Last Update March 15, 2024
Information on test notes:
Bank note printing firms worldwide show their expertise by printing examples or samples, usually called test notes, advertising notes, house notes, demonstration or promotional notes.
Bank note firms issuing test notes now include, printers, paper and other substrate suppliers, ink suppliers, central banks and their printing works, currency designers, printing machine manufacturers and security feature (holograms, Kinegrams, stamping foils, threads) suppliers. There is a caveat; several firms have currency and ATM or cash management branches, Thomas De La Rue and Giesecke & Devrient for example. These firms have testnotes attributed in both available catalogs.
The printer types include:
Test notes produced for large, international gatherings of currency collectors, dealers, and bank note issuing authorities. Often the latest test note from a firm is shown and given away at currency related conferences throughout the year.
Examples of international events with test notes produced specifically for the event would include:
- Association of African Banknotes and Security Documents Printers Conference
- Intergraf. Intergraf represents 22 national printing federations in 20 countries in Europe.
- Currency Industry Suppliers Exhibition (CIS).
- Currency Conferences organized by Currency Research
- High Security Printing Conference (Asia, Latin America, & Europe) – Reconnaissance
- The Banknote Conference
- Interpol Conference
- International Bank Note Society annual meetings - SEE INFORMATION AND LINK TO PDF FILE BELOW
- International Monetary Fund
- Watermark Conference
- Security Design Intaglio Printing Note Exhibition
Color samples or color charts for prospective buyers. These are often originally bound together in booklet form, but often separated to be sold individually in the collectors’ market.
Advertising notes, printers’ samples or salesman samples of banknotes, stocks, or bonds used to generate business by engravers, lithographers, and ink producers in the security printing industry. There are many other advertising notes available to market any number of enterprises, but this catalog only attributes those for bank note printing related firms. This includes sheets, usually called broadsides for “vintage” notes. If a firm was attempting to enter the banknote printing market, it is included. There already exists a catalog of American advertising notes – banknote look-like paper ads for goods and services. (Vlack)
Demonstration notes and experimental notes are used as examples, sometimes for patents.
House notes are made for internal use to devise the proper mix of security elements. These are often also used as test notes at international gatherings.
There is a testnote group which shares new testnotes, their images, and information about the testnote. The link is:
TESTNOTES GROUP AT GROUPS.IO Group for collectors/dealers of Testnotes, with messages, files, and images.
The International Bank Note Society has annual meetings, with test notes produced specifically for these events from 1985 to 2021.
For full images and information on these check this PDF file PDF FILE HERE
eBook Catalog of Printers Promotional Sheets & Test Notes on Adobe Acrobat pdf file
Firms 297
Notes 3,643
Variations 6,341
Color Images 7,630
Pages 1,373 BTW, this is about 100 pages larger than the Catalog of World Paper Money, Modern Issues (Pick)
File size 143 mb
To view the table of contents click PDF FILE HERE
TO ORDER THE CATALOG FOR THIS LINK HERE:
Order Page
The most common ATM test note types are:
- Test notes made for marketing purposes.
- Test notes produced for large, international gatherings of currency collectors, dealers, bank note issuing authorities, and ATM manufacturers. Examples would include: International Bank Note Society annual meetings and CeBIT, Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik; German for "Centre of Office and Information Technology", the world's largest computer trade show.
- Test and calibrate ATMs and other devices such as currency counters. One test is to insure the ATM disperses one banknote at time with the proper amount of banknotes.
- Test or training notes made for banking and cash handling firms to practice with new issues of notes.
eBook Catalog of ATM Test Notes on Adobe Acrobat pdf file 
Firms 218
Notes 1,981
Color Images 2,540
Pages 465
File size 71 mb
To view the table of contents click HERE
TO ORDER THE CATALOG FOR THIS LINK HERE:
Order Page
Here are test note, and advertising note articles I have written for The Numismatist (American Numismatic Association), the IBNS Journal (International Bank Note Society, NENA News (New England Numismatic Association), Paper Money (Society of Paper Money Collectors), and The Souvenir Card Journal (Souvenir Card Collectors Society)
Article published in 2023 in The Souvenir Card Journal (SCCS)
2 page story about the quirks involving the test notes made by the European Central Bank.
Article published in 2023 in NENA News (NENA)
5 page story about Samuel Maverick, Peter Maverick, and his son Peter Maverick Jr. and their four engraving firms with test notes.
Maverick Family EngraversCLICK HERE
Article published in 2021 in Paper Money (Society of Paper Money Collectors)
3 page story about Domtar test notes using Luminus which can create a color watermark.
Polymer Luinus with Color Watermarks from Domtar CLICK HERE
Article published in 2020 in Paper Money (Society of Paper Money Collectors)
5 page story about these test notes attributed to Giori press machines and new information offering other possibilities.
Alternate Look at Giori Test Notes CLICK HERE
Article published in 2020 in the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) Journal
Received Honorable Mention for best article of the year.
11 page story about the test notes of China Banknote Printing and Minting Corporation and 9 of their wholly-owned subsidiaries, including the new world record price for a single test note.
Test Notes of CBPM including the World Record Test Note CLICK HERE
Article published in 2020 in The Souvenir Card Journal (SCCS)
5 page story about general information about test notes and catalog numbering system, types, valuing notes, including reasons for price changes.
Cataloging & Valuing Test Notes CLICK HERE
Article published in 2019 in The Souvenir Card Journal (SCCS)
4 page story about two American Bank Note Co test notes of Paul Revere and the souvenir cards with similar vignettes.
Paul Revere Test Notes & Souvenir Cards CLICK HERE
Article published in 2018 in the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) Journal
Received Honorable Mention for best article of the year.
9 page story about one of the main uses of Printers' Test Notes - promotional or house notes provided at currency conferences for current and potential customers.
The Perfect Pair - Test Notes and Currency Conferences CLICK HERE
Article published in 2015 in the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) Journal
Received 2nd Place for best article of the year.
5 page story about "All you wanted to know about printers' test notes but were afraid to ask". Example: What is the oldest firm to produce a test note? (Establish in 1264, have a look and see!) Other examples: Oldest test note, most expensive test note, and test note produced together by the most firms (6).
Printers’ Test Notes – A Primer CLICK HERE
Article published in the International Bank Note Society (IBNS) Journal
3 page story about ATM test notes, including the history of ATM development.
An Introduction to ATM Test Notes CLICK HERE
Article published in 2021 in The Souvenir Card Journal (SCCS)
2 page story about a printer's sample and the search for what it was used for and the firm.
Promotional Paper Provenance CLICK HERE
Article published in 2021 in The Souvenir Card Journal (SCCS)
3 page story about 2 different test notes from 2 different printing firms with the same portrait of Thomas Edison.
A Tale of Two Thomas Edison Notes CLICK HERE
Article published in 2021 in the International Bank Note Society Journal (IBNS)
2 page story about Harrison's penchant of Brunel.
Harrison & Sons and Isambard Kingdom Brunel CLICK HERE
MONEYPEDIA - ATM TestnotesA German language web page dedicated to ATM testnotes.
MONEYPEDIA - Printers TestnotesA German language web page dedicated to Printers testnotes.
TESTNOTES HOMEA German collector's site with images of Promotional/Test Notes.
Drop me a line for more information or new finds
