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Unit | |
---|---|
Symbol | Sh or /- [1] |
Denominations | |
Superunit | |
20 | pound (£) |
Subunit | |
1⁄100 | cent |
Banknotes | 5/-, 10/-, 20/-, 100/-, 200/-, 1000/-, 10,000/- |
Coins | 1 ct, 5 cts, 10 cts, 50 cts, 1/- |
Demographics | |
User(s) | All in the 20th century:
|
Issuance | |
Central bank | East African Currency Board |
This infobox shows the latest status before this currency was rendered obsolete. |
The East African shilling was the sterling unit of account in British-controlled areas of East Africa from 1921 until 1969. [2] It was issued by the East African Currency Board. It is also the proposed name for a common currency that the East African Community plans to introduce.
The shilling was divided into 100 cents, and twenty shillings were 1 pound.
Unlike elsewhere in the possessions of the British Empire that used the sterling, in British East Africa the shilling instead of the pound was the primary unit of account, with the pound being a superunit mainly used for recording government and business transactions whose totals would be needlessly large if quoted solely in shillings.
This anomalous state of affairs arose because the first currency used by the British colonial authorities in British East Africa was the rupee, not sterling. The East African shilling was introduced to Kenya, Tanganyika, and Uganda in 1921, replacing the short-lived East African florin at a rate of 2 shillings to 1 florin. The florin had been introduced because of increasing silver prices after World War I. At that time, the Indian rupee was the currency of the British East African states. The rupee, being a silver coin, rose in value against sterling. When it reached the value of two shillings, the authorities decided to replace it with the florin. From the florin thence came the East African shilling. The currency remained pegged to one shilling sterling and was subdivided into 100 cents. [3] [4] [5] In 1936, Zanzibar joined the currency board, and the Zanzibari rupee was replaced at a rate of 1/50 to 1 Zanzibari rupee. [4] It was replaced by local currencies (Kenyan shilling, Ugandan shilling, and Tanzanian shilling) following the territories' independence. [3] [4] [5]
In 1951, the East African shilling replaced the Indian rupee in the Aden colony and protectorate, which became the South Arabian Federation in 1963. In 1965, the East African Currency Board was breaking up, and the South Arabian dinar replaced the shilling in the South Arabian Federation at a rate of 20 shillings to 1 dinar. [2] [6]
The shilling was also used in parts of what is now Somalia, Ethiopia, and Eritrea when they were under British control. Before 1941, these areas, then known as Italian East Africa, used the Italian East African lira. In 1941, as a result of World War II, Britain regained control and introduced the shilling, at a rate of 1 shilling to 24 Lire. Italian Somaliland was returned to Italy in 1949 as a UN Trusteeship and soon switched to the somalo, which was at par with the shilling. British Somaliland gained independence in 1960, and joined what had been Italian Somaliland to create Somalia. In that year, Somalia began using the Somali shilling (replacing the Somali somalo) at par with the East African shilling. [7]
Ethiopia regained independence in 1941, with British support, and began using the East African shilling. Maria Theresa thalers, Indian rupees, and Egyptian pounds were also legal tender at the beginning of this time, and it is unclear exactly when this status ended. Full sovereignty was restored in late 1944, and the Ethiopian dollar was reintroduced in 1945 at a rate of $1 = 2 shillings. [8] Eritrea was captured from the Italians in 1941, and began using the East African shilling, as well as the Egyptian pound. The lira was demonetised in 1942. When Eritrea formed a federation with Ethiopia in 1952, the dollar, which was already in use in Ethiopia, was also adopted in Eritrea. [9]
It has been rumoured that the East African Shilling will be revived by the East African Community, which consists of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Somalia, as part of the community's monetary union.[ citation needed ] The monetary union's target date has been set to 2031 following delays caused in part due to the Covid-19 Pandemic and the admission of new member states, including the DRC and Somalia. [10]
Issued during the reign of George V | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Catalogue number | Technical parameters | Description | Dates | Remarks | ||
