1000 Shillings / 50 Pounds - George V

The East African Currency Board was established in 1919 to provide a unified currency across British East Africa, replacing the rupee-based system that had served the region since the 1890s. This note, denominated in the dual shilling/pound notation that would characterize the board's early issues, reflects the awkward transitional arithmetic of that shift — 20 shillings to the pound, hence 1000 shillings equaling 50 pounds.

At this face value, the note was never intended for ordinary retail use. Intercolonial trade settlements and government accounts were the practical destination for high-denomination paper of this kind, which kept most examples out of rough circulation. Surviving specimens are accordingly rare.