10 scelini 1962 specimen

Common. While specimen notes are non-circulating and less frequently encountered than regular issue notes, this 1962 10 Scellini specimen is well-documented in both major catalogs (Pick P-2s, PMG variants) and readily available on the secondary market. Secondary market pricing data shows AU specimens trading in the $460 range, with regular circulated examples available for $35-$200, indicating steady collector demand but not scarcity. The note was printed in sufficient quantities for specimen purposes and was not subject to recall or destruction that would restrict supply. Standard rarity assessment for early Somali specimen notes of this denomination.

This note was issued in 1962, the year of Somalia's independence from Italian colonial rule and the merger of the Italian Somaliland and British Somaliland protectorates. The bilingual design—featuring Italian inscriptions alongside English and Arabic text—reflects Somalia's complex post-colonial linguistic landscape during its transition to a sovereign nation. The depicted pastoral landscape with acacia-like trees represents the Somali countryside and natural heritage, while the cotton flower motif (visible on similar notes from this series) reflects the country's agricultural economy during this formative period.

The obverse features a left-facing profile portrait of a bearded man—likely a Somali national figure or dignitary—in an oval frame with green decorative borders, rendered in fine engraving with a star symbol visible in the background. The center of the note displays ornate geometric guilloche patterns in red/pink and green, with the large denomination '10' prominently placed. Celtic-style corner ornaments in green adorn all four corners. The reverse depicts a Somali pastoral landscape scene, presumably representing the Juba River region or typical Somali savanna terrain, with acacia-type trees and vegetation rendered in red/brown and green tones. Circular cartouches frame denomination numerals and text on both sides, with complex repeating border patterns providing sophisticated security design elements.

FRONT: 'BANCA NAZIONALE SOMALA' (National Bank of Somalia); '10 SCELLINI' (10 Shillings); 'IL PRESIDENTE' (The President); 'IL PRESIDENTE DEL COLLEGIO DEI REVISORI' (The President of the Board of Auditors); 'MOGADISCIO 1962' (Mogadishu 1962); 'SPECIMEN' (Specimen marking). BACK: '10 SOMALI SHILLINGS' (10 Somali Shillings); 'البنك الوطني الصومالي' (National Bank of Somalia in Arabic); 'SPECIMEN' (Specimen marking). Serial designations 'A 000 000000' on front and '000 A' on back identify this as a specimen note.

Intaglio engraving (line engraving and guilloche pattern work), the standard security printing method for banknotes of this era. The note was printed by Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato – Carte Valori in Rome (referred to as OCV in some references), a prestigious Italian security printer. The fine detail visible in the portraits, landscape scene, geometric patterns, and decorative borders, combined with the multi-color printing in green, red/brown, and black, is characteristic of steel plate intaglio engraving.

This note is cataloged as Pick P-2s (specimen variety of the regular P-2a issue). The 's' suffix denotes specimen status, and the visual analysis confirms the red 'SPECIMEN' overprint and specimen serial numbering pattern (A 000 000000 format on obverse, 000 A on reverse). The printer identified as OCV (Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato – Carte Valori) matches catalog records for this Pick number. No signature variations are visible due to specimen status. This represents the standard specimen issue of the 1962 10 Scellini denomination; PMG records indicate P-2s as a recognized cataloging variant distinct from the regular issue P-2a.