Catalog
5 Afghanis
| Issuer | Baccha I Saqao |
|---|---|
| Year | 1928 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is dominated by a dense guilloché ground in brown, with a central rosette vignette. A French-language bearer text in manuscript-style letterpress reads 'Sur Présentation de ce billet la Très Orie ntée Dateau au Porteur la somme de 5 Afghanis'. Two circular handstamps in purple ink, one bearing an Arabic date inscription, are applied at upper right, with a further handstamp at right margin. |
| Reverse lettering | Sur Présentation de ce billet la Très Orientée Dateau au Porteur la somme de 5 Afghanis |
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| Comments |
Baccha-i Saqao — "Son of the Water Carrier" — seized Kabul in January 1929 after Amanullah Khan's reform program collapsed under tribal revolt. His reign lasted less than nine months before Nadir Shah's forces hanged him in November 1929. This note is among the very few physical artifacts of that government: a hastily assembled administration that nonetheless issued currency, however briefly.
The Pick 11 dating of 1928 almost certainly reflects the Afghan solar calendar rather than the Gregorian year, a routine source of confusion in cataloging this series. Survival rate is low — the regime's swift collapse meant little effort was made to preserve or systematically redeem its paper.