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5 Birr / Ethiopian Dollars
| Issuer | State Bank of Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1945-1956 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | At left, an oval vignette of Emperor Haile Selassie I in bust portrait; at centre, a second oval vignette of an acacia tree with beehives, surrounded by a floral and bee motif underprint. The note carries Amharic and English legends with the issuing authority and denomination, flanked by intricate guilloche border work. |
|---|---|
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| Signature(s) | Blowers Bennett Rozell |
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| Comments |
Ethiopia's postwar monetary reconstruction ran through Philadelphia rather than the European printing houses that dominated colonial-era African currency work. The State Bank of Ethiopia itself was established only in 1942, absorbing the functions of the Bank of Ethiopia after the Italian occupation ended — meaning this series represents one of the earliest substantive emissions of a genuinely independent Ethiopian central bank.
Three distinct signature combinations appear across the series, reflecting successive shifts in senior bank appointments between 1945 and 1956. The Blowers signature is the earliest; Rozell the latest.