50 Nakfa

P#9 is the third release of Eritrea's 50 Nakfa denomination, following the 1997 inaugural series and a 2004 revision. The nakfa itself was introduced in November 1997 to replace the Ethiopian birr at par — a deliberate severing of monetary ties with Addis Ababa that had been building since Eritrean independence in 1993. Giesecke & Devrient have handled the entire nakfa printing program from the outset, giving the series an unusual consistency of production quality across all three dates.

The 2011 date reflects a reissue rather than a redesign; the note family was refreshed with updated security specifications while retaining the original plate layout.