1 Birr / 1 Ethiopian Dollar - Haile Selassie I

Ethiopia adopted the birr name in 1945 but retained the parallel "Ethiopian Dollar" designation for international purposes — the dual naming on this series reflects a deliberate bridging of domestic and foreign-facing identity during a period when Haile Selassie's government was actively courting Western trade and investment. Thomas De La Rue had printed Ethiopian currency since the early post-war reconstruction period, and the relationship was continuous through the late imperial issues.

This note was already in its final years of relevance when printed. The 1974 Derg coup that deposed Selassie ended the series abruptly, and surviving circulated examples from the late 1960s often show heavy use — the 1 Birr denomination was a workhorse note in daily commerce.