5 Pounds 1968 - 1969, Biafra
| in Krause book | Number: 6 |
| Years of issue: | 1968 - 1969 |
| Edition: | WA to WF 6 000 000 |
| Signatures: | Governor: Mr. Sylvester U. Ugoh, Director: Mr. William Okefie Uzoaga |
| Serie: | 1968 Issue |
| Specimen of: | 02.1969 |
| Material: | Cotton fiber |
| Size (mm): | 143 х 74 |
| Printer: | Markpress, Geneva |
* All pictures marked 
are increased partially by magnifying glass, the remaining open in full size by clicking on the image.
** The word "Specimen" is present only on some of electronic pictures, in accordance with banknote images publication rules of appropriate banks.
Description
Watermark:
Avers:
Palm tree over a rising sun.
Denomination by word is centered, by digits - in all corners and centered.
Revers:
The coat of arms of Biafra is on left side..
The coat of arms used by Biafra was derived from the coat of arms granted to the Eastern Region of Nigeria in 1960. The difference being that the Eastern Region’s 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. The shield contains the rising sun, plus three manillas linked together over an area divided into three parts, which are properly coloured red, black, and green. (These were also the colours of the Biafran flag - three horizontal bars of red, black, and green, with the rising sun in the centre of the black band). Above the shield is an eagle clutching a tusk or horn, and representations of the eagle appeared on a number of Biafran coins.
Taken from their coat of arms, the rising sun became the dominant symbol of Biafra. It appeared on their flag, their coins and bank notes, on military insignia, and it gave rise to the title of their national anthem, Land of the Rising Sun.
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. In addition, the depiction of a single palm tree had been the dominant feature on the bank notes of the West African Currency Board from 1916 to 1951, and gave a visual reminder of the notes of that era. (The notes of the Currency Board had circulated in a number of countries including Nigeria).
The traditional spear of Alo, which is present on the arms of Nigeria. The banknote shows his version from the Biafra region. The spear on the banknote is on left side, as if piercing a white window through and through.
In the center is a female weaver at work.
Found an article, written in 1962 in USSR on the topic, I bring it here:
"The peoples of Nigeria have long developed a variety of crafts, they were able to melt iron and tin, perform the finest artistic work on gold, copper, bronze, wood, and fabricate fabrics and leather products." After the capture of Nigeria by the British colonialists, handicraft production fell into decay. tin and iron melting enterprises.
The development of artisanal industry is hampered by the competition of low-cost textile and other factory products in England, the USA and other countries that flood Nigeria's market. Nevertheless, handicraft production remains an important place in the economy of the country, which distinguishes Nigeria from most other countries of the Guinea coast.
Among the crafts the first place belongs to weaving. Weavers weavers weaving on homemade horizontal machine tools with colored fabrics, each of which has a special name and purpose. The main center of weaving in Northern Nigeria is Kano. Even in the distant past, the textile products of this city were famous. Hundreds of camels, loaded with cloths from Kano, crossed the Sahara, delivering goods to various cities in Africa. In the west of the country in the cities of Ibadan, Abeokuta, Isein, and others, in addition to horizontal looms, vertical machines are also used. After fabrication the fabric is painted in huge pits-vats, the bottom and walls of which are covered with a special composition. For dyeing, vegetable paints are used, most often indigo. The fabric is several times immersed in a vat and held in it for many days until the required color tone is obtained. To get a picture, pebbles or pieces of wood are attached to the fabric before putting it in the vat. Patterns in the places closed by them are visible. In Kano and in other cities of Northern and Western Nigeria, where weaving is developed, often the population of whole quarters is made up by weavers or dyers. An artisanal way in the country annually produces about 35 million meters of fabrics." (geography.su .ru)
Denominations in numerals are in all corners and on right side. In words at the bottom.
Comments:
Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a secessionist state in south-eastern Nigeria that existed from 30 May 1967 to 15 January 1970, taking its name from the Bight of Biafra (the Atlantic bay to its south). The inhabitants were mostly the Igbo people who led the secession due to economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions among the various peoples of Nigeria. The creation of the new state that was pushing for recognition was among the causes of the Nigerian Civil War, also known as the Nigerian - Biafran War.After two-and-a-half years of war, during which a million civilians had died in fighting and from famine, Biafran forces agreed to a ceasefire with the Nigerian Federal Military Government (FMG), and Biafra was reintegrated into Nigeria.
Issues of banknotes:
5s. MA to MZ (except MI & MO) 24 million
NA to NR (except NI & NO) 16 million
10s. GA to GW (except GI & GO) 19 million
1 pound BA to BZ (except BI & BO) 24 million
CA to CZ (except CI & CO) 24 million
DA to DX (except DI & DO) 22 million
5 pounds WA to WF 6 million
10 pounds ZA to ZC 3 million
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