Catalog
5 Shillings
| Issuer | Bank of Biafra |
|---|---|
| Year | 1968-1969 |
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| Size | 110 × 55 mm |
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| Obverse description | The central vignette carries a palm tree with a rising sun at its base, enclosed within an intricate guilloche border with repeated geometric patterning. The denomination '5/-' appears in the lower corners, with the serial number printed in red at the upper left and a circular guilloche rosette to the right. Two facsimile signatures of the Governor and Director are placed below the vignette, beneath an arched promise-to-pay inscription. |
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| Variants | P#3a - Issued note. P#3b - Without serial #. |
| Comments |
The Bank of Biafra was established by the secessionist government within weeks of the May 1967 declaration of independence, with currency issuance serving an immediate practical need: the Nigerian federal government had cut off Biafra's access to Nigerian pounds, forcing the enclave to create a parallel monetary system under blockade conditions. The 5 Shillings note belongs to the second issue, refined slightly from the 1967 inaugural series.
Printed by the Portuguese Security Printing firm TDLR substitute — almost certainly by Bradbury, Wilkinson in England — the notes were physically smuggled into the territory through the same irregular supply routes that brought in arms and food aid. Circulation was brief and brutal; by January 1970 the Republic of Biafra had collapsed, and the notes were demonetized without redemption.