Get the latest news, updates, and video from around the globe. . The back of the 5-shilling note is very similar to the first issue, with the picture of the four Ibo girls and the manilla being used in the same manner. In his Diary of Events Gen. Ojukwu makes the following entry: August 13 [1968]: The Hank Wharton Plot, hatched by British government and American CIA to sabotage Biafra and help Nigeria to carry through her final thrust into Biafran heartland. . By Johnniepen (self media writer) | 1 year ago, Rumors have been circulating that the Biafran Pound is now being accepted in Italy since yesterday. This possibility is further enhanced by the knowledge that the Biafran postage stamps were printed by the Portuguese State Security Printers in Lisbon. Although the Central Bank of Nigeria had declared that the old Nigerian currency would no longer be exchanged after 22 January 1968, the trade in old Nigerian bank notes continued well into 1968. This may have been one of the reasons why so many Biafran notes remained in Europe undelivered they were a cargo that could bring little practical purpose. 66 PPQ. Promise to pay on Demand the sum of Banjo had ordered the withdrawal of the Biafran troops from the Mid-Western city of Benin in mid-September, the retreating for! C $4.02. The known prefixes and the number of notes issued is summarized as follows: 5s. A south-eastern Nigerian secessionist state led by the Igbo community, the Republic of Biafra got its name from the Bight of Biafra. Keesings Publications Limited Keesings Contemporary Archives Volume No.XVI 1967-1968 London. (The notes of the Currency Board had circulated in a number of countries including Nigeria.). To purchase military equipment on the open market, Biafra had to have foreign exchange, and the efforts of the Biafrans to obtain this foreign exchange were quite exhaustive and quite varied. It turned out, however, to be false information. When Nigeria announced the introduction of their new note issue was to be on 3 January 1968, the Biafrans were still collecting Nigerian notes. 1 Pound P5a. Because 13 tons of the notes arrived in an aircraft registered in Rhodesia, a country with which Switzerland had no diplomatic relations, the Swiss authorities refused to let the cargo be unloaded and the aircraft was forced to continue to Lisbon. Lettering: REPUBLIC OF BIAFRA BANK OF BIAFRA Promise to pay on Demand the sum of . This issue consisted of three values honoring Biafran . Pro-Biafra militants have in turn killed scores of security and government officials, as well as civilians, in armed operations that have grown more frequent and daring. Modern issues 1961-present (25 th . It is not known exactly when these notes were introduced, but it was probably around February 1969, as Gen. Ojukwu announced the following in a speech to the Consultative Assembly and Council of Chiefs and Elders on 10 February: I am happy to announce to you that we have now been able to produce real Biafran currency of the highest quality. When the Nigerian government announced that the old currency would no longer be legal tender after 22 January 1968, there were frantic efforts by the Biafrans to exchange their holdings. The information reaching our desk this afternoon, from Biafran blogger Eze Ndukwe . Comments made in a speech by General Ojukwu in February 1969 (a year after the events), reflect the public despair that was expressed at the Nigerian decree (although Ojukwu himself could not have been surprised): The government has long been aware of the terrible experiences of our people over the issue of currency. Browse By Authority; Browse By Type; Browse Banknotes By? Biafra was established on 30 May 1967 by Igbo military officer and Eastern Region governor C. Odumegwu Ojukwu under his presidency . 22. Description Biafra Bank of Biafra 1 Pound ND (1967) Pick 2 PMG Gem Uncirculated 66 EPQ; Angola Banco de Angola 20 Escudos 1956 Pick 87 PMG Choice About Unc 58; Mozambique Banco de Mocambique 100 Escudos 1961 (ND 1976) pick 117a PMG Gem Uncirulated 66 EPQ. Currency: Pound (1967-1970 . The two letter serial number were followed by a seven digit number. Values in the table above are expressed in CAD. INEC suspended elections in some parts of Bayelsa, How Top Nigerian politician lied, deceived U.S. court. PEACE - UNITY - FREEDOM Cronje, Suzanne (1972) The World and Nigeria The Diplomatic History of the Biafran War 1967 1970, Sidgwick & Jackson, London. Is there a claim that you would like us to investigate? The primary sources presented here are almost exclusively items that were published or stated during the 1966-1970 period. The Swiss franc, the Canadian dollar, the Australian and New Zealand dollars, and the South African rand round out the list of top tradable currencies. He left for exile in Ivory Coast and spent many years in the . The palm tree was important because of its economic significance to Biafra next to oil, products from the palm trees were the most valuable exports from the region prior to the new republic being declared. Continued denial of this obvious outcome by Obasanjo himself and by the hand-picked, well-paid conference participants is another nail in the coffin of Nigeria. WEAVING. Like any new nation, Biafra was keen to be identified with its own national symbols, and for this new republic these were primarily their coat of arms, the rising sun, and the palm tree all being used extensively on Biafran national instruments. Members from this site want to exchange it: That0neZebra, Quetzalkoala, RichW, akadotour, The_One, crimea62, gyoschak, robertmx, Tdlq87, vasyli, TolgArtan, kerleguern, The Online Coin Guy, rmuniak, PeterD68RT, npsparkranger, Hein