Catalog
50 Florins / 5 Pounds - George V
| Issuer | East African Currency Board |
|---|---|
| Year | 1920 |
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| Shape | Rectangular |
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| Obverse lettering | THE EAST AFRICAN CURRENCY BOARD FIFTY FLORINS OR FIVE POUNDS THESE NOTES ARE LEGAL TENDER FOR THE PAYMENT OF ANY AMOUNT Mombasa, 1st May, 1920 MEMBERS OF THE EAST AFRICAN CURRENCY BOARD |
| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in grey-blue on a pale ground with an allover geometric underprint. At top, a rectangular cartouche carries the denomination legend within a decorative frame with starburst border. At centre, a horizontal band of guilloche ornament flanks a central oval vignette containing a lion passant on a landscape ground, with the numerals '50' in smaller oval frames to each side. |
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| Comments |
The East African Currency Board was established in 1919 specifically to create a unified currency across British East Africa, replacing the rupee-based system that had served the region since the 1890s. This note belongs to the transitional florin series — the florin was an awkward intermediate unit introduced to bridge the rupee and the eventual shilling standard, and it lasted only a few years before the shilling replaced it entirely in 1921.
The dual denomination — 50 Florins and 5 Pounds — reflects exactly that transitional arithmetic: 10 florins to the pound, a ratio chosen to ease conversion from the old rupee system. Bradbury, Wilkinson produced the series in London; the Board itself had no local printing capacity.
The florin denominations are among the shortest-lived issues in the Board's history.