West African States new sig/date (2019) 5,000-franc note (B123Ds) confirmed

West_African_States_BC_5000_francs_2019.00.00_B123Ds_P417D_19468785542_f
West_African_States_BC_5000_francs_2019.00.00_B123Ds_P417D_19468785542_r
Like B123Dr, but new signatures and new date (2019).

Courtesy of Kevin Warfel.

West African States Mali new date (2018) 500-franc note (B120Dg) confirmed

West_African_States_BC_500_francs_2018.00.00_B120Dg_P419D_D_18451179023_f
West_African_States_BC_500_francs_2018.00.00_B120Dg_P419D_D_18451179023_r
Like B120Df, but new date (2018).

Courtesy of Kevin Warfel.

West African States new sig/date (2017) 1,000-franc note (B121Dq) confirmed

West_African_States_BC_1000_francs_2017.00.00_B121Dq_P415D_17465053153_fWest_African_States_BC_1000_francs_2017.00.00_B121Dq_P415D_17465053153_r
Like B121Dp, but new date (2017) and new signatures.

Courtesy of Thomas Neldner.



West African States new sig/date (2016) 1,000-franc note (B121Dp) confirmed

West_African_States_BC_1000_francs_2016.00.00_B121Dp_P415D_16455554209_fWest_African_States_BC_1000_francs_2016.00.00_B121Dp_P415D_16455554209_r
Like B121Do, but new date (2016) and new signature 42.

Courtesy of Kevin Warfel.

French West Africa chapter of The Banknote Book is now available


The French West Africa chapter of The Banknote Book is now available for individual sale and as a free download to subscribers.

This 28-page catalog covers notes issued by the Banque de l’Afrique Occidentale (Bank of West Africa) from 1902 to 1945, Afrique Occidentale Française (French West Africa) in 1944, and Institut d’Emission de l’A.O.F. et du Togo (Issuing Institute of French West Africa and Togo) from 1955 to 1957. Published 19 August 2016.

Each chapter of The Banknote Book includes detailed descriptions and background information, full-color images, and accurate valuations. The Banknote Book also features:
  • Sharp color images of note’s front and back without overlap
  • Face value or date of demonetization if no longer legal tender
  • Specific identification of all vignette elements
  • Security features described in full
  • Printer imprint reproduced exactly as on note
  • Each date/signature variety assigned an individual letter
  • Variety checkboxes for tracking your collection and want list
  • Date reproduced exactly as on note
  • Precise date of introduction noted when known
  • Replacement note information
  • Signature tables, often with names and terms of service
  • Background information for historical and cultural context
  • Details magnified to distinguish between note varieties
  • Bibliographic sources listed for further research

Subscribe to The Banknote Book
If you collect the entire world or a large number of countries, buying a subscription is the best deal because it's less expensive than buying chapters individually, and it entitles you to every chapter currently available as well as everything published—or revised (click here to see the Change Log)—during the term of your subscription.

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West African States chapter of The Banknote Book is now available


The West African States chapter of The Banknote Book is now available for individual sale and as a free download to subscribers.


This 30-page catalog covers notes issued by Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (Central Bank of the West African States) from 1959 to present. Published 28 August 2015.

Each chapter of The Banknote Book includes detailed descriptions and background information, full-color images, and accurate valuations. The Banknote Book also features:
  • Sharp color images of note’s front and back without overlap
  • Face value or date of demonetization if no longer legal tender
  • Specific identification of all vignette elements
  • Security features described in full
  • Printer imprint reproduced exactly as on note
  • Each date/signature variety assigned an individual letter
  • Variety checkboxes for tracking your collection and want list
  • Date reproduced exactly as on note
  • Precise date of introduction noted when known
  • Replacement note information
  • Signature tables, often with names and terms of service
  • Background information for historical and cultural context
  • Details magnified to distinguish between note varieties
  • Bibliographic sources listed for further research

Subscribe to The Banknote Book
If you collect the entire world or a large number of countries, buying a subscription is the best deal because it's less expensive than buying chapters individually, and it entitles you to every chapter currently available as well as everything published—or revised (click here to see the Change Log)—during the term of your subscription.

Subscribe
Sign up for Email Notifications
If you would like to receive email notifications whenever a new chapter of The Banknote Book is published, please join the email list by clicking the button below.