Mass | Composition | Obverse | Reverse | |||||
1 cent | KM 22 | Bronze | "GEORGIVS V", "REX ET IND:IMP:", crown, value | "EAST AFRICA", value, date | 1922-1935 | central hole | ||
5 cents | KM 18 | 1921-1936 | ||||||
10 cents | KM 19 | |||||||
50 cents 1⁄2 shilling | KM 20 | 3.8879g | 25% silver | "GEORGIVS V", "REX ET IND:IMP:", bust of George V | Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date | 1921-1924 | ||
1 shilling | KM 21 | 7.7759g | Value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date | 1921-1925 | ||||
For table standards, see the coin specification table. |
Issued during the reign of Edward VIII | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Catalogue number | Composition | Description | Dates | Remarks | ||
Obverse | Reverse | |||||||
5 cents | KM 23 | Bronze | "EDWARDVS VIII", "REX ET IND:IMP:", crown, value | "EAST AFRICA", value, date | 1936 | Central hole | ||
10 cents | KM 24 | |||||||
For table standards, see the coin specification table. |
Issued during the reign of George VI as GEORGIVS VI | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Catalogue number | Technical parameters | Description | Dates | Remarks | ||
Mass | Composition | Obverse | Reverse | |||||
1 cent | KM 29 | Bronze | "GEORGIVS VI", "REX ET IND:IMP:", crown, value | "EAST AFRICA", value, date | 1942 | central hole | ||
5 cents | KM 25 | 1936 | central hole | |||||
KM 25.1 | 1937-1941 | central hole, thick flan | ||||||
KM 25.2 | 1941-1943 | central hole, thin flan | ||||||
KM 25.3 | 1942 | NO central hole, thin flan | ||||||
10 cents | KM 26.1 | 1937-1941 | some with central hole, some without, thick flan | |||||
KM 26.2 | 1942-1945 | central hole, thin flan | ||||||
50 cents 1⁄2 shilling | KM 27 | 3.8879g | 25% silver | "GEORGIVS VI", "REX ET INDIÆ IMPERATOR", bust of George VI | Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date | 1937-1944 | ||
1 shilling | KM 28.1 | 7.7759g | Value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date | 1937-1944 | edge reeding spaced out | |||
KM 28.2 | 1941 | rare, thicker rim, larger milling, minor design differences | ||||||
KM 28.3 | 1942-1943 | retouched central image on reverse | ||||||
KM 28.4 | 1944-1946 | same as KM 28.1 with edge reeding close | ||||||
For table standards, see the coin specification table. |
Issued during the reign of George VI as GEORGIVS SEXTVS | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Catalogue number | Composition | Description | Dates | Remarks | ||
Obverse | Reverse | |||||||
1 cent | KM 32 | Bronze | "GEORGIVS SEXTVS REX", crown, value | "EAST AFRICA", value, date | 1949-1952 | central hole | ||
5 cents | KM 33 | 1949-1952 | ||||||
10 cents | KM 34 | 1949-1952 | ||||||
50 cents 1⁄2 shilling | KM 30 | Cupronickel | "GEORGIVS SEXTVS REX", bust of George VI | Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date | 1948-1952 | |||
1 shilling | KM 31 | Value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, date | 1948-1952 | |||||
For table standards, see the coin specification table. |
Issued during the reign of Elizabeth II | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Catalogue number | Composition | Description | Dates | Remarks | ||
Obverse | Reverse | |||||||
1 cent | KM 35 | Bronze | "QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND", crown, value | "EAST AFRICA", value, date | 1954-1962 | central hole | ||
5 cents | KM 37 | 1955-1963 | ||||||
10 cents | KM 38 | 1956-1964 | ||||||
50 cents 1⁄2 shilling | KM 36 | Cupronickel | "QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND", bust of Elizabeth II | Dual value, "EAST AFRICA", lion in front of mountain, year of minting | 1954-1963 | |||
For table standards, see the coin specification table. |
Issued after independence | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Image | Value | Catalogue number | Composition | Description | Dates | Remarks | ||
Obverse | Reverse | |||||||
5 cents | KM 39 | Bronze | "SENTI TANO", 5, "FIVE CENTS", "EAST AFRICA" | "EAST AFRICA", "5", date | 1964 | central hole | ||
10 cents | KM 40 | "SENTI KUMI", 10, "TEN CENTS", "EAST AFRICA" | "EAST AFRICA", "10", date | 1964 | ||||
For table standards, see the coin specification table. |
Krause, Chester L.; Clifford Mishler (2003). 2004 Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1901–Present. Colin R. Bruce II (senior editor) (31st ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0873495934.
