Bank.notes

Collection Bhutan #46

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1 BTN

Bhutan 1990_present UNC P-P-12 Needs review ✦ AI 88%
Front · IMG_6141.jpeg cropped
Back · IMG_6142.jpeg cropped
Pair check: ! check failed checked 2026-05-09T09:53:35.306698
Identity

Where & when

Country Bhutan
Currency BTN
Denomination 1
Series name Third series
Series year
Issue year
Era 1990_present
Legal status demonetized
Subjects & design

What's on the note

Front portrait
Reverse subject Simtokha Dzong
Watermark Druk (Thunder Dragon) in clear field at left
Color palette #4a6fa5,#d4a574,#e8d5c4
Themes architecture,mythology,indigenous_culture
Language / script Dzongkha (Tibetan script), English

Front: The front depicts traditional Bhutanese mythological imagery featuring paired dragons (druk) flanking a central double dorje (vishvavajra or crossed thunderbolt) within a circular medallion, surrounded by elaborate cloud and flame motifs rendered in the distinctive Bhutanese Buddhist artistic style. The dragons represent Druk, the Thunder Dragon of Bhutanese mythology and the national symbol of Bhutan. The text is in Dzongkha script at top, with serial numbers in both corners. The word 'Chairman' appears at bottom center.

Back: Simtokha Dzong, the first dzong (fortress-monastery) built in Bhutan, constructed in 1629 by Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal, the founder of the Bhutanese state. Located approximately 5 kilometers south of Thimphu, it served as a strategic fortress protecting the entrance to the Thimphu valley and now houses a monastic school. The dzong represents Bhutan's unique architectural heritage combining religious and administrative functions, with its characteristic sloping walls, towers, and Buddhist architectural elements. The text 'ROYAL MONETARY AUTHORITY OF BHUTAN' appears at top, 'ONE NGULTRUM' at bottom left, with denomination '1' at bottom right and Dzongkha script.

Production

How it was made

Issuer Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan
Issuer (native) འབྲུག་རྒྱལ་ཡོངས་དངུལ་ཚོར་ལྷན་ཁག
Printer De La Rue
Engraver
Material paper
Dimensions (mm) 140x70

Signatures: Chairman: signature illegible

Security features: microprint,intaglio

Geography

Bhutan in Asia

Bhutan in Asia. Other countries on the same continent shown in muted grey.

The story

Background & history

This note belongs to Bhutan's third series of ngultrum banknotes, issued between 1986 and 1992 by the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan. The ngultrum was introduced in 1974, replacing the Indian rupee as Bhutan's national currency, though it remains pegged at parity with the Indian rupee and both currencies circulate in Bhutan. This series introduced more elaborate traditional Bhutanese Buddhist artistic motifs, showcasing the nation's cultural heritage and the central role of Vajrayana Buddhism in Bhutanese identity. The 1 ngultrum denomination was among the lowest denominations issued and has since been largely replaced by coins.

Catalogue

Collector references

Pick # P-12
Krause ID
Rarity tier common
Series range 1986–1992
Provenance

How it came to me

Acquired date
Acquired from
Acquired price
Currency
Condition
Grade UNC
Serial number A/1 2402015
Serial prefix A/1
Serial suffix 2015

Uncirculated note with crisp edges and no visible handling marks

Valuation

What it's worth now

$1–$2
Type default range $2–$5
Valuation history (2)
datelowhighcurrencysourcenote
2026-05-09 00:12:40 1.0 2.0 USD ai from gpt-4o
2026-05-08 16:14:29 2.0 5.0 USD ai from claude-sonnet-4-5
Technical

History & extractions

AI extractions (3)
research:anthropic · claude-sonnet-4-5 2026-05-09 09:37:41
status: error · step 10
research:openai · gpt-4o 2026-05-09 00:12:40
status: ok · step 10 · $0.0252 · 5739↓ + 1089↑ tokens
anthropic · claude-sonnet-4-5 2026-05-08 16:14:29
status: ok · step 1 · $0.0375 · 6333↓ + 1234↑ tokens
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