10 shillings 1973 specimen

Common. While specimen notes carry a slight premium over regular circulation notes, the eBay market data shows wide price variation ($1.84 to $96.00 USD) with most sales clustering in the $20-40 range for UNC examples, indicating reasonable availability. The 1973 10 shillings is a standard regular issue from a national central bank with presumably healthy print runs. The specimen designation (P-6as versus P-6b or P-6c standard issues) may reduce supply slightly, but specimen notes were routinely produced in moderate quantities for distribution to banks and collectors. This is not a rare or scarce variety.

This note was issued during the early years of Idi Amin's military regime in Uganda, following his 1971 coup. The portrait of Amin in full military regalia reflects the military nature of the government at that time, while the reverse imagery celebrating Uganda's iconic wildlife—elephants, antelope, hippos, and the scenic Murchison Falls—represents the nation's natural heritage and tourism appeal. This specimen note predates many of the more tumultuous years of Amin's dictatorship and represents an important artifact of Uganda's modern monetary history.

The obverse (front) features a formal left-facing portrait of President Idi Amin Dada in full military dress uniform with peaked cap bearing insignia, positioned on the left side of the note. To the right is a finely engraved head of a kudu or similar large antelope, rendered with detailed line work characteristic of security printing. The Coat of Arms of Uganda appears in the lower right corner, with ornamental rosette patterns in all four corners and complex guilloche geometric patterns throughout the background in beige and tan tones. The reverse (back) presents a natural landscape scene featuring the Victoria Nile with Murchison Falls visible in the background hills. The composition includes three prominent wildlife subjects: an elephant on the left, a kudu or similar antelope with distinctive curved horns in the center foreground, and a hippopotamus on the right. The landscape employs greens and browns to depict the savanna setting. Decorative rosette patterns frame the composition in the top corners, with ornamental border designs incorporating geometric patterns throughout.

Front side: 'BANK OF UGANDA' (issuing authority); 'TEN SHILLINGS' (English denomination); 'SHILINGI KUMI' (Swahili for ten shillings); 'LEGAL TENDER FOR TEN SHILLINGS' (legal tender declaration); signature line areas marked 'GOVERNOR' and 'DIRECTOR' (authorization titles); '10' (corner denomination numerals); 'SPECIMEN' (overprint indicating non-negotiable specimen status). Back side: 'BANK OF UGANDA' (issuing authority); 'TEN SHILLINGS SHILINGI KUMI' (bilingual denomination); '10' (corner denomination numerals); 'SPECIMEN' (overprint).

Intaglio engraving (line engraving), the primary security printing method used for high-value banknotes of this era. The visual analysis reveals characteristic fine line detail, precise guilloche patterns, and the multi-color offset printing visible in the underprint tones. This note was produced by a major international security printer, likely De La Rue or similar establishment printer specializing in Commonwealth currency, based on the design quality and security features typical of 1973 Ugandan currency production.

This is the specimen variety (P-6as per Pick catalog) as indicated by the large red SPECIMEN overprint visible on both obverse and reverse. The note exhibits the standard A-series serial number format (A000000 visible in the visual analysis). Known varieties for this base Pick number include P-6b and P-6c standard issues distinguished by watermark placement, while this P-6s/P-6as variant is the specimen overprint version. Replacement notes are known with serial number prefixes Z/1, Y/1, X/1, and W/1, though this specimen example does not appear to carry a replacement note prefix.