Smith & Ouzman prints local currencies
Smith & Ouzman has printed local currency for Lewes and Brixton as part of the Transition Town movement to help boost local trade, bring local communities together and strengthen local economies in preparation for a low carbon future.
Printing pounds
In September 2008, Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, launched its own local currency - the Lewes Pound. Following the success of the first issue, which was valid for just one year, Smith & Ouzman was commissioned by The Lewes Pound Group to print a second issue of the Lewes Pound notes with improved security print features, higher denominations and a longer validation period.
In September 2009, Brixton followed suit and became the first urban town to introduce its own local currency.
Tailored security print features
Smith & Ouzman printed notes in denominations of One, Five, Ten and Twenty-One Lewes Pounds and One, Five, Ten and Twenty Brixton Pounds, incorporating multiple security print features to protect the notes against counterfeiting and forgery.
A variety of overt and covert security devices were used, including watermarked paper with embedded fibres, sequential serial numbering, ultraviolet (UV) ink that fluoresces under UV light, micro-text and a hologram foil.
Patrick Crawford from the Lewes Pound Group commented: “The knowledge and support attained from our partnership with Smith & Ouzman has allowed us to improve significantly the security of our Lewes Pound notes and provide multiple denominations that can only increase the prosperity of the town.”
Designs for the community
The Lewes Pound and Brixton Pound notes have been designed to commemorate local heroes and notable figureheads.
The design on the front of all the Lewes Pound notes bears the effigy of Thomas Paine, the 18th century radical thinker who lived in Lewes for six years. In fact, the launch of the new Lewes Pounds took place on 3 July 2009, which coincided with Lewes Town Council’s annual celebration of Thomas Paine, when the local community commemorates his life and work.
Each of the Brixton Pound notes commemorates a local hero, voted by the people of Brixton. These include:
- £1 – Olive Morris, a radical political activist and community organiser who established the Brixton Black Women’s Group.
- £5 – James Lovelock, an independent scientist and environmentalist who resided in Brixton from 1925-1933.
- £10 – C L R James, the Trinidadian journalist, historian, socialist thinker and anti-colonialist who chose to spend his final years on the ‘front line’ of Brixton.
- £20 – Vincent Van Gogh, who moved to Brixton aged 20, and reportedly returned to Holland a changed man, having witnessed the impacts of poverty on his daily walk from Brixton to Covent Garden.
For further information on the Lewes Pound notes and Brixton Pound notes, visit www.thelewespound.org and www.thebrixtonpound.org.
