Bank.notes

Collection Zimbabwe #685

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25000000 ZWD

Zimbabwe 2008 1990_present VF P-59 Needs review ✦ AI 75%
mismatched_pair
Front · IMG_7565.HEIC cropped
Back · IMG_7566.HEIC cropped
Pair check: not yet checked
Identity

Where & when

Country Zimbabwe
Currency ZWD
Denomination 25000000
Series name Bearer Cheque series
Series year 2008
Issue year 2008
Era 1990_present
Legal status demonetized
Predecessor currency Zimbabwe Dollar (third, ZWD)
Successor currency Multi-currency system (USD, ZAR, etc.)
Subjects & design

What's on the note

Front portrait
Reverse subject Victoria Falls
Watermark Zimbabwe Bird in oval seal at left
Color palette #d4a574,#8b4513,#4a7c7e
Themes wildlife,agriculture
Language / script Latin

Front: Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The falls are known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya ('The Smoke That Thunders'). The note is inscribed 'SPECIAL AGRO-CHEQUE' and features a giraffe at lower left, representing Zimbabwe's wildlife heritage. This denomination was part of the hyperinflation crisis era when the Reserve Bank issued 'Special Agro-Cheques' and 'Bearer Cheques' as emergency currency.

Back: Central text panel reading 'RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE / Pay the bearer on demand / TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS / on or before / 30th June 2008 / for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe / Issue date: 2nd April 2008 / BEARER CHEQUE'. The Reserve Bank seal appears at left showing the Zimbabwe Bird symbol. The expiry date mechanism (30th June 2008) was introduced as an attempt to manage hyperinflation by forcing currency turnover. Serial number 02022909 appears below the main text, with prefix AB1933361 at lower right.

Production

How it was made

Issuer Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe
Issuer (native)
Printer Giesecke+Devrient
Engraver
Material paper
Dimensions (mm) 145x72

Signatures: Governor: Dr. G Gono

Security features: microprint,intaglio,latent_image

Geography

Zimbabwe in Africa

Zimbabwe in Africa. Other countries on the same continent shown in muted grey.

The story

Background & history

Bearer Cheque series, issued April–July 2008 during Zimbabwe's hyperinflation crisis, which eventually reached an estimated 89.7 sextillion percent per month. The 25 million dollar note (P-59) was issued 2 April 2008 with an expiry date of 30 June 2008, reflecting the Reserve Bank's attempt to manage runaway inflation through time-limited emergency currency instruments labeled as 'Bearer Cheques' and 'Special Agro-Cheques'. Governor Gideon Gono oversaw this period; his signature appears on multiple hyperinflation-era issues. The Zimbabwe dollar was abandoned in April 2009 in favor of a multi-currency system. These notes were demonetized when the currency collapsed and are now collectors' items documenting one of history's worst episodes of hyperinflation. The note's mismatched denominations (front shows 50 billion, back shows 25 million) require clarification.

Catalogue

Collector references

Pick # 59
Krause ID
Rarity tier common
Series range 2008
Provenance

How it came to me

Acquired date
Acquired from
Acquired price
Currency
Condition
Grade VF
Serial number AB1933361
Serial prefix AB

Visible circulation wear and staining; some creasing and edge wear evident

Valuation

What it's worth now

$1–$5
Type default range $1–$5
Valuation history (1)
datelowhighcurrencysourcenote
2026-05-10 07:56:04 1.0 5.0 USD ai from claude-sonnet-4-5
Technical

History & extractions

AI extractions (2)
anthropic · claude-opus-4-5 2026-05-10 07:56:04
status: ok · step 2 · $0.1971 · 7369↓ + 1154↑ tokens
anthropic · claude-sonnet-4-5 2026-05-10 07:56:04
status: ok · step 1 · $0.0421 · 7369↓ + 1330↑ tokens
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