Catalog
20 Riels
| Issuer | Banque Nationale du Cambodge |
|---|---|
| Year | 1956-1975 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Riels |
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| Obverse description | The right half of the obverse carries an intaglio vignette of a combine harvester at work in a rice field, with operators visible atop the machine, set against a rural landscape. The centre panel bears the denomination in Khmer script on a fine guilloche underprint, flanked by two signature lines above an ornate heraldic cartouche. The border is composed of intricate Khmer decorative motifs with a frieze of mythological figures along the lower margin, and the denomination numeral २० appears in all four corners. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse presents a sweeping intaglio vignette of Wat Phnom (វត្តភ្នំ), the historic hilltop pagoda of Phnom Penh, rendered in fine engraved detail with the main prasat tower, surrounding stupas, staircase, trees, and landscaped grounds occupying the left and centre of the design. A large plain guilloche oval watermark zone occupies the upper right. The denomination and issuer name appear in French along the lower margin, with Khmer inscriptions across the top, and the numeral 20 repeated in the four corners. |
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| Comments |
Bradbury Wilkinson printed this note for the Banque Nationale du Cambodge during one of the more turbulent stretches of Cambodian monetary history — the issuing window spans from independence-era optimism through the Lon Nol coup of 1970 and into the early years of the Khmer Republic. The same plate served across that entire range, which means physically identical notes circulated under radically different political administrations.
The long issue span makes precise dating nearly impossible without accompanying signatures or serial prefixes. Bradbury Wilkinson's New Malden facility handled a significant share of Southeast Asian currency work during this period, and Cambodia was among their steadier clients before the banking system collapsed entirely in 1975.