Catalog
5 Riels Democratic Kampuchea
| Issuer | National Bank of Cambodia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1975 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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| Obverse description | Central vignette of the temple complex of Angkor Wat rendered in fine line engraving, framed by Khmer script legends and denomination numerals at all four corners. Serial numbers printed in blue ink, with the year 1975 expressed in Khmer numerals in the lower field. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A vignette of peasant workers engaged in the construction of a dike or irrigation earthwork, reflecting the agrarian ideology of the Khmer Rouge era. Denomination numerals appear in the upper corners in Khmer script, with the year in a cartouche centered below the main vignette. |
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| Comments |
This note was issued by the Khmer Rouge government after their seizure of Phnom Penh in April 1975 — the same regime that famously abolished money altogether within months of taking power. The National Bank of Cambodia was literally blown up in 1975, an act that was as much symbolic as logistical. These notes were printed but never meaningfully circulated; the Khmer Rouge's agrarian utopia had no use for currency.
Surviving examples tend to be from unissued stocks rather than genuine circulation finds. The printing contractor has not been conclusively established in the literature.