Catalog
1 Birr - Hailé Selassié I Pattern
| Issuer | Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1931 |
| Type | Coin pattern |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | ቀዳማዊ፡ኀይለ፡ሥላሴ፡ንጉሠ፡ነገሥት፡ዘኢትዮጵያ። (Translation: Hailé Selassié I, King of Kings of Ethiopia) |
| Reverse description | The crowned Lion of Judah, the imperial symbol of Ethiopia, striding left across a grassy ground, holding an upright sceptre or staff in its right forepaw. A radiating sun disc appears above the lion's back, flanked by a six-pointed star to the upper right. The surrounding field bears a Ge'ez legend in two registers along the periphery. The denomination አንድ፡ብር (One Birr) appears in the lower exergue in Ge'ez characters, and additional decorative stars are placed in the lower field. A beaded border frames the entire composition. |
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| Additional information |
The 1931 Ethiopian coinage program coincided with Haile Selassie's formal coronation in November 1930, which drew European royalty and international press in unprecedented numbers — the new emperor was acutely aware that currency carried diplomatic weight. Patterns from this series were struck in limited numbers as submissions for approval before the adopted circulation types were finalized.
KM#Pn28 did not advance to production. The reasons are not definitively recorded, but design rejections at this stage were common as the palace negotiated aesthetics with foreign minting contractors.