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
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.
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.