Catalog
50 Cents Magnetic
| Issuer | Bank of Uganda |
|---|---|
| Year | 1976 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#4a |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | A grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum), the national bird of Uganda, stands facing left with wings slightly raised against a background suggesting mountain scenery. The bird is framed by a stylised floral or rosette ornament. The legend BANK OF UGANDA arcs along the upper periphery, with the denomination numeral 50 and the date 1976 positioned in the lower field flanking the design. |
| Reverse script | Latin |
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| Additional information |
The magnetic "a" variant of Uganda's 50 cents exists because the East African Currency Board, which had previously handled coinage for the region, dissolved in 1966, leaving newly independent Uganda scrambling to establish its own minting arrangements. By the mid-1970s, cost pressures pushed production toward steel-core planchets as a cheaper alternative to solid copper-nickel. KM#4a is the direct result of that shift — same dies, cheaper blank.
Idi Amin's government was in power during this striking, though monetary policy was the least of Uganda's institutional problems in 1976.