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10 Birr / Ethiopian Dollars
| Issuer | State Bank of Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956-1959 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 156 x 78 mm |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of Emperor Haile Selassie I in military uniform at right, with a vignette of Massawa harbour at centre-left showing vessels and waterfront buildings. A central guilloche panel bears the denomination in Amharic and English, framed by ornate intaglio rosette corner pieces within a decorative border. The Governor's manuscript signature appears at lower centre above the printed title, with the issuer name 'STATE BANK OF ETHIOPIA' in bold letterpress at lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The crowned Lion of Judah, imperial symbol of Ethiopia, is set within a large central oval vignette rendered in intaglio, the lion passant bearing a cross-topped staff and wearing a royal crown. Elaborate guilloche rosettes flank the central oval on both sides, with the Amharic denomination at lower centre within a rectangular frame. Denomination numerals '፲ ብር' and '10 E$' appear at left and right respectively, and the printer's imprint is inscribed in small text below the central vignette. |
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| Comments |
The State Bank of Ethiopia was itself a short-lived institution — established in 1942 and dissolved in 1963 when its functions were split between a new central bank and a separate commercial bank. This note falls squarely within that transitional period, issued under Emperor Haile Selassie's administration as Ethiopia was slowly rebuilding financial infrastructure following Italian occupation and wartime disruption.
Bradbury Wilkinson handled much of the Commonwealth-adjacent printing work of that era, and their New Malden facility produced notes for a remarkable range of newly asserting or reorganizing states through the 1950s. P#20 is the highest denomination in the series.