Aruba P-21 10 Florin 2019 UNC—White Turtle—Ruins—Owl

The Aruba 10 Florin is the entry note of the 2019 Series — the most secure and visually striking banknotes ever issued by the Centrale Bank van Aruba. Printed by Crane Currency in the United States and launched to the public on 3 June 2019, it introduced a radical departure from the previous series: a vertical format, vivid marine imagery, and cutting-edge security features including the MOTION SURFACE® 3D moving stripe. The obverse celebrates Aruba's underwater world; the reverse honors its colonial and architectural heritage.

Front

• Colors: blue and light blue dominant engraving; multicolor underprint with teal, white, and gold accents
• Central figure: White Turtle (Tortuga Blanco) — the green sea turtle, a beloved symbol of Aruban marine life and conservation, rendered in fine intaglio at center
• Upper: Spotted Trunk Fish (Fototo) — the smooth trunkfish, a distinctive reef species found in Aruban waters
• Lower: Common Sea Fan (Waira di Lama) — a soft coral that forms the backbone of Caribbean reef ecosystems
• Lettering: 10 FLORIN / WETTIG BETAALMIDDEL / TIEN FLORIN / CENTRALE BANK VAN ARUBA / 10
• Signatures: Jeanette R. Semeleer (President of the Central Bank) & Miriam Gonzalez (Director of the Central Bank)

Back

• Colors: blue and gold; pale gold iridescent ink strip with repeated “10”; multicolor underprint
• Central vignette: Bushiribana gold smelter ruins — the remains of a 19th-century gold smelting facility on Aruba's north coast, one of the island's most iconic landmarks
• Additional motifs: symbols and unique floor tiles from Aruba's antique houses; sea turtle at upper
• Iridescent strip: pale gold strip with “10” repeated — visible under normal light, shifts under angle
• Lettering: TIEN FLORIN / WETTIG BETAALMIDDEL / 10 / CENTRALE BANK VAN ARUBA / 1 januari 2019

Other Characteristics

• Varieties: single variety — 2019-Jan-01, JRS/MG — this note
• Catalog numbers: P-21; Plomp# PLAR3.1; TBB# 121a; Numista N#209027
• Watermark: Burrowing Owl head and electrotype bank logo — the Burrowing Owl (Shoco) is Aruba's national bird
• Composition: Paper
• Size: 148 × 74 mm (vertical format)
• Security features: high-relief printing; color-changing ink; MOTION SURFACE® 3D moving stripe with miniaturized micro-optics (Crane Currency)
• Issuing entity: Centrale Bank van Aruba
• Printer: Crane Currency, United States (1801–date)
• Signatures: Jeanette R. Semeleer (President) & Miriam Gonzalez (Director)
• Currency: Aruban florin (1986–date)

The 2019 Series: A Reinvention

After years of preparation and close collaboration with local stakeholders, commercial banks, and international suppliers, the Centrale Bank van Aruba launched the 2019 Series on 17 May 2019, making it available to the public on 3 June 2019. Five new notes — 10, 25, 50, 100, and 200 florin — replaced the previous series entirely. The most visible change: the notes are vertical, a format still rare in Caribbean currency and a bold statement of design intent. Each denomination celebrates a different facet of Aruban nature and culture, with the 10 Florin anchoring the series in the island's marine ecosystem.

The White Turtle: Aruba's Underwater Ambassador

The Tortuga Blanco — the White Turtle — is not a separate species but the local Papiamento name for the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), which nests on Aruban beaches and is a centerpiece of the island's marine conservation efforts. Aruba's waters host nesting sites that have been protected since the 1990s, and the turtle has become a symbol of the island's commitment to its natural heritage. Placing it at the center of the 10 Florin — the most widely circulated denomination — was a deliberate choice to keep conservation visible in everyday life. The Spotted Trunk Fish (Fototo) above and the Common Sea Fan (Waira di Lama) below complete a portrait of the reef ecosystem that surrounds the island.

Bushiribana: Gold, Ruins, and the North Coast

The reverse centers on the Bushiribana gold smelter ruins — the remains of a facility built in 1825 during Aruba's brief but intense gold rush, when the island produced significant quantities of gold before the deposits were exhausted by the 1910s. The ruins sit on Aruba's dramatic north coast, battered by trade winds and surf, and are one of the island's most visited landmarks. Surrounding the ruins are motifs drawn from Aruba's antique house tiles — the distinctive decorative floor tiles found in the island's oldest homes, a legacy of Dutch colonial craftsmanship. Together, the obverse and reverse tell the full story of Aruba: the living sea and the historical land.

The Shoco: Watermark of the National Bird

Hidden in the paper is the watermark portrait of the Burrowing Owl — known in Papiamento as the Shoco — Aruba's national bird. The Shoco is endemic to Aruba and a few neighboring islands, and its population has been under pressure from habitat loss. Its presence as the watermark of every note in the 2019 Series is a quiet but persistent reminder of what the island is working to protect. Hold the note to light and the owl appears.

About Aruba

• Origin of name: Disputed — possibly from the Arawak words ora ubao ("well-situated") or oruba ("accompanied by wind"); the Spanish also used isla de oro (island of gold), though no significant gold was found — or was it?
• Capital: Oranjestad — pop. ~35,000 (2023)
  • Origin of name: Dutch for "Orange City," named after the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family
• Population: ~107,000 (UN 2023) — roughly the size of Peoria, Illinois
• Area: 180 km² (69 mi²) — roughly the size of Washington, D.C.
• GDP per capita (PPP): ~$37,000 (IMF est.) — one of the highest in the Caribbean
• Main exports: Tourism services (~90% of GDP); refined petroleum products (historically); aloe vera
• Borders: None — island nation; nearest neighbors are Venezuela (~29 km south) and Curaçao (~68 km east)
• Official/spoken languages: Papiamento (native creole, primary spoken language); Dutch (official, government and education); English and Spanish widely spoken
• Ethnicities: Mixed Aruban (predominantly Arawak, African, and European descent, ~75%); Dutch and other European (~15%); Latin American (~10%)
• Memberships: Kingdom of the Netherlands (constituent country, 1986–date); CARICOM (observer); ACS (associate member)
• Sovereignty: Status Aparte within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 1 January 1986; not independent — Dutch citizens, Dutch passport, Dutch monarch as head of state

Own this note and hold Aruba's most ambitious banknote series — vertical, vivid, and built with the most advanced security technology available. The turtle swims on the front; the gold smelter stands on the back; the owl watches from the watermark. A 148 × 74 mm portrait of an island.