African Banknotes for Sale

Africa's banknote history is wide-ranging because most countries had their own colonial or post-independence currency, each shaped by political change as much as economic history. This collection spans notes from several of these currencies rather than one single system. Rhodesia's dollar was introduced in 1970, replacing the Rhodesian pound, and issued by the Reserve Bank of Rhodesia until the country became independent Zimbabwe in 1980, when the Zimbabwean dollar took over at an equal rate. Early Rhodesian dollar notes carried a watermark of Cecil Rhodes, replaced by the Zimbabwe Bird in 1979 as the country's name and government changed. South Africa's currency changed differently: the Rand replaced the South African pound in 1961, shortly before the country became a republic, and has remained the currency since, though older Reserve Bank designs look quite different from current notes. Beyond Rhodesia and South Africa, this collection includes notes from Kenya, issued by the Central Bank of Kenya since the shilling replaced East African currency in 1966, along with Egyptian piastres and wartime North African issues from countries such as Morocco. New African stock is added regularly.