Catalog
5 Dobras
| Issuer | Banco Central de S. Tomé e Príncipe |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
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| Reference(s) | P#70 |
| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | CINCO DOBRAS Ministerio das Finanças, Comércio e Economia Azul Governado do Banco Central Decreto Lei no. 06/2016 de 21 de Outubro de 2016 BANCO CENTRAL S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE (Translation: FIVE DOBRAS Minister of Finance, Commerce, and Blue Economy Governor of Central Bank Law decree no 06/2016 21 October 2016 Central Bank of Sao Tome and Principe) |
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| Reverse lettering | CINCO DOBRAS Musaranho de São Tomé (Crocidura thomensis). BANCO CENTRAL S. TOMÉ E PRÍNCIPE (Translation: FIVE DOBRAS Musaranho de São Tomé (Crocidura thomensis). Central Bank of Sao Tome and Principe) |
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| Comments |
São Tomé and Príncipe's switch to polymer for this denomination was part of a broader regional push by De La Rue to sell Safeguard substrate to smaller island economies — the 5 Dobras is among the lowest-value polymer notes issued by any African central bank. The denomination itself has limited purchasing power in modern circulation, which raises the obvious question of why it warranted the production cost premium that polymer commands over cotton paper.
De La Rue's Safeguard polymer is manufactured in-house, distinguishing it from the Australian-origin Guardian substrate used by many other issuers. The 2016 dating places this within the bank's post-2013 series refresh.