20 shillings 1978
Market Prices
6 salesAbout This Note
This is a pristine, uncirculated example of the 1978 Tanzania 20 Shillings (Pick P-7a), featuring President Julius Nyerere in profile on the obverse and a distinctive cotton knitting machine depicted on the reverse. The note exhibits exceptional condition with no visible wear, creasing, or circulation damage, displaying vibrant multicolor printing in blue, purple, pink, and cream tones throughout. The intricate engraved security patterns and fine line work are clearly visible and well-preserved, making this an attractive specimen for collectors of East African currency.
Common. The 20 Shillings 1978 Pick P-7a is a regular-issue note from Tanzania's early post-independence currency period with standard print runs. Market data from realbanknotes.com shows consistent sales activity across multiple condition grades, with UNC examples selling in the $5–$14 range (2014–2018), indicating robust supply in the collector market. There is no evidence of limited production, early recall, or scarcity. This is a readily available note for collectors of Tanzanian currency.
Issued by the Benki Kuu ya Tanzania (Bank of Tanzania) in 1978, this note commemorates President Julius Kambarage Nyerere, who led Tanzania through its early post-independence years and unified Tanganyika and Zanzibar into the modern nation. The reverse design depicting a cotton knitting machine reflects Tanzania's economic emphasis during this period on agricultural and light industrial development, particularly cotton production, which was central to the nation's export economy and development strategy of the 1970s.
The obverse features a formal portrait of President Julius Kambarage Nyerere in three-quarter profile view, positioned on the right side within an ornate geometric frame rendered in engraving. The Tanzanian coat of arms, featuring a shield with national symbols and supporters, is prominently displayed at the top center. The left side is decorated with intricate floral and geometric patterns in blue, pink, and tan. The denomination '20' appears in large, detailed numerals at the center, with the legal tender inscription prominently displayed. The reverse depicts a complex mechanical illustration of a cotton knitting machine, showing the internal mechanical structure and operational components, flanked by a figure and landscape elements including clouds and vegetation, all set within decorative geometric borders. Serial number L1289987 is printed in multiple locations for security purposes.
FRONT: 'BENKI KUU YA TANZANIA' (Bank of Tanzania) — issuing authority; 'FEDHA HALALI KWA MALIPO YA SHILINGI ISHIRINI' (Legal tender for payment of twenty shillings) — legal tender declaration; 'SHILINGI ISHIRINI' (Twenty shillings) — denomination in words; 'WAZIRI WA FEDHA GAVANA' (Minister of Finance Governor) — official designation. BACK: 'BENKI KUU YA TANZANIA' (Bank of Tanzania); 'SHILINGI ISHIRINI' (Twenty shillings); '20' (denomination numeral).
Intaglio (steel engraving) on multicolor offset underprint. The catalog data indicates the printer as TDLR (Thomas de la Rue), a leading international security printer renowned for high-quality banknote production. The fine line work, complex geometric patterns, and intricate detail visible throughout the note are characteristic of professional intaglio engraving combined with multicolor lithographic underprintings, providing multiple security layers against counterfeiting.
This note is cataloged as Pick P-7a, the primary variety of the 1978 20 Shillings issue. The PMG population report indicates the existence of variant P-7b and P-7c (both with Giraffe's Head watermark), and specimen notes (P-7s). Replacement notes are identified by serial number prefixes ZZ and ZY. The observed serial number L1289987 does not carry a replacement prefix, indicating this is a regular-issue note. No signature variants, overprints, or other distinguishing marks are evident in the visual analysis.
