Catalog
10 Pounds
| Issuer | Bank of Biafra |
|---|---|
| Year | 1968-1969 |
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| Value | 10 Pounds |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of a palm tree set against a rising sun, flanked by an ornate guilloche medallion bearing the £10 denomination numeral at left and a plain circular reserve panel at right, all set on a light blue underprint with intricate lathe-work borders. The GOVERNOR and DIRECTOR signature lines appear below the central vignette. Serial number printed in black at upper right and lower left. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | At left, the circular coat of arms of Biafra set within a wreath medallion; at centre, an intaglio vignette of a male carver crouching at work, captioned A CARVER below; at right, a large guilloche roundel bearing the £10 denomination numeral, with smaller numeral 10 at lower right corner. The overall ground is a pale blue geometric underprint with fine lathe-work ornamentation. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Biafra operated for less than three years, its currency existing in parallel with — and in direct defiance of — the Central Bank of Nigeria during the secession war that began in May 1967. By the time this note entered circulation, the breakaway republic was already under blockade, and the humanitarian catastrophe in Biafra was attracting international attention. The currency was as much a political instrument as a functional one, projecting statehood to foreign observers while the military situation deteriorated.
Surviving notes are common in unused grades because large quantities were preserved outside Nigeria after the January 1970 surrender — rendered worthless overnight when the federal government refused any redemption scheme.