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5 Pounds 1965, Gambia

in Krause book Number: 3a
Years of issue: 1965 - 1970
Edition:
Signatures: Chairman: Mr. John Barraclough de Loynes , Director: Mr. Horace Reginald Monday
Serie: 1965 Issue
Specimen of: 1965
Material: Cotton fiber
Size (mm): 160 х 90
Printer: TDLR (Thomas de la Rue & Company), London

* All pictures marked magnify 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.

5 Pounds 1965

Description

Watermark:

watermark

Head of crocodile.

Avers:

5 Pounds 1965

On left side is the Groundnutter Sailboat on the Gambia river.

GambiaThe Gambia River is a major river in West Africa, running 1,130 kilometers (700 mi.) from the Fouta Djallon plateau in north Guinea westward through Senegal and the Gambia to the Atlantic Ocean at the city of Banjul. It is navigable for about half that length.

The river is strongly associated with the Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, which consists of little more than the downstream half of the river and its two banks.

Gambia GambiaThe Groundnutter boats are simple craft. Dug out from the trunk of a tree, the boat is then finished off with solid mahogany planks which are nailed to the upper edge of the boat sides. These planks increase the boat's cargo area. To make the vessel more seaworthy, Gambian sailors caulk the seams of the boat with tupp -- a type of rope and cotton filer. Once constructed, the wooden sides are brightly painted with colorful geometric and tribal designs befitting the rich culture of the Gambian nation.

Often, early in the morning, native farmers can be seen loading the huge bags of groundnuts into brightly colored boats, or Groundnutters, for the trip down the river to the processing plants. (Wind River Studios)

Denominations in numerals are in all corners, in words in lower right corner.

Revers:

5 Pounds 1965

Workers are near manual machine for cleaning groundnut (Peanut shelling machine).

More than any other product or service, The Gambia depends on the peanut as a source of income.

machineBlanching and cleaning machine from the husk ("skin") of raw peanuts.

Peanut beans cleaned of impurities (dirt, rocks, roots and stems of the particle) and placed in special drums, equipped with rows of screens with various mesh sizes. When rotating drums spinning, beans rub against each other, freeing the core of the amniotic membrane. Cores calibrated pass through screens with appropriate mesh size. Rotary cleared of peanut husk residues and impurities sorters by visual inspection. These processes ensure a high-quality raw materials. Sorted and calibrated core placed in jute sacks for storage or disposal.

Adansonia digitataOn background is Baobab (Adansonia digitata).

Adansonia digitata (baobab) is the most widespread of the Adansonia species, and is native to the African continent. The long-lived pachycauls are typically found in dry, hot savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa, where they dominate the landscape, and reveal the presence of a watercourse from afar. Their growth rate is determined by ground water or rainfall, and their maximum age, which is subject to much conjecture, seems to be in the order of 1,500 years. They have traditionally been valued as sources of food, water, health remedies or places of shelter and are steeped in legend and superstition. Explorers of old were inclined to carve their names on baobabs, and many are defaced by modern graffiti. Common names for the baobab include dead-rat tree (from the appearance of the fruit), monkey-bread tree (the soft, dry fruit is edible), upside-down tree (the sparse branches resemble roots), cream of tartar tree (cream of tartar) and गोरख चिंच in marathi (meaning monkey's tamarind).

Denominations in numerals are in all corners. In words on the top.

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