886, 1891 and 1896.

1 Silver Dollar, 1886, USA

Do you want to join us and make Colnect better together? We always welcome and appreciate any help. If you've never contributed information to Colnect before, please read our Catalog Contribution Guidelines.

65,656 Banknotes on Colnect!

We are already reaching a new milestone - 65,656 Banknotes! So, now we are taking a moment to appreciate all the new items that were added, as well as the catalog in general.

"50 Florin" (Aruba), from the Colnect catalog

As the catalog is very popular and is one of the veteran Colnect categories, it experiences rapid growth every year. Our last milestone was in late June, marking 60,006 banknotes, and now, after 9 months, we have added more than 50,000 collectibles. 

"50 Dinara" (Croatia), from the Colnect catalog

The catalog includes 290+ Countries, 6 Compositions, 300+ Printers, 300+ Years, 250+ Face Values, 700+ Currencies, 17 Catalogs, as well as, Newly Added, where you can browse new banknotes added 1, 3, 7, 14 and 30 days ago.

"100 Kroner" (Norway), from the Colnect catalog

Banknotes category is taken care of by two co-coordinators Vidami Istvan [mozistv] and Imre Csendes [SethChimera]. Thank you for your devotion and help!

In addition, we thank our 900+ Contributors and almost 200 Editors for adding so many collectibles every single day.

"20 Hryven" (Ukraine), from the Colnect catalog

And now, we would like to show you some special banknotes from all over the world, as well as some interesting facts about them.

For example, to deal with hyperinflation that reached the crazy level of 231 million %, Zimbabwe's government issued a $100 trillion note (1 with 14 zeroes — making it the note with the highest face value in the world). It is one of the most favourite and popular items in every banknotes collection ;)

"100,000,000,000,000 Dollars" (Zimbabwe), from the Colnect catalog

Another interesting fact is that Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait has graced the currencies of 33 different countries. Nobody has beat her record yet. Canada was the first to use the British monarch's photo, in 1935, when it printed the 9-year-old Princess on its $20 notes.

"20 Dollars" (Canada), from the Colnect catalog

The Queen is frequently shown in formal royal attire, although Canada and Australia prefer to depict her in a plain dress and pearls. And while many countries update their currencies to reflect the Queen's advancing age, others enjoy keeping her young.

"1 Dollar" (Australia), from the Colnect catalog

And finally, the world's largest single banknote is the 100,000-piso note created by the government of the Philippines in 1998. Designed to celebrate a century of independence from the Spanish rule, the note was offered only to collectors, who could purchase one of the limited-edition notes for 180,000 pisos, or about $3,700.

"100,000 Piso" (Philippines), from the Colnect catalog

Are you a Banknotes collector? Make sure to subscribe to our World Paper Money forums (for collectors, about the catalog updates, a marketplace) and always be up to date with catalog news and interesting discussions.

Thinking about becoming a contributor? Don't hesitate and read this page - start making a difference now!

Happy Colnecting!

60,606 Banknotes now on Colnect!

Numismatics has always been a precious type of collecting, in which every item is a acquired with time, care and effort. This makes the recently achieved milestone of the Banknotes category even more impressive - 60.606 Unique Banknotes now on the Colnect catalog.

1921 German 50 Pfennig note, new on the Colnect catalog

As a highly colorful and eye catching category, it's pleasing to see how full the catalog is of high quality images. Images are not only aesthetically pleasing but gives additional detail about the note, collectors can explore using the zoom feature.

1974 5 Ceylonese Rupee note, new on the Colnect catalog

We've had Banknotes from all over the world added in the last year. From Chilean Banknotes to Romanian Banknotes, from 1872 Canadian editions to brand new 2015 issues.

1946 British West African 10 shilling, new on the Colnect catalog 

We would like to thank the coordinators of the banknotes category, Vidami Istvan [mozistv] and Imre Csendes [SethChimera] for the great work and care they have been putting into the category. The effort shows and the catalog looks wonderfully put. Since the previous milestone mozistv has been joined by a new co-coordinator, SethChimera. SethChimera has helped greatly in improving the category and accelerated its growth.

