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5 Shillings
| Issuer | Bank of Biafra |
|---|---|
| Year | 1967 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 5 Shillings (1/4) |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA BANK OF BIAFRA PROMISE TO PAY ON DEMAND THE SUM OF 5/- FIVE SHILLINGS GOVERNOR DIRECTOR |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | BANK OF BIAFRA 5/- FIVE SHILLINGS |
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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.