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5 000 Zaïres
| Issuer | Banque du Zaïre |
|---|---|
| Year | 1988 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | 150 × 73 mm |
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| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Portrait of President Mobutu Sese Seko in military uniform and cap occupies the right portion of the note, with the national coat of arms at lower right. A leaping leopard vignette appears at lower left against a multicolour guilloche underprint incorporating large numerals '5000'. The bank title 'BANQUE DU ZAÏRE' is printed across the top, with the denomination 'CINQ MILLE ZAÏRES' below it and the issue date at centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Watermark portrait of President Mobutu Sese Seko |
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| Comments |
By 1988, the Zaïre was in freefall — annual inflation would surpass 80% that year, and the Mobutu government's response was to print larger denominations rather than address the underlying collapse. The 5,000 Zaïre note was among the high-value issues that became effectively worthless within months of release, with the currency eventually requiring wholesale replacement by the nouveau zaïre in 1993 at a rate of 3,000,000 to one.
Giesecke & Devrient's Leipzig facility handled the contract throughout the late Mobutu period, despite the political and economic dysfunction of their client. A watermark remains the sole security feature — a notable vulnerability given the inflationary incentive to counterfeit.