Artnote.org
The Art of Charity Cash
ABOUT
The Artist, code named 'Arty".
Colour mixing, my speciality!
The work started in earnest, but I only managed 33 fivers!
Where did it all start?
I have always been fascinated with the intricate designs and the ever changing security features of banknotes, turning me into a frustrated numismatist, a rather unsuccessful collector of rare coins and banknotes. As an artist, it was the banknotes, not the coins, that always caught my attention, especially the misprints.
Over the years I have acquired an unvarnished £5 note, four smudged £20 notes and even a £1 note that reads 'One ound'.
Beyond my grasp were the 'Del Monte' $20 bill that recently sold for $25,000, and the 4 micro engraved 'Jane Austen' £5 notes valued at £30,000 each! I heard that one of the Jane Austen £5 notes was returned to the artist, Graham Short, with a request that he donate it to charity, because the lady that discovered it didn’t need the money!
I was especially moved by this gesture and decided to work to the same agenda... charity.
I had already been working on a similar project for some time. I planned to to reproduce miniature masterpieces onto genuine euro banknotes. When completed, they would be donated to charities. Unlike the plastic currency being introduced into the UK, euro banknotes are still made of cotton, and that makes a great canvas!
Artnote was born.
After setting aside a slew of new euro banknotes for the project, I wrote to the European Central Bank with my proposition. The ECB were predictably cool to the idea, regardless of the charitable intentions.
They wrote, and I quote: “Where national central banks (NCBs) know or have sufficient reason to believe that the genuine euro banknotes have been intentionally damaged or changed, they shall refuse to exchange and shall withhold the euro banknotes, in order to avoid the return of such euro banknotes into circulation or to prevent the applicant from presenting them to another NCB for exchange.”
Although it seemed a little harsh, I can understand why they would take this stance, without it, artwork would be commonplace on our cash and that might confuse the public.
Hey, the good news is, no-one mentioned prosecution!
So there we have it, once altered, the banknotes lose their status as legal tender and have to rely on their newly acquired artistic merit for their value.
If these rare replicas of miniature masterpieces capture the public imagination, they will become extremely desirable and highly collectable, changing hands for many times their face value. That means more cash for charity!
UPDATE 20/05/20
Failing eyesight has forced me to reduce the number of Artnotes
to be hand painted. New amounts and their serial numbers have been published on their respective pages and the FAQ's page.
I am concentrating on making sure there is a full set of Artnotes across the range of note values, rather than quantities.
This just means that if you have an Artnote, it is now a much rarer item!
Keep collecting!
After a long break, work resumed on the artnotes in 2020, in an attempt to finish the set.