Catalog
500 Francs
| Issuer | Banque du Royaume du Burundi |
|---|---|
| Year | 1964-1966 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 500 Francs (500 BIF) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | BANQUE DU ROYAUME DU BURUNDI CINQ CENT FRANCS AMAFRANGA AMAJAN`ATANU IBANKI Y`INGOMA Y`UBURUNDI LE VICE-PRESIDENT LE PRESIDENT 05-12-64 500 (Translation: Bank of the Kingdom of Burundi. Five hundred francs. The vice president, the president.) |
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| Reverse lettering | BANQUE DU ROYAUME DU BURUNDI IBANKI Y`INGOMA Y` UBURUNDI LE CONTREFACTEUR SERA PUNIT DE SERVITUDE PENALE UWUZOKWIGANA IYI NOTI AZOFUNGWA ROYAUME DU BURUNDI GANZA SABWA 500 (Translation: Bank of the Kingdom of Burundi. The counterfeiter is punished with penal servitude. Kingdom of Burundi. Rules and reigns.) |
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| Comments |
The Banque du Royaume du Burundi was a short-lived institution by design. Burundi gained independence in 1962 as a constitutional monarchy under Mwami Mwambutsa IV, and the national bank was established to replace the currency arrangements inherited from the Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi monetary union. Thomas De La Rue handled the printing throughout the series — standard practice for newly independent African states that lacked domestic printing infrastructure and needed notes quickly.
The kingdom itself collapsed in 1966 when Captain Michel Micombero deposed Mwami Ntare V and declared a republic, rendering this issuing authority extinct after barely four years of operation.