The National Bank of Ukraine issued a 20-hryvnia commemorative bank note on Sept. 1 in honor of the 160th anniversary of the birth of writer and poet Ivan Franko. More than a writer, Franko is called one of the architects of the Ukrainian nation.

The notes complement the 2006 coins dedicated to his 150th birthday. A million pieces will be printed, with 20,000 of them being packed in souvenir envelopes and sold by the bank’s representatives in Ukraine for 31 hryvnia each. At current exchange rates 20 hryvnia is the equivalent of 75 U.S. cents.

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The paper used contains Ukrainian flax that the bank claims reduces costs and adds strength. 

The predominantly green note also has color and motion shifting properties. It has a portrait of Franko on its face and an image of the Lviv Opera House on the back. These devices are also on the regular issue 20-hryvnia note in circulation since 2003, but the commemorative note has a slightly more modern appearance.