5 Dobras

São Tomé and Príncipe's decision to continue issuing low-denomination paper notes in 2020 is itself a curiosity — most central banks had long abandoned paper at this value in favor of coins or simply let inflation render the denomination irrelevant. The dobra had been redenominated in 1977 and again in 2010, when a new series reset the currency at 1,000 old dobras to 1 new dobra, which makes a 5-dobra note worth vanishingly little in practical terms.

Thomas De La Rue's involvement places it within a long tradition of West and Central African island economies outsourcing security printing to London — the island nation lacks domestic printing infrastructure entirely.