Jan, lanotte, G.IG., Avraham Cohen, farfechd, erniemix, AZORES, Shanto98, doanvietdung, joserleycarlos, nlemesh, m.ounis, kflo, Blair.Gilmore, Carlos Valerio, See the details of the banknotes available for swap, Numista type number (https://en.numista.com/help/what-is-the-n-number-visible-in-the-catalogue-33.html). Product has been added to . The plane was then unable to land in Biafra and had to land in Sao Tome. The small print appears as continuous lines, however the print is made less easy to detect by being overlaid with a pattern of lines the pattern being different on each denomination. The 10-pound note has a male carver depicted on its back, as well as having the coat of arms in a white disc to the left. Back. The Bank of Biafra Decree also stated that all property held in the republic by the Central Bank of Nigeria was to be transferred to the Bank of Biafra. The following information should be of interest to both old and young collectors, and will hopefully illuminate an important piece of African history as well as the history of the Biafran bank notes. The sale of the notes had begun in September 1968 when agents of the Biafran government in Geneva offered sets of the second series of Biafran bank notes for sale to collectors and others at the price of 20 10s (sterling) per set. The reports indicate that Rothschild was prepared to pay twelve shillings and sixpence in British currency for each Nigerian pound. It makes up 20% of known central bank foreign currency reserves. Currency Gallery: Biafra Africa Index World Index Banknotes for Sale Consignment List Banknotes Wanted Note Evaluation Banknote Grading Numismatic Books If you are looking to purchase Biafran banknotes, then please visit our Store instead. Rates that can't be backed up as they was just benchmarked out of fraustration. The postage stamps were reportedly released on 5 February 1968 (which varies by a week from the date announced by Ojukwu of 29 January) and it would not be difficult to conjecture that the postage stamps and the bank notes were printed by the same printer for release at the same time. Another external source of revenue that was rumoured to have come to the Biafrans, was an advance of six million pounds against the promise of mineral rights. In this case, the claimant blatantly declared that the World Bank has approved the Biafran Currency, without making reference to a source or quotation. Furthermore, no country in the world accepts the Biafran Pound as a currency because it is not one of the180 currenciesrecognized as legal tender by the United Nations. When many Ibos decided to forsake their homes and businesses, and flee the violence in various parts of Nigeria to return to their homelands, it was Lieut.-Col. Ojukwu who advised them to return to their homes and businesses, assuring them that peace would be returned under the new government. BanknoteBuys.com; Compass Collectables . It is not known what happened to the Biafran currency that was surrendered, but it was almost certainly destroyed. The first stamps of Biafra were issued on 5 February 1968. ), It is interesting that such an attempt has been made to produce this quasi-security device, as another very simple security device is absent that of non-fluorescing paper. When the Nigerians announced that they would no longer redeem bank notes exported from Nigeria after August 1967, the Biafrans worked quickly to gather bank notes remaining in circulation so that they could be converted into precious foreign exchange. Also, DAILY BIAFRA NEWSPAPER reported that World bank will not start printing the new Biafra currency until Nnamdi Kanu signs on it. Essentially, most of the institutions required for running the new republic existed as part of the Nigerian governments administration for the Eastern region. A report by the Pointer News that claims the World Bank is set to establish the Central Bank of Biafra has been shared over 500 times on Facebook. 1 - 1. Since some users own several versions, the sum may be greater than 100%. It includes data from the World Bank's microdata, finances and energy data platforms, as well as datasets from the open data catalog . (Total: 3 notes) The front of each note has a coloured pattern (around the outside of the central design) which contains very small print repeating the words Bank of Biafra followed by the denomination of the note e.g. These Swiss connections support the argument of one or more issues being printed in Switzerland. Great Historic Banknotes BIAFRA 1 POUND 1968 - 1969 P-5 UNC birthday # 1972. One of the more interesting assets of the Central Bank that was specifically seized was its currency. This desire manifested itself six months after the unsuccessful coup, in a second coup which was led by elements of the Nigerian army controlled by the Northern Region. Copyright 1995-2023 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. According to documents illustrated in the Daily Times (Lagos) on 9 August 1967, the mineral rights for columbite ore, uranium, coal, tin concentrates, natural oil, and gold ore were ceded to the Rot(h)schild Bros Bank for a period of ten years. Naira was Officially introduced in 1973 meaning 13 years after Nigeria independent, they were also using British currency and passports. PEACE - UNITY - FREEDOM It has also been suggested that the money ultimately fell into the hands of Nigerian soldiers who failed to declare their discovery. WASHINGTON, April 30, 2020 - The World Bank today approved $21.15 million in financing, of which 50% grant and 50% credit from the International Development Association (IDA)* to help Burkina Faso respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In an effort to take firm control of the country, General Ironsi was appointed by the Nigerian cabinet to head a federal military government. With these two decrees the financial framework of the Bank of Biafra was established, but there was still a more important problem to be faced that of financing the war. Pick Publishing Corporation (1971) Picks Currency Year Book 1970, New York. The World Igbo Congress (WIC) is calling on the Nigerian authorities to ensure the safety of the self-acclaimed leader of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu, saying the . (1972) The Struggle for Secession, 1966-1970, Frank Cass, London. Thus, only six digits are used and this means that only one million notes were prepared for each prefix, and not the ten million that would be initially supposed. The back of the 10-shilling note uses the manilla in the same manner as the 5-shilling note (enclosing the value of the note in a white disc) and has a picture of an oil refinery possibly the one at Port Harcourt. (The vaults had held twelve million pounds, and the other ten million pounds were left untouched, it seems there was just too much money for the retreating forces to carry.). Peter Symes . The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has said that emerging nations of Biafra, Ambazonia and Oduduwa have concluded plans to conduct a one million-man march at European Union headquarters in . Portugal was an early supporter of Biafra, and by October 1967 Biafra had established No matter in what form the notes are found (the remainders are now getting scarce), the notes of Biafra offer an interesting piece of history a piece of African history, and a piece of bank note history. During the war Biafra reported terrific atrocities by the Nigerians against her people, and reports of starvation which cost hundreds of thousands of Biafran lives became widespread. s got burnt, as the Central bank decided that there would be no exchange of Biafran currency for Nigerian currency, deciding instead to pay a flat rate of twenty Nigerian pounds to each depositor of Biafran or old Nigerian currency with the Central Bank. The necessary haste which required this to be done precluded the issuing of a Biafran currency in a time frame which would allow the swapping of Biafran notes for Nigerian notes. The difference being that the Eastern Regions arms had supporters of a leopard (on the left) and a man carrying a spear an Alo (on the right), whereas the Biafran arms had two leopards supporting the shield. End of February Sale Get 15% Off with Promo Code: FEB15. The 2 million (all in 1 notes) were believed to have been taken by the Biafrans to a bank in Asaba during their retreat from Benin, but when Asaba was captured by the Nigerians the vaults were empty or at least that is what the military reported to the Central Bank of Nigeria. While the Biafrans seem to have rejected this offer, it is likely that some conversion did take place (though not necessarily through Rothschild) as Gen. Ojukwu stated in February 1969: We have been fighting the war with Nigerian foreign exchange, plus of course, what we converted or what we acquired earlier on. (Ojukwu, 1969), The reference to what we acquired earlier on, possibly refers to a windfall to the Biafrans in 1967. So it was merely a matter of changing the line of authority to the Military Governor of Biafra, rather than to the relevant Minister in the Nigerian government. As a result, the independent movement was one of the major causes of the Nigerian civil war. Lot. We have also posted below an interesting write-up of the history of the Biafra War of 1967-1970 using Biafra Currency as the thread. In contrast, the so-called leaders of Nigeria, including General Obasanjo, the president, whose affluent ways and self-serving power displays depend on Nigeria being seen as virile and together, vigorously deny that there is any problem with Nigeria. In the old map many natural Biafran geographies were excluded such as Biafra lands on the west bank of the Niger. TT PK 6b 1968-69 BIAFRA 5 POUNDS PCGS 66 PPQ TOP POP WITHOUT SERIAL NUMBERS! The currency of Biafra had been the Nigerian pound, until the Bank of Biafra started printing out its own notes, the Biafran pound. What is the cost of converting to local currency? Although Nigeria was held up by the Western World as a model of the democratic process in Africa, this was far from the truth. The world bank has not approved the Biafran currency, and this claim remains an empty statement with no link to reality. The Bank of Nigeria . The first issue of the bank notes included only 5 shillings notes and 1 pound notes. The headquarters of the Bank of Biafra were known to be located in Port Harcourt in early 1968, but the town fell to federal troops on 19 May of that year, and the headquarters of the Bank were probably relocated several times due to the fluctuating fortunes of the Republic. However, matters became critical in January 1966 when a number of junior army officers attempted a coup. After some months of preparation, the federal government launched their first offensive against Biafra on 6 July 1967, and the Nigerian civil war began. The leaders of this movement were close to the Military Governor, and from late 1966 it seems that plans were being put in place for the Eastern Region to secede. Published on 07 November 2019. Biafra lands on the west bank of the Biafra war of 1967-1970 using Biafra until. Central bank that was specifically seized was its currency indicate that Rothschild was prepared to pay on Demand the May! 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