This week, the Swiss National Bank announced its new series of banknotes. Among others, NMBE paleontologist Ursula Menkveld-Gfeller is responsible for ensuring that the design is particularly forgery-proof. She was approached by the Lausanne-based graphic design studio Emphase GmbH and provided suitable Swiss fossils for the different altitudes represented by the 10 to 1000 franc notes. For example, the future 50 franc note will feature a sauropod from the Jurassic period as a watermark, and the 200 franc note will feature an ammonite. Other watermarks include a fossilized shell, an extinct shark, a fish, and a pterosaur. “I suggested different fossils for each denomination, and then we discussed them. It was important to represent as wide a variety as possible,” says Ursula Menkveld-Gfeller.
And how does it feel for a paleontologist to know that she has contributed to a series of banknotes that everyone will one day hold in their hands? “I haven't really thought about that yet! But I'm very excited. And it was a completely new experience: for the first time in my life, I had to sign a confidentiality agreement,” says Menkveld-Gfeller. The banknotes are expected to hit the market in the early 2030s – a vanishingly small amount of time for fossils.
