25 piastres 1956
Market Prices
6 salesAbout This Note
This is a handsome example of Sudan's first currency issue, the 25 Piastres note from 1956 issued by the Sudan Currency Board. The note displays the characteristic pink/magenta color scheme on pale green and orange underprint, featuring soldiers in formation on the obverse and the iconic desert camel soldier on the reverse. In VF condition, this note shows light aging consistent with its age but remains crisp and well-preserved, representing an important early post-independence Sudanese currency.
Common. The eBay sales data shows VF examples consistently selling in the $24-32 range (2020-2021 sales), with catalog values for VF set at $20 (2016). The regular issue designation and multiple recorded sales over multiple years indicate adequate circulation in the collector market. This is a foundational note of Sudanese currency but not scarce.
This note was issued in 1956, the year Sudan achieved full independence from Anglo-Egyptian condominium rule. The imagery reflects the nation's military heritage and desert identity: the soldiers in formation on the obverse represent the newly independent nation's armed forces, while the camel rider on the reverse embodies the Sudan Currency Board's national symbol—the desert camel soldier—connecting the currency to Sudan's geographic and cultural identity during this formative period of statehood.
The obverse features a formal composition with multiple figures in traditional Sudanese dress standing in military formation on the left, with mountainous or hilly terrain rendered in the background. A large denomination numeral is enclosed in an ornamental oval cartouche on the right side. The reverse depicts the central motif of a camel with a mounted rider in traditional Sudanese clothing and headwear, representing the Sudan Currency Board's heraldic symbol. Both sides are framed by ornate decorative borders in geometric and floral patterns with corner ornamental designs, characteristic of 1950s currency aesthetic. The note employs a dual-language design with Arabic inscriptions on the obverse and English on the reverse, reflecting Sudan's post-colonial transition.
Front side: جمهورية السودانية (Sudanese Republic), جنة النقود السودانية (Sudan Currency Board), خمسة وعشرون فرشة (Twenty Five Piastres), with serial number A50629496 printed in two locations (top right and bottom left). Back side: 'SUDAN CURRENCY BOARD' and 'TWENTY FIVE PIASTRES' in English with denomination numeral '25'.
Intaglio printing, evident from the sharp detail in the portraits, fine line work in the decorative borders, and the characteristic texture observable in the geometric patterns. The note was likely produced by a British security printer, consistent with the Sudan Currency Board's practices and the TDLR (Thomas De La Rue) association noted in contemporary issues.
This note is catalogued as Pick 1A (the first variety of the 25 Piastres denomination from the 1956 Sudan Currency Board issue). PMG records indicate a starred variant (P-1As) exists among the 12 catalogued variants for this Pick number. The observed serial number A50629496 and the absence of visible overprints or signature variations in the visual analysis suggest this is a standard unstarred example of the P-1A variety.
