5 Afghanis

Afghanistan's Ministry of Finance issued paper currency directly — bypassing a central bank — during a period when the Da Afghanistan Bank either lacked the authority or the infrastructure to manage note issuance independently. The P#16C is part of a series that circulated under some of the most unstable political conditions in twentieth-century Afghan history, with successive governments reprinting near-identical designs to maintain continuity of acceptance in a population with limited trust in state paper.

Cotton substrate was a practical necessity given Afghanistan's climate and the rough handling notes received in rural trade. High-altitude storage, dust, and repeated folding mean survivors in clean condition are less common than the print runs might suggest.