Catalog
20 Shillings
| Issuer | Central Bank of Somalia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1978-1981 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 20 Shillings (20 Shilin) (20 SOS) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
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| 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 |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The central vignette portrays a herd of cattle traversing a semi-arid riverbed, with sparse trees lining the banks in a composition evocative of the Somali pastoral interior. The engraved treatment is characteristic of De La Rue's output of the period, with fine line work conveying depth and texture. The issuing authority's name in English is inscribed along the margin. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Portrait watermark of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan (Sayid Maxamed Cabdulle Xassan, 1856–1920), the Somali nationalist leader known to the British as the 'Mad Mullah', shown as a bearded man wearing a turban. |
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| Comments |
Somalia's first post-independence banknote series was printed by De La Rue, but by the time this note entered production the country was already two years into the disastrous Ogaden War with Ethiopia — a conflict that began in 1977 and drained foreign reserves rapidly. The Central Bank was issuing currency into an economy under severe military strain, with Soviet and then Cuban intervention having swung the war decisively against Mogadishu by 1978.
The P#23 series ran across four years without design revision, which itself reflects institutional inertia rather than stability. De La Rue's watermark security was relatively modest for the period.