50 Birr Disabled Persons

This coin was issued under the Derg regime — the Marxist military junta that had deposed Haile Selassie in 1974 — as part of Ethiopia's participation in the International Year of Disabled Persons, a UN initiative that ran in 1981. Dozens of nations struck commemorative silver issues for the program, most of them destined almost entirely for the collector market rather than circulation. Ethiopia's economy at the time was in severe distress, and a 50 Birr face value placed the coin well beyond the reach of ordinary domestic use.