Catalog
20 Escudos
| Issuer | Banco de Cabo Verde |
|---|---|
| Year | 1977-1982 |
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| Technique | Milled |
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| Obverse description | The national coat of arms of Cape Verde occupies the upper field, depicting a shield charged with a black star above a cogwheel, encircled by the motto legend TRABALHO PROGRESSO UNIDADE and flanked by two symmetrical laurel branches tied at the base with a stylized cloud motif below. The denomination '20' in large numerals dominates the lower central field, with 'ESCUDOS' inscribed beneath and the date below that. The circular legend REPUBLICA DE CABO VERDE runs along the left and right periphery in large raised Latin lettering. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A bold left-facing bust portrait of Domingos Ramos, Cape Verdean independence martyr, fills the central field with fine sculptural detail including a short beard and close-cropped hair rendered in high relief. The name DOMINGOS RAMOS arcs along the upper periphery in raised Latin lettering. The birth and death years '1935' and '1966' are inscribed in two lines to the lower right of the portrait, commemorating his role in the independence struggle. |
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| Additional information |
Cape Verde's post-independence coinage began after the islands broke from Portuguese administration in 1975, with the Banco de Cabo Verde established as the issuing authority almost immediately. This series, running from 1977 through 1982, represents the first domestically authorized currency of the newly sovereign archipelago — a period when the ruling PAIGC-derived government was consolidating single-party control under Aristides Pereira.
KM#20 is not rare, but surviving examples in crisp condition are harder to locate than mintage figures suggest, likely due to active circulation across a low-cash island economy with limited banking infrastructure at the time.