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50 Dollars Empress Zauditu
| Issuer | Ethiopia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1972 |
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| Shape | Round |
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| Obverse description | Central device depicts the crowned Lion of Judah passant to the right, wearing an imperial crown and holding aloft a processional cross with a flowing banner in its right forepaw, rendered in high relief against a polished field. A circular legend in Ge'ez script surrounds the upper portion of the field, while the Latin inscription 'EMPIRE OF ETHIOPIA £$50' arcs along the lower rim. The date '1972' appears in the lower field between dashes, with a small mintmaster's mark visible nearby. |
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| Reverse description | The veiled bust of Empress Zewditu (Zauditu) is depicted in left-facing profile, draped in imperial robes adorned with decorative jewelled ornaments at the chest, rendered in finely detailed relief. A circular Ge'ez legend surrounds the upper portion of the field. The Latin inscription 'ZEWDITU EMPRESS OF ETHIOPIA' arcs along the lower rim, flanked by the regnal dates '1916-1930' indicating her reign, with additional Ge'ez lettering at the left completing the bilingual border legend. |
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| Additional information |
This piece belongs to a commemorative series issued under Haile Selassie I in 1972, decades after Zauditu's death in 1930. Zauditu was the first woman to reign as Empress of Ethiopia in her own right, ruling from 1916 until her death — officially attributed to typhoid contracted shortly after the Battle of Anchem, though contemporaries suspected the shock of her estranged husband Ras Gugsa Welle's defeat and death in that same battle played a role.
The 1972 series was struck at the British Royal Mint and timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Adwa.