Catalog
1 Leone
| Issuer | Bank of Sierra Leone |
|---|---|
| Year | 1974-1984 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Leone (1964-2023) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central vignette presents an intaglio rendering of the Bank of Sierra Leone headquarters building in Freetown, a modern multi-storey structure set against a multicolour guilloche underprint in orange, green and lilac tones. The national coat of arms of Sierra Leone is positioned in the upper right, enclosed within a circular frame. Denomination numerals appear in ornate panels at each lateral corner, with the value spelled out in a cartouche along the lower right, and the printer's imprint reading 'THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY, LIMITED' in small type at the lower centre. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Watermark |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Bank of Sierra Leone opened in 1964, a few years after independence, and the Leone itself was introduced in 1964 to replace the British West African pound at par with the new decimal structure. By the time this series was issued, De La Rue had supplied virtually every piece of Sierra Leone's paper currency — a near-total dependency on a single foreign printer that was common among newly independent West African states but rarely discussed openly in monetary policy of the period.
P#5 ran across a decade-long window, which typically indicates periodic reissues with minor date or signature changes rather than a single print run — worth checking the specific signature combination against known panels.