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1 Birr - Menelik II Pattern - Right foreleg raised
| Issuer | Ethiopian Empire |
|---|---|
| Year | 1900 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Birr / Thaler (አንድ፡ብር) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The Lion of Judah passant to the right, with right foreleg raised, wearing an imperial crown and grasping a staff bearing a Cross of Jerusalem from which a banner flows. The lion stands on a grassy groundline in high relief, rendered with fine naturalistic detail including a full flowing mane. A circular Ge'ez legend reading the dynastic motto surrounds the central device, enclosed within a decorative rectangular border, with the denomination inscription in Ge'ez script in the lower exergue. |
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| Edge | Smooth with embossed inscriptions |
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| Additional information |
Pattern coinage for Menelik II was produced in the context of his government's attempt to establish a nationally issued silver currency capable of displacing the Maria Theresa Thaler, which had dominated Ethiopian trade for well over a century and remained the preferred medium of exchange across the Horn of Africa. The Pn5 variety — distinguished by the raised right foreleg — is one of several competing pattern designs submitted around 1900, none of which entered full production in this form.
The Paris Mint handled the work. Full circulation coinage for Ethiopia would not be struck until 1903.