Supernote
Definition
A high-quality counterfeit capable of passing casual field examination; originally applied to US $100 counterfeits attributed to state-sponsored production with genuine cotton-linen paper and intaglio printing; now applied broadly to any counterfeit defeating UV, transmitted-light, and pen tests.
- Original reference
- Counterfeit US $100 notes
- Attributed origin
- State-sponsored production
- Materials
- Genuine cotton-linen paper, intaglio printing
- Modern usage
- Any counterfeit defeating UV, transmitted-light and pen tests
Common questions
Why do standard field tests like the counterfeit pen fail against a supernote?+
The pen test relies on detecting wood-pulp paper by its starch content, and a supernote is printed on genuine cotton-linen stock that reacts the same as authentic currency. UV and transmitted-light checks similarly fail because the security features and paper substrate are close enough to the real thing to pass casual inspection.
How is a suspected supernote actually confirmed as counterfeit?+
Confirmation requires laboratory-level examination, comparing microprinting, ink composition, and printing plate characteristics against verified genuine and known-counterfeit exemplars rather than field-level presumptive tests. Central bank and law enforcement forensic units maintain reference collections specifically for this comparison.
Related terms
- 365 Nm UV Lamp
- A long-wave ultraviolet lamp used to examine substrate fluorescence, security thread UV response, and UV-reactive features on banknotes; genuine cotton-linen substrate appears...
- 3D Surface Profilometry
- A non-contact optical measurement technique used to quantify the topographic height (Z-height) of intaglio ink ridges; genuine MGNS intaglio measures 15-40 micrometres;...
- Bleached-Genuine Counterfeit
- A counterfeit produced by chemically removing the printed design from a genuine lower-denomination note and reprinting it as a higher denomination; passes...
- Counterfeit Currency Database (CCD)
- The US Secret Service's classification registry of counterfeit production signatures, assigning class codes to each distinct printing-process and denomination combination detected in...
- CVPC (Currency Verification Processing Centre)
- An RBI-designated facility in India where banks submit suspect notes for initial authentication and classification before forensic referral.
- FTIR Spectroscopy (Fourier Transform Infrared)
- A non-destructive analytical technique that measures infrared absorption as a function of wavenumber, producing a spectrum diagnostic of the chemical functional groups...
- Iodine-Starch Test
- The chemical basis of the counterfeit-detector pen: iodine reacts with starch in wood-pulp paper to form a dark blue-black complex, while genuine...
- Raman Spectroscopy
- A non-destructive laser-based technique sensitive to molecular vibration modes in pigments; complements FTIR by characterising pigment molecular structure rather than bulk ink...
- SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Analysis)
- A technique combining high-resolution surface imaging with elemental composition analysis; used to compare metallic-flake elemental ratios in OVI ink and to measure...