Peruvian Money Security, Features ,Counterfeits

Verify the money you get!

Every time we get a banknote we observe it with greater or lesser attention. It mostly depends on the value (higher value, longer observation), the situation or from whom we might be getting it. The modern Peruvian Banknotes have all similar security features and therefore verifying the authenticity of a 200 Nuevo Soles bill shouldn't take longer then for a 10 Nuevo Soles one. As you might not be that familiar with the Peruvian money the biggest question will be on what details you should concentrate to make sure that you're not carrying counterfeits in the wallet! With the introduction of the Euro there has been also globally the implementation of a very simple concept: Feel, Look & Tilt. This concept is lately also promoted by the Central Reserve Bank of Peru. To make sure you don't have any surprises we'll explain this concept together with many pictures to visualize the security features like: Intaglio printing, watermarks, security thread, micro lettering and the use of optical variable ink.

Feel, Look & Tilt Method

The three simple steps of feel, look and tilt can easily be applied to the Peruvian Nuevo Sol banknotes:

Feel

What should you feel? First of all it is important to mention that the Peruvian money is printed on "paper" made from 100 percent cotton, which gives the banknote a unique texture and much more resistance then ordinary paper. Another thing you can feel are the details on the bill printed with the intaglio technic - relief printing (by passing your fingers over certain areas such as the printed name of the Central Reserve Bank, the National Emblem and others). Be aware that age and wear can negate some of these properties.

Look

Hold the banknote up to a light source and the area free of prints will be displaying the image of the personality of that particular bill as a watermark. This is a basic security feature that most currencies world wide possess. The watermark has multitone and three dimensional features that are not that easy to counterfeit. Also, the watermark is formed by different thicknesses in the paper so it appears sharp. On fake banknotes the watermark is printed on, looks blurry and lacks the appearance of the multi-dimensional image.

Tilt

There are security features that require the slight tilting of the banknote, as there are some details printed with an ink that changes its color when turned slightly (optical variable ink, also known as OVI by its acronym). The value printed on the right side of the bills changes from fuchsia to gold-green on the 10, 20, 50 and 100 Nuevo Soles and from green to blue on the 200 Nuevo Soles. As it is very difficult to describe these features we have included below various pictures to help you identify counterfeit banknotes a little bit easier.

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Security Features of Peruvian Banknotes

The modern Peruvian currency (Nuevo Sol) has been in circulation from 1991 and since then undergone a couple of improvements of the security features. Today all banknotes have similar security features and this makes the verifying process much easier. Please click on the thumbnails/pictures below...

10 Nuevo Soles - Security Features

Please click on the Thumbnails for details...

• The watermark displays the image of the personality (José Abelardo Quiñones Gonzáles) with multitone and three dimensional features.
• The security thread is a plastic strip that is inserted into the paper. Hold the banknote up to a light source and the text PERU 10 will appear crisp without any irregularities.
• On the front there is a circle, actually an Inca design depicting the head of a Puma. On the back there is a ring and the center part is white. Holding the banknote up to a light source both images should line-up perfectly.
• By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The value of 10 should appear.
• By using a magnifying glass the micro lettering PERU should appear repeatedly in the number 10 (bill value).
• Around the personality on the banknote is a shadow created by using micro lettering of the word PERU.
• Under the writing "Banco Central de Reserva del Perú" (top left corner) is a line created with micro lettering (repeatedly the text: BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU).
• Below the National Emblem (right side) is the value of the banknote printed with optical variable ink. By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The 10 changes from fuchsia to gold-green.

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20 Nuevo Soles - Security Features

Please click on the Thumbnails for details...

• The watermark displays the image of the personality (Mr. Raúl Porras Barrenechea) with multitone and three dimensional features.
• The security thread is a plastic strip that is inserted into the paper. Hold the banknote up to a light source and the text PERU 20 will appear crisp without any irregularities.
• On the front there is a circle, actually an Inca design depicting the head of a Puma. On the back there is a ring and the center part is white. Holding the banknote up to a light source both images should line-up perfectly.
• By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The value of 20 should appear.
• By using a magnifying glass the micro lettering PERU should appear repeatedly in the number 20 (bill value).
• Around the personality on the banknote is a shadow created by using micro lettering of the word PERU.
• When tilting the banknote up/down a reflective stripe becomes visible partially covering the face of the personality. Within the strip appear repeatedly the 20 (value) and BCRP (Banco Central Reserva Peru).
• Below the National Emblem (right side) is the value of the banknote printed with optical variable ink. By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The 20 changes from fuchsia to gold-green.

Without a picture - Looks the same as on the 10 Nuevos Soles bill:

Under the writing "Banco Central de Reserva del Perú" (top left corner) is a line created with micro lettering (repeatedly the text: BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU).

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50 Nuevo Soles - Security Features

Please click on the Thumbnails for details...

