Africa

Guinea Bissau lies between Guinea and Senegal on the ‘ bump’ of West Africa. A former Portuguese colony, Guinea Bissau issued currency in its own name until 1993. Then it became part of the West African States Monetary Union and abandoned banknotes in its own name. This quartet of notes in Crisp Uncirculated condition date from the 1990’s when Guinea Bissau still issued its own notes. Denominations included are the 50,100,500 and 1000 pesos (P10-13) A colourful Guinea Bissau Set.

A Crisp Uncirculated pair of notes issued by Ethiopia in 2009. (P47-8) The blue 5 birr references the important coffee industry on the front with and antelope and lynx on the back set against a mountainous background. The brown 10 birr shows a young girl making a straw mat on the front with a farmer in his fields with a tractor. Uncirculated Ethiopian pair.

A quartet of notes from Nigeria, all printed on polymer plastic. It comprises the 5,10, 20 and 50 naira dated 2007 to 2009 (P32-5) The fronts feature portraits of prominent citizens whilst the backs feature traditional dancers, women carrying pots, fishermen preparing fish and a woman at a potter’s wheel. Crisp Uncirculated.

St. Thomas and Prince lies off the coast of West Africa. This island group issued a new set of banknotes last year all printed in polymer plastic. Getting hold of these was exceptionally difficult because of the authorities reluctance to release quantities to visiting dealers. We managed to get some of the 5 and 10 dobras and very pretty they are too! Butterflies are the principal theme. On the back of the 5 dobras a Sao Tome shrew is featured while a Sao Tome Prinia bird perched on a branch is on the back of the 10 dobras Uncirculated.

In 1884 the city of Khartoum was under siege. General Charles Gordon who was in charge of the city needed money to keep his troops on side and to ensure the city could function. To this end he issued notes which bore his facsimile signature in values from the 1 piastre to the 5000 piastres. The Mahdi forces eventually stormed Khartoum and Gordon was killed. Anyone caught with one of these General Gordon issues would have been put to death. We can now offer examples of the 500 piastres note issued by General Gordon. They were necessarily small and crude affairs, printed on cardlike paper on one side only (PS106) A relic of an heroic stand by a legendary 19th century general.

A trio of Uncirculated notes from Tanzania which used to be known as Tanganika and Zanzibar. It’s a colourful set. The front of the 1000 shilingi features a portrait Tanzania’s first President Julius Nyerere while the front of the 2000 shilingi depicts the head of a lion while the head of a rhino is on the 5000 shilingi. Important buildings and a mining operation and diamonds are depicted on the back. Crisp Uncirculated.