Currency of Sweden 20 Krona banknote 2015 Astrid Lindgren
Swedish National Bank - Sveriges Riksbank
Obverse: Children's writer Astrid Lindgren (1907–2002) is known world-wide for her children's books about Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga and many others. Portrait engraved after a photograph by Jacob Forsell, 1987. Denomination as registration device. Microtext that can be read with the aid of a magnifying glass (Text in Astrid Lindgren’s hair: Astrid Lindgren, Skolbiblioteket 1958:3, in translation: I want to write for readers who can perform miracles. Only children perform miracles when they read. That's why children need books.): Jag vill skriva för en läsekrets som kan skapa mirakel. Barn skapar mirakel när de läser. Därför behöver barn böcker.
At left: Three Crowns, Open books and walking child - Pippi Longstocking after an illustration by Ingrid Vang Nyman. The first book about Pippi was published in 1945.
Open books:
From the first book about Pippi: Minitext that can be read with the aid of a magnifying glass - Text in the book at the bottom (from Pippi Longstocking, first edition 1945, in translation: Suppose you go home now, said Pippi, so that you can come back tomorrow. Because if you don't go home you can't come back, and that would be a shame. Pippi): Om ni skulle ta och gå hem nu, sa Pippi, så att ni kan komma tillbaka igen i morgon. För att om ni inte går hem så kan ni ju inte komma tillbaka. Och det vore ju synd. Pippi
Squigglypills: Minitext that can be read with the aid of a magnifying glass - Text in the book at the bottom (from Pippi in the South Seas, first edition 1948, in translation: Little squiggle, you are clever, I do not want to grew up ever. Pippi): Fina lilla krumelur, jag vill aldrig bliva stur. Pippi
The enchanted place: Minitext that can be read with the aid of a magnifying glass - Text in the book at the top (from Om läshunger, essay by Astrid Lindgren in the magazine Vi husmödrar 1956:10, in translation: A childhood without books – that would be no childhood. That would be like being shut out from the enchanted place where you can go and find the rarest kind of joy. Astrid): En barndom utan böcker, det vore ingen barndom. Det vore att vara utestängd från det förtrollade landet, där man kan hämta den sällsammaste av all glädje. Astrid
Three Crowns (Swedish: Tre Kronor) is a national emblem of Sweden, present in the coat of arms of Sweden, and composed of three yellow or gilded coronets ordered two above and one below.
Reverse: Environment motif from Småland - A Småland forest road with stone wall. The provincial flower of Småland, the Linnaea or twinflower. Astrid Lindgren’s Småland - Map of Sweden with the province of Småland marked, where Astrid Lindgren grew up on a farm called Näs, near Vimmerby.
Signature: Johan Gernandt and Stefan Ingves.
Watermark: Astrid Lindgren and electrotype 20.
Measures: 120 x 66 millimetres.
Thickness: 125 micrometres +/- 10%.
Colour: Violet.
Banknote paper: Manufactured of cotton fibres that are not fluorescent, which is to say they do not emit any light under ultraviolet light (other types of paper may emit a bluish glow).
Banknote numbers: The letters indicate the year in which the banknote was printed. A = 2013, B = 2014 etc. The two first digits indicate where on the printing sheet the banknote was printed. The final seven digits are a serial number.
Printer: Tumba Bruk - Tumba Bruk is the printing company responsible for manufacturing of the Swedish krona banknotes.
Watermark: Watermark with the banknote's denomination and portrait that are visible when you hold the banknote to the light. The denomination appears significantly lighter than the rest of the paper.
See-through picture: A pattern that, together with a matching pattern on the reverse, forms the denomination when you hold the banknote to the light.
UV image: UV image (three crowns) that fluoresces (glows) yellow and blue under ultraviolet light.
UV fibres: UV fibres spread across the entire banknote that fluoresce (glow) yellow and blue under ultraviolet light.
Security thread: Security thread embedded in the banknote paper. Visible as a dark line when you hold the banknote up to the light.
Intaglio print: Intaglio print, which makes the paper feel like a banknote and gives it a noticeable raised surface. Run your thumb over it or scrape lightly with a fingernail. Intaglio printing has been used for the portrait, denominations and the text SVERIGESRIKSBANK.
Colour-shifting image: Colour-shifting image linked to the person portrayed on the banknote, in this case a book. The banknote's denomination, 20, is also shown in the image. The image and the denomination gradually change colour between gold and green when you tilt the banknote.