Catalog
10 Afghanis
| Issuer | Da Afghanistan Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1979 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First afghani (1925-2003) |
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| Obverse description | The seal of Da Afghanistan Bank occupies the upper centre of the obverse, incorporating an Eucratides I-era coin (171–145 BC) with a cornucopia in the foreground, framed by traditional Afghan ornamental arabesques. Guilloche underprint patterns fill the field, with denomination numerals in the upper corners. The bank's name appears in both Dari script and Latin lettering across the top panel. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | A central intaglio vignette presents a panoramic view of the Salang Pass (elevation 3,878 m), with a mountain road winding through dramatic rocky terrain beneath snow-capped peaks connecting northern Afghanistan with Parwan Province. Elaborate guilloche scrollwork borders frame the vignette on both sides, with denomination numerals in Arabic script in the upper corners and the numeral "10" with the legend "AFGHANIS" in the lower right. The bank name "Da Afghanistan Bank" is inscribed across the top in a dark banner. |
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| Comments |
This note entered circulation the same year Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan — December 1979 — making it one of the first issues printed under what would become, almost immediately, a client-state relationship with Moscow. Goznak had supplied Afghan banknote production for several years before the invasion, so the printing contract itself predates the occupation, but the timing is difficult to separate from the political reality that followed.
Goznak's watermark security on Afghan issues of this period is generally considered light work by the printer's own standards.