Pick 3 is the highest denomination of Serbia's first domestic banknote series, authorized under the Law on the Privileged National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbia passed in 1873 — though the bank itself didn't open until 1884. These notes were issued well before that, as a provisional state instrument rather than a true central bank product, giving the series an awkward institutional status that confused foreign creditors at the time.
Courselles-Dumont's involvement likely accounts for the relatively refined engraving quality; the Dumont firm had a working relationship with several Balkan states navigating the leap from Ottoman-era coinage systems to paper currency. Watermarking was included specifically to counter counterfeiting fears in a market where public trust in paper money was nearly nonexistent.
Pick 3 is the highest denomination of Serbia's first domestic banknote series, authorized under the Law on the Privileged National Bank of the Kingdom of Serbia passed in 1873 — though the bank itself didn't open until 1884. These notes were issued well before that, as a provisional state instrument rather than a true central bank product, giving the series an awkward institutional status that confused foreign creditors at the time.
Courselles-Dumont's involvement likely accounts for the relatively refined engraving quality; the Dumont firm had a working relationship with several Balkan states navigating the leap from Ottoman-era coinage systems to paper currency. Watermarking was included specifically to counter counterfeiting fears in a market where public trust in paper money was nearly nonexistent.