I have recently come back from a trip to China. In a ATM machine in the city of Jinan, Shangdong province I got a 100 yuan 1999 banknote with an interesting serial. It is ZZ 00079890. I am wondering if this is a replacement banknote?
Hope for any response.
// Joakim

Possible but I somewhat doubt it. Since China prints an awful amount of bills and the exchange rate of 100 yuan is like 15USD-20USD (?), think about how much bills are needed, including replacing them overtime.

The 100 Yuan note is the largest denomination printed in China currently. When I was there a few months ago the exchange rate would be about $12.00 for that note. Needless to say you carried lots of them or exchanged dollars for them often.

The ZZ prefix on Chinese banknotes is for a replacement note.


On the 100 Yuan polymer note was an " I " for a replacement

Thanks for the input!
This is my first replacement banknote I have got as change. Strange that it would be coming from China and not Sweden where I live (in Sweden replacement banknotes have a star in the serial numbers)!

Congratulation on your first replacement note. My ATM experience was when I got the whole lot of 20 pieces of Singapore $50 Bird Series. Naturally, I was very happy. I sold all of them away for a marginal profit. That was many years ago.

Traditionally, banknotes printed under the Thomas De La Rue printer uses Z as a replacement. Earlier notes from Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and many Commonwealth countries uses Z as a replacement. It can be in various format of prefixes ZZ Z/1, 1ZZ etc. Some even use a combination of both ZZ and asterick.