1999 Chilean 20,000 Pesos note, new on the Colnect catalog

A special thank you to all the contributors and editors who makes this catalog what it is today.

2015 10 Gambian Dalasi note, new on the Colnect catalog

Would like to join and contribute to the Banknotes catalog? Take a look at our Banknotes Catalog Contribution Guidelines.

2015 500 Philippine Piso note, new on the Colnect catalog

World Currencies List Project

With the undertaking of the World Currencies List Project, Colnect, which currently has the most comprehensive list of currencies in the world, hopes to attain all known currencies and denominations of legal tender.



There are over twelve-hundred currencies featured in the Banknote section on Colnect at this time. More can be done with it, however, and we need your help.

The avid colnecting contributors, BrunosapiJens and Rubycored, have made it their mission to carefully construct a complete list of currencies in a visually clear aesthetic, with their respective country names, like they are featured on Wikipedia's less extensive currencies list.



Before the Updated Currencies List, users could upload their own currency on Colnect and edit entries on the list themselves, because it was unlocked. But this led to discrepancies in entries of the same denomination that were written in as "pounds" instead of "pound," for instance. Now this is not the case, and professionals are on the site to modify the currencies list.



For those of you who are proactive and wish to help out with the Colnect currencies list, please keep an eye out for duplicate entries. If you spot any, there is a duplicates report that can be filled out and sent to iflvico.

You can also view the Instructions on Adding/Editing Currencies here. As always, enjoy the tremendous array of Banknotes and collectibles featured on the Colnect collection connection site.

November 29, 1993 Release of the “Dram” Banknote as National Currency for Armenia - Today in History Through Collectibles

On this pivotal day in 1993,the Republic of Armenia officially cut its last and most important link to the Soviet Union by adopting the “Dram” banknote as its official currency.

This week marks the eighteen-year anniversary of the memorable event that began the Republic of Armenia’s economic independence with the release of the intricately exquisite “Dram”banknotes.  Colnect features these rarecollectibles in all of their glory.

These historic documents come out of a unique country that borders Turkey and is located at a crossroads of three important regions, as the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Western Asia come together around its lands.  The Republic of Armenia’s “Dram” is not just a symbol for the fall of the Soviet Union, but is more one for their newly emerged national identity.

Of the first banknotes to beput into circulation in the Republic of Armenia, there were eight denominations:  ten, twenty-five, fifty,one hundred, two hundred, five hundred, one thousand, and five thousand “Dram”.

An example of a 500 note is pictured here and shows the gorgeous blue, violet, and green color scheme interlaced with woven designs and a classic Armenian colonnade.

It is an inspiring design and a featured member of the Colnect banknote catalog that is worth remembering.

Many of the items that collectors on Colnect collect are in fact associated with certain historical events that have taken place over time. This applies especially to Stamps, Phone Cards, Coins and Banknotes. To commemorate these special historical events, countries release special issues of these items that depict images and information relevant to these events.

Through our “Today in History Through Collectibles” Blog we will highlight special events in history by featuring Collectible items from our Colnect Catalogs that are associated with historical events that took place on specific days in history.

Frognector Sees Coins and Banknotes at the British Museum

Collectors be warned, Frognector is out on the loose and has started his journey around the world. You can meet Frognector and Colnect's founder, Amir Wald, when they pass near you. Big collector club conventions and collector fairs are Frognector's favorites but if you have an interesting collectors shop or own an interesting personal collection, don't hesitate to make contact. If you meet Frognector and get to take a picture with him and your collection, you may win cool prizes such as Colnect memorabilia and Colnect premium membership.

Even at the height of summer, London is not missing rain. There's surely a reason the weather is a common topic of discussion.



But such rainy days offer other interesting alternatives, such as the world famous British Museum which holds amazing pieces of art from around the globe.





Perhaps more interestingly for collectors, there are nice sections of world coins and world banknotes on display.



Even a few bank cards and phone cards are out on display.



So the next time you visit the British Museum in London, don't focus only on eating in the cafeteria.



Focus on the interesting coins, banknotes, bank cards and other items on display.