៛100 — One Hundred Riels
The artwork
Front: The Independence Monument in Phnom Penh, the lotus-shaped stupa tower raised in 1958 to mark the end of French rule, drawn in deep purple against palms and low city rooftops. To its right, one of the guardian lions on its plinth. The issuer's name in Khmer runs along the top, the value "មួយរយរៀល 100" across the foot, with a naga's tail curling up the left of the vignette.
Back: A long, low colonnaded school building with a pedimented central block, its forecourt full of pupils and teachers — a scene of ordinary school life rather than ceremony. Guilloche rosettes and a pale green foliate medallion fill the field behind. "NATIONAL BANK OF CAMBODIA" and the date 2001 sit top right in Latin script, the only non-Khmer wording on the note.
In circulation
Dated 2001 and issued in quantity as the workhorse small note of the decade, it stayed in everyday use long after — 100 riel remains legal tender. A redesigned 100 riel dated 2014, carrying King Norodom Sihamoni, has since taken over the denomination, though older 2001 pieces still turn up in change.
Details
- IssuerNational Bank of Cambodia (ធនាគារជាតិនៃកម្ពុជា)
- CurrencyRiel (៛)
- DenominationOne Hundred Riels
- Collectedon the Cambodia journey, 2009
- SeriesDated 2001
- SignatureTwo signatures in Khmer, Governor (ទេសាភិបាល) and General Cashier (អគ្គបេឡា)
- SecurityRed serial number with two-letter Khmer prefix (កប)