5000 Piastres Siege of Khartoum

Gordon issued these notes unilaterally during the Mahdist siege, which began in March 1884 and would not end until his death in January 1885. With Khartoum cut off and no outside currency available, he effectively created his own monetary system from scratch — printing notes on whatever paper was at hand and signing them personally to give them authority. The 5,000 piastre denomination was the highest in the series, intended for larger transactions within the besieged city.

Survival rates are extremely low. The fall of Khartoum on 26 January 1885 meant most notes were lost, destroyed, or looted. Gordon's personal signature on each example makes authenticated survivors genuinely significant — not as curiosities, but as documents from a 317-day siege with no resupply and no relief.