Just a few days after the CBN released the new Naira notes into circulation, there’s been calls from many quarters that counterfeit copies of the new Naira notes have flooded the market.
Many people have complained that there isn’t much difference between the old Naira notes and the new one save for the change in color.
However, the CBN begs to differ, as the bank has started sensitizing Nigerians and the general public on the many distinct changes that come with the new Naira notes.
Apart from the color change, there have been a host of security improvements that are clearly designed on the notes.
In this post, we’ll look at the new Naira notes to identify the new changes and differentiate them from counterfeit copies.
The New 1000 Naira Note
The new 1000 naira note has a host of changes on the front and back, many of which are hard to replicate in a counterfeit.
Front of the 1000 Naira Note
First on the front, you can see an intaglio raised print at the left side of the note, behind the human images.
Then just after the human images, you will see a green inverted triangle that changes from green to blue if you view it from different angles.
Then on the right side of the note, you can see a watermark of the human portrait. You might need light behind the note to properly see this.
Just below that and slightly above the “1000” figure, you will see a golden kinegram inscribed with the Nigerian coat of arms and “1000” below it.
Back of the 1000 Naira Note
At the back of the note, the portrait watermark is replicated at the left side.
Above the CBN building image on the note, you will find a small circle with a see-through.
Then, above that you have the Central Bank of Nigeria written with an iridescent band which changes color when you view it from a different angle.
On the right side of the note, just above the serial number, is the coat of arms in a circular patch that is printed with a raised intaglio.
Then slightly to the right, there is a windowed metallic security thread that runs across the note.
The New 500 Naira Note
The new 500 naira note comes with a lot of changes that differentiates it from the old notes and other counterfeit copies.
Front of the 500 Naira Note
On the left side, the first thing you will see is a see-through emblem just by the side of the year (2022).
Just beneath that and immediately under the serial number, you will see a silver patch which serves as an anti-scan technology.
Then the human portrait is visibly a hand engraved portrait with dark shades around the face.
The windowed metallic security thread runs across the note this time almost at the center of the note.
On the right side, the portrait watermark appears with a CBN 500 watermark beneath it. You may need lighting behind the note to see this clearly.
Finally, on the right bottom side of the note, there is a 500 figure written with optically variable ink which changes from blue to green when viewed from different angles.
Back of the 500 Naira Note
At the left side of the back of the 500 Naira note, you can see the portrait again from the see-through oval patch.
Then the N500 at the lower right side of the note is written with a raised intaglio print.
The New 200 Naira Note
The new 200 naira note is quite similar in design to the new 500 naira note, but with a few changes to make it distinct.
Front of the 200 Naira Note
On the left side of the note, just beneath the serial number, you will see a silver patch which serves as an anti-scan technology. It has a coat of arms embossed on it.
Then the human portrait is visibly a hand engraved portrait with shades around the side of the face.
The windowed metallic security thread runs across the note this time almost at the center of the note.
On the right side, the human portrait watermark appears with a CBN 200 watermark beneath it. You may need lighting behind the note to see this clearly.
Finally, on the right bottom side of the note, there is a 200 figure written with optically variable ink which changes from blue to green when viewed from different angles.
Back of the 200 Naira Note
At the left side of the back of the 200 Naira note, you can see the portrait again from the white patch.
Then there is a see-through almost at the center of the note where the cattle portrait appears.
The see-through also appears on the emblem at the far right end of the note.
Then the N200 at the lower right side of the note is written with a raised intaglio print.
Conclusion
Now you know how to differentiate the new Naira notes with counterfeit copies when you encounter them.
A counterfeit copy of the naira would not have most of the distinct features of the original naira.
But you don’t need to know all the security features of a naira note to differentiate it. Just two features is enough to know a real naira note.
For example, the windowed metallic security thread that runs across the note, the golden kinegram, and the anti-scan patch are features that will be hard to replicate in a counterfeit naira note.