if you're a frequent traveler you know all about the need to understand foreign exchange rates
and the value of the us dollar overseas. But what if you actually wanted to use the native
currency of the country you were visiting? Would you ever come across a two dollar note?
Hi I'm John, director of the Two Dollar Bill Documentary. If you're familiar with my channel,
you know i make frequent appearances like this one to answer viewer questions about
the $2 bill. Sometimes the questions are unique, and then there are those that come in so often
i know i absolutely have to answer them in a video. That's the case with this week's topic,
and I'm giving the $2 prize to Vintage Ben. He was the first person who submitted the question,
and he also wrote it the most succinctly: What other countries have two dollar bills? If you
want your chance at a free two dollar bill and a shoutout like Vintage Ben's, go to the Community
page on my channel and submit your question to the proper post. Then make sure you're subscribed with
notifications on so you'll know when I post a new video, which could be the answer to your question.
Now let's get to our tour around the world and a sampling of international $2 bills. We start
in Orlando, Florida, because that's where I was first made aware of the existence of foreign twos.
At the Florida United Numismatists convention, I found a vendor who showed me notes from Fiji,
Jamaica, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, and Barbados. To see some more, I had to do some research.
Ever heard of the Maldives? Neither did I before starting this video. It's an independent island
country in the north central Indian Ocean, about 430 miles from the Asian continent's mainland.
Their unit of currency is known as the rufiyaa. In 1948, they had this two rufiyaa note, but it
was ultimately replaced by a coin in 1995. Too bad - it's a great looking piece of currency. Here's
another country you may need to look up on a map. Officially known as the independent state of Papua
New Guinea. I had to look it up, too. It occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea,
north of Australia. Their currency, known as the kina, featured a two when it was released in 1975.
Just east of the region, the Solomon Islands have one of the more ornate deuces you'll see. Issued
in 1977, this banknote showcases the country's national crest. How about some countries you HAVE
heard of, like Brazil? Their official currency is known as the "real." Their two dollar denomination
was first introduced in 1994, but a slight redesign in 2010 led to what is now the current
two real note, which features a hawksbill turtle as the animal of choice on the backside.
In Afghanistan, currency notes are known as afghanis. As recently as 2002, this two dollar
banknote was issued, but by 2005, the one, two and five afghanis were replaced by coins.
Here's one of South Africa's two rand, one of several notes of the region between 1961 and 1978,
before the 10 became the lowest denomination in 1992. This is a collector's item now if
you can get one. In Honduras, the first lampira banknotes were issued in 1932.
A two-lempira denomination has been in circulation ever since. One of the more interesting notes I
came across was found in Pakistan. The rupee was first issued in 1948, and the one was the most
popular note. But in 1953, a small quantity of two rupee notes were released. It's unlikely this note
was treated the same way as the two dollar bill here in the United States, but unlike our note,
it actually IS rare and hard to find. And then there's Georgia. No, not this Georgia. This one,
in Russia. The ruble was replaced with a form of currency known as the kupani in 1993. By 2002,
this two featuring Georgian composer Zechariah Polyishvilli was issued,
and they even added a 200 kupani note to the mix. Nearby, in Ukraine, the hyrvnia has been
the national currency since September of 1996 and has always included this two-hryvnia note.
Like the United States, they also have denominations in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, etcetera.
But they followed Georgia's lead by adding a 200-hyrvnia note as well. And, staying in
that region, you should all know about Kazakhstan because of the film character Borat. In 1993, the
tenge form of currency was introduced. Each one unit of tenge consists of 100 tiyn, which would
be the equivalent of coins here in the United States. There is a two tiyn note, pictured here.
If you ever visit Zambia, be sure to bring your two dollar kwacha.
These have been in issues since 1976 and feature a portrait of president Kenneth Canuta. And what
list would be complete without mentioning our neighbors to the north: Canada. They've produced
several iterations of the $2 bill, most recently this from the Birds of Canada series in 1986.
But in 1996, this bill was discontinued in favor of a two-dollar coin known as the toonie.
Some have suggested that the United States do the same. What really got me interested
in making this video is when a viewer sent me a unique gift - a two dollar bill from
Antarctica. Since it's unlikely I'll ever go there, this will remain a collector's item.
And speaking of collectors, you don't have to have a foreign two dollar bill to have a collectible.
In this video over my right shoulder, you can learn all about the ways your American
two dollar bill might be something worth keeping. Thanks for watching this video... and that one.