• The watermark displays the image of the personality (Mr. Abraham Valdelomar Pinto) with multitone and three dimensional features.
• The security thread is a plastic strip that is inserted into the paper. Hold the banknote up to a light source and the text PERU 50 will appear crisp without any irregularities. Additionally, if you look closely at the part of the security thread that is on the surface of the banknote a hologram appears with the profile of some fighting cocks and by slightly turning it the profile of a larger cock shows up.
• On the front there is a circle, actually an Inca design depicting the head of a Puma. On the back there is a ring and the center part is white. Holding the banknote up to a light source both images should line-up perfectly.
• By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The value of 50 should appear.
• By using a magnifying glass the micro lettering PERU should appear repeatedly in the number 50 (bill value).
• Around the personality on the banknote is a shadow created by using micro lettering of the word PERU.
• Under the writing "Banco Central de Reserva del Perú" (top left corner) is a line created with micro lettering (repeatedly the text: BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU).
• Below the National Emblem (right side) is the value of the banknote printed with optical variable ink. By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The 50 changes from fuchsia to gold-green.

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100 Nuevo Soles - Security Features

Please click on the Thumbnails for details...

• The watermark displays the image of the personality (Mr. Jorge Basadre Grohmann) with multitone and three dimensional features.
• The security thread is a plastic strip that is inserted into the paper. Hold the banknote up to a light source and the text PERU 100 will appear crisp without any irregularities. Additionally, if you look closely at the part of the security thread that is on the surface of the banknote a hologram appears with a map of Peru and by slightly turning it will change its color.
• On the front there is a circle, actually an Inca design depicting the head of a Puma. On the back there is a ring and the center part is white. Holding the banknote up to a light source both images should line-up perfectly.
• By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The value of 100 should appear.
• By using a magnifying glass the micro lettering PERU should appear repeatedly in the number 100 (bill value).
• Around the personality on the banknote is a shadow created by using micro lettering of the word PERU.
• When tilting the banknote up/down a reflective stripe becomes visible partially covering the face of the personality. Within the strip appear repeatedly the 100 (value) and BCRP (Banco Central Reserva Peru).
• Below the National Emblem (right side) is the value of the banknote printed with optical variable ink. By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The 100 changes from fuchsia to gold-green.

Without a picture - Looks the same as on the 10 & 50 Nuevos Soles bill:

Under the writing "Banco Central de Reserva del Perú" (top left corner) is a line created with micro lettering (repeatedly the text: BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU).

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200 Nuevo Soles - Security Features

Please click on the Thumbnails for details...

• The watermark displays the image of the personality (Saint Rose of Lima - Santa Rosa de Lima) with multitone and three dimensional features.
• The security thread is a plastic strip that is inserted into the paper. Hold the banknote up to a light source and the text PERU 200 will appear crisp without any irregularities.
• On the front and back of the 200 Nuevo Sol bill are to circles. The one on the front contains colors the one on the back only outlines. Holding the banknote up to a light source both images should line-up perfectly and when the banknote is viewed from the back the colors and outlines should form a symbolized rose.
• By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The value of 200 should appear.
• By using a magnifying glass the micro lettering PERU should appear repeatedly in the number 200 (bill value).
• Around the personality on the banknote is a shadow created by using micro lettering of the word PERU.
• Under the writing "Banco Central de Reserva del Perú" (top left corner) is a line created with micro lettering (repeatedly the text: BANCO CENTRAL DE RESERVA DEL PERU).
• Below the National Emblem (right side) is the value of the banknote printed with optical variable ink. By placing the banknote horizontally in front of the eye, start tilting it up/down. The 200 changes from green to blue.

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Counterfeit Banknotes - Fake Bills (Comparison)

Watermarks on genuine and counterfeit Peruvian banknotes

Below are some examples of genuine and counterfeit Peruvian banknotes using the watermark for the comparison. Hold the banknote up to a light source and the area free of prints will be displaying the image of the personality of that particular bill as a watermark. The genuine watermark has multitone and three dimensional features. On fake bills the watermark is printed on, looks blurry and lacks the appearance of the multi-dimensional image.

Please click on the Thumbnails for details...

Color changing feature on genuine and counterfeit Peruvian banknotes

Below are some examples of genuine and counterfeit Peruvian banknotes using the color changing feature for the comparison. When slightly tilting the genuine banknotes the value printed on the right side changes from fuchsia to gold-green on the 10, 20, 50 and 100 Nuevo Soles and from green to blue on the 200 Nuevo Soles. On genuine banknotes these value numbers have been printed with optical variable ink (also known as OVI by its acronym). This security feature is very easy to identify and very difficult to counterfeit!

Please click on the Thumbnails for details...

Hidden value feature on genuine and counterfeit Peruvian banknotes

Below are some examples of genuine and counterfeit Peruvian banknotes using the hidden value feature for the comparison. When slightly tilting the genuine banknotes the value emerges in the little square box located on the bottom (left side, front) of the bill. Depending on the value a 10, 20, 50, 100 or 200 should be visible. This security feature is also very easy to identify and should help you to identify counterfeits!