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5 Shillings
| Issuer | Bank of Biafra |
|---|---|
| Year | 1967 |
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| Value | Log in to see details |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Printer | Thomas De La Rue & Company, London |
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| Obverse description | The note is printed in purple and orange with black serial numbers, centred around a palm tree vignette surmounted by a rising sun motif at left, with denomination text and signature titles at right. Guilloche underprint fills the field, while ornamental rosettes form a continuous border around the perimeter. The REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA and BANK OF BIAFRA legends appear with the promise-to-pay clause and the titles GOVERNOR and DIRECTOR below. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Printed in light pink, the reverse carries the denomination at left and a vignette of four tribal girls at right, rendered in a restrained linear style consistent with the period. Ornamental rosettes frame the design around the entire perimeter, echoing the border treatment of the obverse. The BANK OF BIAFRA inscription and denomination appear as the principal legends. |
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| Comments |
The Bank of Biafra was established almost simultaneously with the secession declaration of May 1967, and this 5 Shillings note was among the first instruments issued to assert financial independence from Nigeria. De La Rue turned the job around quickly — the notes were in circulation within months of the republic's proclamation, a logistical achievement given the blockade conditions that would soon tighten around the enclave.
The shilling denominations are a curiosity: Biafra retained the pre-decimal Nigerian unit rather than inventing new nomenclature, which the Nigerian federal pound-based system was already moving away from. The series was short-lived; by 1969 the currency had collapsed in purchasing power, and the republic itself ceased to exist in January 1970.