Valid banknotes

The currency unit in the Slovak republic is the Slovak crown (slovenska koruna), abbreviation Sk, ISO code SKK. Banknotes in circulation are in the following seven denominations: 5000 Sk, 1000 Sk, 500 Sk, 200 Sk, 100 Sk, 50 Sk, and 20 Sk.

The first new Slovak banknote of 50 Sk has been put into circulation on 29 August 1993, followed by four further denominations. The emission of the new series has been finished in 1995 by issuing of banknotes 5000 Sk a 200 Sk.

In 1995 the National Bank of Slovakia has put into circulation reprints of banknotes 20 Sk, 50 Sk, and 1000 Sk (all series 1995), followed in 1996 by reprints of banknotes 100 Sk and 500 Sk (series 1996). There are some changes in the design of the said banknotes and used inks with the aim to assure better distinguishing of the banknotes in the everyday circulation.

Banknotes reprinted in 1999 and 2000 have a few supplementary security features, designed to ensure increased protection against forgery. On 200 Sk, 1000 Sk and 5000 Sk banknote series 1999 and 500 Sk series 2000 apart from localised watermarks, the reprints notes contain an additional highlight watermark and the reverse of the new banknote has an iridescent coating, which is overlapped by lines forming a stylised picture. On the coupon of the banknotes are stylised features printed in optically variable ink. On Sk 5000 notes above metallic foil there is applied a crescent-shaped KINEGRAM^R. On the front side of the banknote the high reflection golden foil is hot stamped.

In December 1999 the National Bank of Slovakia has issued the second emission of all seven denominations of banknotes series 1993 and 1995, which differ from the originally issued banknotes by the applied silver, resp. gold metallic foil with the text commemorating the year 2000, localised in the bottom part of the coupon. Banknotes printed on the ocassion of the Bimilenium were issued in fallowing limited quantities:

Nominˇlna hodnota	20 Sk	50 Sk	100 Sk	200 Sk	500 Sk	1000 Sk	5000 Sk
Po¨et kusov	330 000	168 750	133 000	108 000	67 200	40 600	10 800

The author of artistic design of all Slovak banknotes is Jozef Bubak. The Slovak banknotes have been printed in three different printing works BA Banknote (Canada), Thomas De La Rue (UK) and Giesecke & Devrient (Germany).

Main motifs on the front side of the banknotes represents important personalities living in the territory of the present Slovakia in various historical eras. On the back side of the banknotes these motifs are completed by depicting places where these personalities lived and were acitive.

Coins

The currency unit of the Slovak Republic is the Slovak crown (koruna, Sk), the abbreviation being Sk and the ISO-code SKK. The Slovak crown is divided into 100 hellers (halier, the abbreviation being hal). There are seven coins of the nominal value 10 Sk, 5 Sk, 2 Sk, 1 Sk, 50 hal, 20 hal and 10 hal, which together represent the current Slovak coinage. Validity of coins in nominal value 10 hellers series 1993 and coins in nominal value 20 hellers series 1993 terminated on 31 December 2003.

After the coming into existence of the Slovak Republic, the first Slovak coin to be released, at a nominal value of 10 Sk, was put into circulation on February 8, 1993, followed by the other coins, and concluded with the issue of the 10 hal coin (the lowest value), on October 29, 1993. Coins entering circulation in 1993 are marked as series 1993.

The basic material used for coins of lower nominal values is an alloy of aluminium and 2% or 4% magnesium. Coins of higher nominal values have a core of steel electroplated with nickel, bronze or copper. The coin with the highest nominal value, 10 Sk, is struck from aluminium and bronze alloy.

In 1996, the 50 hal coin, series 1996, was issued. It circulates parallel with the 50 hal coin with the same design from 1993. Its motif is identical with that of the original 50 hal coin; technical parameters and the material of the coin only have been changed. The base of the coin is carbon steel electroplated with copper.

The designer of all the coins, produced by Kremnica Mint, is Drahomir Zobek.

The obverse of the coins is of a unified composition. For coins of all nominal values, the coat of arms of the Slovak Republic is in the top half of the coin field. The name of the state appears on two lines under the coat of arms of the state, and the year of issue is further down. The Kremnica Mint mark "MK" is seen in the bottom of the coin field under the year of issue. Immediately beneath this is the letter "Z", indicating the initial of the surname of the designer of the coins.

On the reverse of the coins, there are, in addition to the nominal values, various historical motifs from the area of present day Slovakia.

National Bank of Slovakia