Catalog
5 Leones
| Issuer | Bank of Sierra Leone |
|---|---|
| Year | 1980 |
| Type | Commemorative banknote |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANK OF SIERRA LEONE promise to pay on demand the sum of FIVE LEONES COMMEMORATING THE ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN UNITY CONFERENCE · FREETOWN 1980 1ST JULY 1980 GOVERNOR DEPUTY GOVERNOR DIRECTORS |
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| Protection description | President Siaka Stevens portrait visible in the blank oval panel on the reverse when held to light. |
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| Comments |
Sierra Leone's 1980 currency reform followed the country's transition to a republic in 1971 and the gradual displacement of the Leone's earlier parity arrangements. By 1980, inflation was beginning to erode purchasing power meaningfully, and the 5 Leones note — a mid-range denomination — would have seen heavy everyday use before eventually being replaced by higher-denomination issues as the decade wore on.
De La Rue's involvement was continuous across multiple Sierra Leone series; the P#12 shares its basic security architecture with other denominations in the set, relying on a watermark alone without the foil or security thread features introduced in later printings.