50 Leones

Sierra Leone's economy was in serious difficulty by the late 1980s — the Leone had lost roughly 90% of its value against the dollar over the preceding decade, driven by commodity export collapse, chronic fiscal deficits, and IMF structural adjustment conditions that the government repeatedly failed to meet. A 50 Leones note that would have represented meaningful purchasing power at independence was, by 1988, barely adequate for basic transactions.

Thomas De La Rue printed the series, as they had the majority of Bank of Sierra Leone issues since its founding in 1964. Nothing anomalous is documented about this particular print run.