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50 Birr Arms with plough, Blue sides
| Issuer | National Bank of Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 152 × 75 mm |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | ፶፡ብር የኢትዮጵያ ብሔራዊ ባንክ National Bank of Ethiopia መስከረም፡፲፱፻፷፱፡ዓ፡ም፡ አምሳ፡ብር፡ FIFTY BIRR የኢትዮጵያ፡ሕጋዊ፡ገንዘብ LEGAL TENDER IN ETHIOPIA ኢትዮጵያ ትቅደም ETHIOPIA TIKDEM 50 (Translation: 50 Birr National Bank of Ethiopia September 1969 A.M. Fifty Birr Legal Tender in Ethiopia Ethiopia First) |
| Reverse description | The central vignette presents a detailed intaglio view of Fasilides Castle in Gondar, its medieval stone towers and crenellated walls rendered against a lightly tinted guilloche background in shades of blue and violet. To the left, a traditional Ethiopian krar instrument appears within a decorative panel, while the national arms device occupies the lower right. Amharic denomination inscriptions are placed at the upper centre and lower left, with the numeral 50 repeated in the upper right and lower left corners. |
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| Comments |
Ethiopia's 1976 currency reform accompanied the Derg's restructuring of state institutions following Haile Selassie's overthrow in 1974. The National Bank itself was reorganized under the new military government, and this issue reflects that transitional moment — the old imperial imagery replaced, the socialist-era arms prominent, but the printing contract still held by Thomas De La Rue in London, a firm the imperial government had long used.
With just over 12 million printed, the run is modest for a high-denomination note in active circulation. De La Rue's watermark-only security on this issue is relatively spare by the firm's own standards of the period.