10 pula 1982 specimen
Market Prices
7 salesAbout This Note
This is a 1982 Botswana 10 pula specimen note issued by the Bank of Botswana and printed by Thomas de la Rue & Company, Limited. The note features President Sir Ketumile Masire in formal business attire on the obverse and the Parliament building in Gaborone on the reverse, with an overall green and beige color scheme enhanced by purple and orange security elements. As an uncirculated specimen note with the characteristic large red diagonal SPECIMEN overprint, this example preserves pristine condition with crisp printing and no signs of circulation.
Common. This 1982 10 pula note is a standard issue from Botswana's early currency series with significant print runs typical of circulating denominations. Market evidence from eBay sales data shows specimens regularly selling in the $18–$37 range across various grades (UNC to PMG 66), indicating healthy supply and modest collector demand. The catalog valuation of $50 for UNC specimens is consistent with common currency from this period and country. No evidence suggests limited mintage, recall, or scarcity.
This note was issued during Botswana's early post-independence period under President Ketumile Masire's administration, reflecting the nation's modernization and institutional development in the early 1980s. The obverse portrait of President Masire and the reverse depiction of the Parliament building in Gaborone symbolize the young nation's democratic governance and architectural progress. The inclusion of both English and Setswana inscriptions (Banka ya Botswana / Bank of Botswana) reflects Botswana's linguistic and cultural identity during this formative period.
The obverse features a formal portrait of President Sir Ketumile Quett Masire positioned on the left side, depicted in profile wearing a pin-striped business suit and tie, rendered in gray tones against a light green-beige background. The right side displays the Bank of Botswana's institutional emblem featuring a purple and orange checkered circular design with stylized animal heraldry elements. Ornamental numerals '10' in decorative frames flank both sides of the note. The reverse showcases a modernist institutional building with multiple arched openings and horizontal architectural lines, identified as the Parliament building in Gaborone, set within a landscaped environment with vegetation. Both sides feature extensive fine-line guilloché security patterns and decorative elements throughout. The note employs bilingual inscriptions reflecting Botswana's English and Setswana languages.
FRONT SIDE: 'Bank of BOTSWANA' (English), '10' (denomination numeral), 'MINISTER OF FINANCE' (English), 'SPECIMEN' (overprint), 'This note is legal tender for' (English), 'Ten Pula' (English), 'D26 000000' (serial number). BACK SIDE: 'BANKA YA BOTSWANA' (Setswana - Bank of Botswana), '10' (denomination numeral), 'Pula tse Some' (Setswana - Ten Pula), 'SPECIMEN' (overprint), 'THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY, LIMITED' (printer attribution, English).
This note was produced using intaglio printing by Thomas de la Rue & Company, Limited, London. The fine-line guilloché patterns, intricate security background designs, ornamental numerals, and the crisp rendering of portrait details are characteristic of intaglio currency production. The multicolored underprint with distinct color separations (green, beige, purple, orange, and yellow elements) indicates sophisticated multi-pass printing techniques typical of security currency printers of the era.
This is cataloged as Pick P-9ds, identifying it as a specimen variant (suffix 's') of the 1982 10 pula note. The PMG population report documents multiple variants for this Pick number (P-9a, P-9b, P-9d, P-9s1, P-9s3, P-9s4), with this note representing one of the specimen variants. The serial number prefix 'D' and specimen overprint are distinguishing features of this particular example. The note bears printer attribution to Thomas de la Rue & Company, Limited (TDLR), consistent with the catalog notation.
