Bank of Moçambique

Key details

• Obverse:portrait of Samora Moisés Machel (1933–1986), first president of independent Mozambique; at center, the circular Banco de Moçambique logo.
• Reverse:a black rhinocerosDiceros bicornis) in the African savanna.
• Polymer window:large transparent opening in the upper left area, framed by two opaque semicircular arches.
• Color:violet, purple and light blue multicolor.

Key details

• Obverse:portrait of Samora Machel against a guilloché background; two tactile dots for visually impaired users in the upper-right corner.
• Reverse:herd of three greater kudu antelope (Tragelaphus strepsiceros) on the African plain.
• Legal legend:“Currency counterfeiting is punishable under the law” in the lower margin.
• Color:brown, ocher, green and golden undertones.

Historical Context

An independence hero on the currency:Samora Moisés Machel (1933–1986), revolutionary leader and first president of Mozambique after independence from Portugal in 1975, appears on all three denominations in this entry, with the country's protected wildlife —black rhinoceros, kudu, and giraffe— illustrated on their reverses.¹

Polymer for a tropical climate:The Bank of Moçambique issued these polymer versions of the three lowest denominations on June 16, 2011, as part of a renewed family of banknotes that maintained the design of the 2006 series but with improved security; the highest denominations (200, 500 and 1,000 meticais) remained in paper, while these three were converted to polymer to better withstand the country's humid and tropical climate.^2,3

Key details

• Obverse:profile portrait of Samora Machel; three tactile dots along the upper edge for visually impaired users.
• Reverse:a family of three giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) running in an acacia forest.
• Oval window:completely transparent polymer area, main barrier against xerographic counterfeiting.
• Color:brick red, carmine, pink, and multicolored yellow.

Notes

1. Foreign Currency & Coin, “Mozambique 20 Meticais” and “Mozambique 50 Meticais”,foreigncurrencyandcoin.com: portrait of Samora Moisés Machel (1933–1986), the first president of Mozambique, on the obverse of the three denominations.

2. Grokipedia, “Mozambican metical”: “In 2011, the Banco de Moçambique issued polymer substrate versions of the 20, 50, and 100 metical notes to enhance durability in the country's humid tropical climate… The higher denominations (200, 500, and 1,000 meticais) remained on paper.”

3. Numisworld, “Mozambique 20 Meticais Banknote, 2011, P-149a”: issued on June 16, 2011, printed by De La Rue (London), signed by Governor Ernesto Gouveia Gove.