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20 Birr International Year of the Child
| Issuer | Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Birrs (ሃያ፡ብር) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Ge'ez, Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a relief scene of five children engaged in play and daily activity: figures are depicted walking, carrying objects such as a stick, a mirror, and a bag, set against a grassy ground line suggestive of an outdoor environment. The state emblem appears at the top centre above the group. The denomination legend 'Birr 20' is inscribed along the lower exergue in Latin script, while a Ge'ez inscription occupies the upper field. The composition is naturalistic in style, evoking themes of childhood, community, and movement. |
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| Additional information |
The International Year of the Child was declared by the United Nations for 1979, and Ethiopia's commemorative issue — struck in 1980 — came at a moment of acute contradiction: the Derg military regime, then consolidating power under Mengistu Haile Mariam, was presiding over one of the most brutal periods in modern Ethiopian history, even as it issued silver coins celebrating childhood welfare for international consumption. These pieces were never intended for domestic circulation and were produced primarily for the collector export market.