Catalog
1000 Francs
| Issuer | Banque Nationale du Rwanda |
|---|---|
| Year | 1964-1976 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Franc (1964-date) |
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| Obverse description | The arms of the République Rwandaise are printed at left within a geometric guilloche border, with the denomination "MILLE FRANCS" in bold intaglio lettering to the right and the date printed below. The bank title "Banque Nationale du Rwanda" runs along the top in red script lettering, with the cautionary legend "LA LOI PUNIT LE CONTREFACTEUR" beneath the central vignette. Two facsimile signatures of the Vice-Governor and Governor appear at lower centre, flanking the serial number repeated at lower right. |
|---|---|
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| Protection type | Security thread |
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| Comments |
Rwanda's first independent currency series, issued after the country broke from the franc zone shared with Burundi following their separation in 1964. Thomas De La Rue printed the entire series at a moment when newly sovereign African states routinely contracted London security printers — the infrastructure simply didn't exist domestically, and De La Rue held relationships with dozens of newly independent governments simultaneously during this period.
The P#10 represents the top denomination of that inaugural series, making surviving circulated examples particularly worn — high-value notes in low-income economies often saw surprisingly heavy use rather than hoarding.