The Naples Bank Note Company in Florida is a balanced mix of art and science, creating products that raise money for charitable causes, thus fulfilling an inspiration that came to founder Bob Bednar while on a Jesuit spiritual retreat at the University of Scranton a few years ago.  It was there, during a period of professional and personal introspection, that he determined life’s next step.

 He clearly understood his talents and know-how.  And using these assets, Bob set out in a unique direction to develop an enterprise that would provide a powerful product to assist worthy causes in their fundraising efforts.  With the help of a talented artist, and utilizing rarified blends of security paper, Bob creates thematic artwork in the form of bank notes—known as Banknotables—as well as artistic renderings of special people, places and things.  These are then sold, with the overwhelming majority of the proceeds going to the cause.

 Bob spent 25 years working in the security paper industry, a specialized niche within this otherwise commoditized sector.  Of the more than 1,000 mills around the globe, fewer than 2 percent are equipped to produce the contrived paper formulations used for currency, stock certificates, bank notes and the like.  These uniquely blended papers can be identified by specific signatures such as security threads, planchettes (tiny dots made of tissue), and other distinctive marks and materials, many of which fluoresce under ultraviolet light.

 These and other added properties are the same as those employed by sovereign nations to protect their currencies.  There is also full chemical reactivity, which is typically used to reveal any attempt to alter numbers and words on money.  And, in another measure to re-create the secure nature of vital documents, the art has a mean double fold, which enhances its sturdiness, even though it is not meant to endure constant folding, as money in a wallet.

 The Naples Bank Note Company has produced 14 designs to date.  It’s depiction of Dale Earnhardt following his death sold out on QVC; and a limited quantity of an 11”x14” artistic commemorations of the Worcester Fire that cost the lives of six firefighters in December of 1999, is still being sold to raise money to allow the firehouse to purchase a thermal imager, which would have prevented the tragedy.  And a 1,000,000 Euro note (which is not a denomination in production) celebrating the introduction of a common monetary unit in 15 countries, has been newly “minted” by the company.

 The Banknotables strictly adhere to Federal regulations such as US Code 474, which mandates such reproductions must be either 75 or 150 percent of the size of United States legal tender, if copied. Since all of Naples Bank Note Company designs include no parts of United States currency, no laws are compromised. All designs are original and the property of the Naples Bank Note Company and Robert J. Bednar, Jr..  But of course, given their varying subject matter and the beautiful renderings memorializing them, these works of art are quickly identified as such. 

 The 54 year-old Bednar is a perfectionist.  As an expert in the production of secure paper, he’s created a unique product, a striking merging of image and texture worthy of the designation, artwork.  But these products go beyond intrinsic beauty—their greater value lies in the causes they benefit, and the constant reminder of charitable giving whenever they’re seen.

 Bob Bednar grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs where he still maintains a residence.

He is currently a Trustee at the University of Scranton, a Catholic & Jesuit university in Pennsylvania.

 He is a well know expert on Document Security and is considered a Counterfeit Expert.

Bob recently was asked to comment on the new design of the $ 20 Bill by the Wall Street Journal and Coin World magazine.