Catalog
100 Thalers / Birr
| Issuer | Bank of Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1932-1933 |
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| Currency | Birr / Thaler (decimalized, 1931-1936) |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANK OF ETHIOPIA ADDIS ABABA አዲስ፡አበባ። የኢትዮጵያ፡ባንክ። CENT THALERS መቶ፡ብር። PAYABLES SUR DEMANDE AU PORTEUR CONFORMÉMENT À LA LOI እንደ፡ሕጉ፡አምጣው፡በጠያቂ፡ኀዘ፡የሚከፈል። Pour BANK OF ETHIOPIA ለኢትዮጵያ፡ባንክ። GOUVERNEUR ዓዛዥ (Translation: Bank of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa – One Hundred Thalers/Birr – Payable on demand to bearer in accordance with the law – For the Bank of Ethiopia – Governor) |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed entirely in dark blue intaglio on a salmon-pink guilloche underprint. A large central cartouche bearing the Ethiopic inscription of the bank name is flanked by elaborate symmetrical vignettes of tropical fan palms and radiating foliage. Denomination numerals '100' appear both at upper centre and lower centre within ornate scrollwork frames, and a geometric border of rosette lozenges runs along the top and bottom edges. The printer's imprint appears at the foot of the note. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Ethiopia, established in 1931 as the first indigenous bank on the African continent, issued this series as part of Haile Selassie's broader modernization program following his coronation the previous year. Bradbury Wilkinson had long-standing ties to colonial and newly independent currency programs alike, and their involvement here was entirely practical — Ethiopia lacked domestic printing infrastructure of any kind.
The dual denomination wording, Thalers and Birr, reflects the transitional monetary moment: the Maria Theresa Thaler had circulated in Ethiopia for over a century as the de facto hard currency, and the new paper issue had to acknowledge that reality to achieve any public credibility at all.
The series was short-lived. Italian forces occupied Addis Ababa in 1936, and the Bank of Ethiopia ceased operations entirely under the occupation.