Banknotes
In 1971, banknotes were introduced in denominations of ¼, ½, 1, 5 and 10 dinar. 20 dinar notes were added in 2002. On August 27, 2008, the Central Bank of Libya announced a new 50 dinar note and that was scheduled to enter circulation on August 31, 2008. The note is already in circulation and features Muammar Gaddafi on the obverse. Scans of the new note can be found here.
The subjects depicted on the banknotes have not changed since series 2 except for the portrait of Muammar Gaddafi which became the new obverse design of the 1 dinar note in series 4.
After the 2011 revolution overthrew Gaddafi's government, Central Bank Governor Gasem Azzoz said that notes with the ousted strongman's face on them were still in circulation and would be used by the National Transitional Council to pay the salaries of public servants and government employees. The bank is holding a contest for redesigned banknotes that will likely eventually replace the Gaddafi-emblazoned bills.
The central Bank started withdrawing the 50-Dinar note on January 14, 2012. Libyans have until March 15 to hand the note in to banks. Issam Buajila, the media manager of the central bank said that the 1 and 20 Dinar notes will be withdrawn from circulation soon. Omar Elkaber, governor of the central bank, stated that the bank has already started printing new notes.
The Central Bank of Libya has issued a revised 10-dinar banknote with revised features, one example is the removal of the reference of the Gaddafi era "Jamahiriya" from upper right back, plus the use of English on the notes for the first time in two decades. Furthermore, the serial number prefix system has apparently been reset to "1". Two versions of the revised 10-dinar banknote were issued, one with the central bank's name rendered with initial-capitals, which were printed by De La Rue of the U.K. and the other with the central bank's name in all capital letters were printed by Oberthur Technologies of France. Another notable differences for the two notes is both the holographic patch, the symbols on the top left corner on the notes and the date. The De La Rue version is identical to its previous issue, but the only notable difference is the serial number prefix, identified as "7A". The Oberthur Technologies issue has a different holographic patch, the addition of the crescent and star symbol on the top left corner of the note, the serial number prefix as "1" and the date 17.02.2011 (February 17, 2011, the date of the 2011 Libyan revolution and civil war) added below.
A revised 5-dinar banknote was issued with altered features similar to the revised 10-dinar banknote. The English text has replaced the Arabic text on the back, the removal of the Gaddafi era "Jamahiriya" from the front and upper right back of the note, and the Gaddafi era falcon crest has been removed from the monument to the Battle of Al-Hani.
| Banknote Series of the Libyan dinar | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series | Denominations | Colours | Issued Dates | Note |
| 1 | ¼, ½, 1, 5 and 10 dinars | Orange, purple, blue, olive and grey | 1971–1972 | |
| 2 | All green | 1980–1981 | ||
| 3 | Green as the dominant colour, with brown, purple, blue, light green and multicoloured. | 1984 | ||
| 4 | Multicoloured | 1988 –ca. 1990 | English text on ¼, ½, and 5 dinars | |
| 4, revised | Slight change | ca. 1991–1993 | English text on ¼, ½, and 5 dinars note was removed | |
| 5 | ¼, ½, 1, 5, 10 and 20 dinars | Multicoloured | 2002 | |
| 6 | 1, 5 and 10 dinars | Blue, purple and green | 2004 | Easily visible foil (1 and 5 dinars) or hologram (10 dinars) on upper left on the obverse as the new anti-counterfeit device |
| 7 | 1, 5, 10, 20 (Series 2), 50 (Series 1) dinars | Blue, red and green | 2008–2009 | Reworked designs and enhanced security features |
| 7A | 5 and 10 dinars | Red (5 dinars), Green (10 dinars) | 2011-2012 | Identical to the Series 7 issues, but with the removal of the references to the Gaddafi era "Jamahiriya" |
Read more about this topic: Libyan Dinar