Catalog
20 Kalahar Unissued
| Issuer | Namibia Reserve Bank |
|---|---|
| Year | 1990 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Rectangular |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | A large intaglio vignette of a lion's head occupies the left portion of the note, set against a fine guilloche underprint in muted tones. The bilingual bank title "Namibia Reserve Bank / Namibia Reserwebank" appears at upper centre, flanked by denomination numerals K20 at each corner. The central field carries the bilingual promise-to-pay clause in English and Afrikaans, with zero-filled serial numbers and a facsimile signature for the Minister for Finance at lower right. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The central vignette presents a pastoral scene of a shepherd standing amid a large flock of sheep in an open Namibian landscape, rendered in fine intaglio line work with trees visible in the background. Intricate guilloche panels frame the left and right margins, with the bilingual bank title at the top and denomination text along the lower edge. Corner numerals K20 appear at all four positions against the multicoloured underprint. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Namibia Reserve Bank was established in anticipation of independence, which formally arrived on 21 March 1990 after seventy-five years of South African administration. These Kalahar notes were prepared ahead of that transition but never released into circulation — Namibia instead continued using the South African Rand as legal tender until the Namibian Dollar was introduced in 1993.
The printer, Bradbury Wilkinson and Company, ceased independent operations in 1990, absorbed into De La Rue. This note may represent one of the final commissions the firm completed before that closure.