The 1979 Cambodian riel series, of which this is a part, was issued immediately following the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge and the establishment of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. The Khmer Rouge had abolished currency entirely in 1975 — banks were emptied, notes burned, and the entire monetary system dismantled. This 1979 issue was therefore not a reform or replacement; it was the literal reconstitution of money as a social institution after four years of its total abolition.
Printed by the Soviet-aligned printing infrastructure rather than Western security printers, the series is relatively crude by regional standards of the period. The watermark is present but unremarkable in execution.
The 1979 Cambodian riel series, of which this is a part, was issued immediately following the Vietnamese-backed overthrow of the Khmer Rouge and the establishment of the People's Republic of Kampuchea. The Khmer Rouge had abolished currency entirely in 1975 — banks were emptied, notes burned, and the entire monetary system dismantled. This 1979 issue was therefore not a reform or replacement; it was the literal reconstitution of money as a social institution after four years of its total abolition.
Printed by the Soviet-aligned printing infrastructure rather than Western security printers, the series is relatively crude by regional standards of the period. The watermark is present but unremarkable in execution.