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Mali chapter of The Banknote Book is now available


The Mali chapter of The Banknote Book is now available for individual sale and as a free download to subscribers.

This 7-page catalog covers notes issued by the Banque de la République du Mali (Bank of the Republic of Mali) from 1960 to 1967, and the Banque Centrale du Mali (Central Bank of Mali) from 1970 to 1983. Revised 30 November 2014.

Each chapter of The Banknote Book includes detailed descriptions and background information, full-color images, and accurate valuations. The Banknote Book also features:
  • Sharp color images of note’s front and back without overlap
  • Face value or date of demonetization if no longer legal tender
  • Specific identification of all vignette elements
  • Security features described in full
  • Printer imprint reproduced exactly as on note
  • Each date/signature variety assigned an individual letter
  • Variety checkboxes for tracking your collection and want list
  • Date reproduced exactly as on note
  • Precise date of introduction noted when known
  • Replacement note information
  • Signature tables, often with names and terms of service
  • Background information for historical and cultural context
  • Details magnified to distinguish between note varieties
  • Bibliographic sources listed for further research

Subscribe to The Banknote Book
If you collect the entire world or a large number of countries, buying a subscription is the best deal because it's less expensive than buying chapters individually, and it entitles you to every chapter currently available as well as everything published—or revised (click here to see the Change Log)—during the term of your subscription.

Subscribe
Sign up for Email Notifications
If you would like to receive email notifications whenever a new chapter of The Banknote Book is published, please join the email list.

Sign up

The Challenge: Identify buildings and dams on Mali's banknotes

Today I’m inaugurating a new feature on BanknoteNews.com: The Challenge.

Anyone who has downloaded chapters of The Banknote Book catalog knows that I take pains to precisely identify all the people, places, and objects depicted on banknotes. However, sometimes precise identifications remain elusive despite all the efforts of myself and various contributors. This frustrates me both as an author and a collector because it’s my belief that if a country has chosen to feature something on one of its notes, it must have some particular historical or cultural significance and it deserves better than a generic description.

So I’m turning to the power of crowdsourcing with The Challenge, an open call for help in identifying certain design elements which have heretofore defied identification.

If you can precisely identify the proper name and location of any of the following—or have a lead which you think might be useful—please post a comment, preferably including a URL which links to evidence supporting your identification.

Today’s challenge is to identify the following items from Mali’s banknotes.

The building on the back of Mali’s 5,000-franc note dated 1960 (P5 shown below, but it also appears on P10):

IDENTIFIED: Le Marché Rose (pink market) building in Bamako.

The dam on the front of Mail’s 50-franc note dated 1960 (P6):

IDENTIFIED: Markala dam on the Niger River.

The dam on the front of Mail’s 1,000-franc note of 1970 (P13):

IDENTIFIED: Sotuba dam hydropower plant on the Niger River.

West African States new signature varieties confirmed


A new signature combination has been confirmed for the 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000-franc notes from the West African States. All notes are dated (20)10. The three denominations have been confirmed with the country code of D for Mali, which makes these P415, P417, and P418. The 5,000 and 10,000-franc denominations have also been confirmed with the country code of K for Senegal (P717 and P718). If anyone has this signature combination on notes with other country codes, please send scans of same.

Courtesy of Murtaza Karimjee and Abdullah Beydoun.

West African States Mali new date (2018) 2,000-franc note (B122Dr) confirmed

West_African_States_BC_2000_francs_2018.00.00_B122Dr_P416D_18451903737_f
West_African_States_BC_2000_francs_2018.00.00_B122Dr_P416D_18451903737_r
Like B122Dq, but new date (2018).

Courtesy of Kevin Warfel.

West African States Mali new date (2018) 1,000-franc note (B121Dr) confirmed

West_African_States_BC_1000_francs_2018.00.00_B121Dr_P415D_18452311965_f
West_African_States_BC_1000_francs_2018.00.00_B121Dr_P415D_18452311965_r
Like B121Dq, but new date (2018).

Courtesy of Kevin Warfel.

West African States (Mali) new sig/date (2019) 10,000-franc note (B124Ds) confirmed

West_African_States_BC_10000_francs_2019.00.00_B124Ds_P418D_19470686448_f
West_African_States_BC_10000_francs_2019.00.00_B124Ds_P418D_19470686448_r
Like B124Dr, but new signatures and new date (2019).

Courtesy of Kevin Warfel.