The Paradox of Counterfeit Deterrence and Detection

When we look at a piece of art, what exactly are we seeing? This of course depends on who we are, expert or amateur; but it also depends on our mood, our state of mind, and how much time we have.

For example, a connoisseur of, say, the Dutch artist, Vermeer, would instantly spot a bad fake, but might need a little more time if the work had been copied by a competent painter in the style of Vermeer – something which would be beyond the capabilities of the great majority of amateurs, however much time they have.

Most banknotes are small but highly complex works of art: central banks proudly promote their new designs, highlighting the new public recognition security (L1) features so as to make the designs more distinguishable and identifiable, thereby hopefully making any counterfeit more conspicuous… and for the first two or three times we look at our banknotes, we admire the complexity of the designs with their eye-catching new security features, be they ink, thread or foil.