1000 Francs

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.