Counterfeit Detection: Indonesia 1993 50,000 Rupiah

Indonesia issued the 1993 50,000 Rupiah Commemorative to mark 25 years of rule by President Suharto. There are more than 1,100 examples of Pick# 134a listed in the PMG Population Report. The example here, which is graded PMG 66 Gem Uncirculated EPQ, earned a grade higher than most of those. It sold for €34 in a Crown Currency Auctions sale in October 2024.

With even above-average examples having only a modest numismatic premium, a counterfeiter might look for a way to try to make a note appear more valuable. One option is a fancy serial number, for which collectors will pay extra money. Here is a close-up of a 50,000 Rupiah purportedly with Solid-2 Serial Number of 222222.

Any fancy serial number needs careful examination. Under magnification, it becomes clear that the counterfeiter first attempted to remove any signs of the original serial number. They didn’t do a very good job, because there is quite a bit of fuzziness where the alteration was made. The ZZZ appears to be printed slightly above the original prefix, which appears to have been ZZL. There is also discoloration associated with each 2, and a keen eye can discern that the second digit appears to have originally been a 7.

Another possible way to create the illusion of greater value is to make the note look like an error note. The note below was submitted with a year of 1991 at the center of the front of the note (instead of the expected 1993) as well as some extra text at the bottom right of the note. This text, which seems to refer to Indonesian banknote printer Perum Peruri and includes the year 1991, is absent from issued notes.

However, any excitement about this note is quickly dispelled with a look under heavy magnification. It is easy to see that the area of the year has been treated with a chemical to remove the original date. There is also a fuzziness to the digits in the year that would not be expected with the intaglio printing process associated with nearly all modern banknotes. After removing the date, the counterfeiter ran this note through a printer to add the fake date (over the area where the original one had been removed) as well as the text at the bottom-right.

Not all alterations are this easy to spot. Fancy serial numbers on certain banknotes sometimes carry a substantial numismatic premium, giving counterfeiters incentive to be much more diligent. If you are unsure whether all facets of your note are genuine, remember that PMG backs its determinations of authenticity and grade with the PMG Guarantee.