Catalog
100 Florins / 10 Pounds - George V
| Issuer | East African Currency Board |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Currency | Florin (1920-1921) |
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| Obverse description | An oval portrait vignette of King George V occupies the upper centre, framed by fine guilloche lacework extending across the face. The dual denomination "ONE HUNDRED FLORINS OR TEN POUNDS" is rendered in bold letterpress at centre, with the numeral 100 repeated at left and right, and the value additionally inscribed below in Arabic, Swahili, and Ethiopic scripts. The note bears the imprint "Mombasa, 1st May 1920" at lower left, with three manuscript signatures of the Members of the East African Currency Board at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | THE EAST AFRICAN CURRENCY BOARD ONE HUNDRED FLORINS OR TEN POUNDS THESE NOTES ARE LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT MEMBERS OF THE EAST AFRICAN CURRENCY BOARD |
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| Comments |
The East African Currency Board was established in 1919 specifically to consolidate the fragmented currency arrangements left over from wartime administration across British East Africa, German East Africa (now Tanganyika, administered under mandate), Uganda, and Zanzibar. This note, issued in the board's inaugural year, carries the dual florins/pounds denomination because the florin had been the unit of the Indian rupee-linked system previously in use — the board was still bridging the transition to a sterling-based structure.
The crossover denomination was short-lived. The florin reference was dropped from subsequent issues as the rupee-to-sterling conversion settled and the florin peg became redundant. P#12A is among the earliest and most transitional pieces the board ever produced.