In 1921, notes were issued by the East African Currency Board in denominations of 5/-, 10/-, 20/-, 100/-, 200/-, 1,000/- and 10,000/-, with the notes of 20 shillings and above having their denominations expressed also in pounds (£1, £5, £10, £50 and £500). In 1943, 1/- notes were issued, the only occasion that such notes were produced. 1,000/- notes were only issued until 1933, with 10,000/- notes last issued in 1947. The remaining denominations were issued until 1964.
Shilling denominations were written on banknotes in English, Arabic, and Gujarati, while values in pounds were written in English only.
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or one-twentieth of a pound before being phased out during the 1960s and 1970s.
Rupee is the common name for the currencies of India, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka, and of former currencies of Afghanistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, British East Africa, Burma, German East Africa, and Tibet. In Indonesia and the Maldives, the unit of currency is known as rupiah and rufiyaa respectively, cognates of the word rupee.
In public finance, a currency board is a monetary authority which is required to maintain a fixed exchange rate with a foreign currency. This policy objective requires the conventional objectives of a central bank to be subordinated to the exchange rate target. In colonial administration, currency boards were popular because of the advantages of printing appropriate denominations for local conditions, and it also benefited the colony with the seigniorage revenue. However, after World War II many independent countries preferred to have central banks and independent currencies.
The British West Indies dollar (BWI$) was the currency of British Guiana and the Eastern Caribbean territories of the British West Indies from 1949 to 1965, when it was largely replaced by the East Caribbean dollar, and was one of the currencies used in Jamaica from 1954 to 1964. The monetary policy of the currency was overseen by the British Caribbean Currency Board (BCCB). It was the official currency used by the West Indies Federation. The British West Indies dollar was never used in British Honduras, the Cayman Islands, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Bahamas, or Bermuda.
The pound was the currency of Australia from 1910 until 14 February 1966, when it was replaced by the Australian dollar. Like other £sd currencies, it was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.
The shilling is the currency of Uganda. Officially divided into cents until 2013, due to substantial inflation the shilling now has no subdivision.
A currency union is an intergovernmental agreement that involves two or more states sharing the same currency. These states may not necessarily have any further integration.
The shilling is the currency of Tanzania. It is subdivided into 100 cents . The Tanzanian shilling replaced the East African shilling on 14 June 1966 at par.
The Somali shilling is the official currency of Somalia. It is subdivided into 100 senti, cents (English) or centesimi (Italian).
The shilling is the currency of Kenya. It is divided into 100 cents. The Central Bank of Kenya Act cap 491, mandated the printing and minting of the Kenyan shilling currency.
Each "article" in this category is a collection of entries about several stamp issuers, presented in alphabetical order. The entries are formulated on the micro model and so provide summary information about all known issuers.
The pound was the currency of British West Africa, a group of British colonies, protectorates and mandate territories. It was equal to one pound sterling and was similarly subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.
The guilder or florin was the currency of the Netherlands from 1434 until 2002, when it was replaced by the euro.
The Florin was the currency of the British colonies and protectorates of East Africa between 1920 and 1921. It was divided into 100 cents. It replaced the East African rupee at par, and was replaced in turn by the East African shilling at a rate of 2 shillings = 1 florin. The florin was equivalent to 2 shillings sterling.
The rupee was the currency of Britain's East African colonies and protectorates between 1906 and 1920. It was divided into 100 cents.
The pound was the currency of the Union of South Africa from the formation of the country as a British Dominion in 1910. It was replaced by the rand in 1961 when South Africa decimalised.
The Somalo was the currency of the Trust Territory of Somaliland administered by Italy between 1950 and 1960. The "Somalo" remained officially in use in the newly created Somali Republic until 1962. It was subdivided into 100 centesimi.
The pound was the currency of the Canadas until 1858. It was subdivided into 20 shillings (s), each of 12 pence (d). In Lower Canada, the sou was used, equivalent to a halfpenny. Although the £sd accounting system had its origins in sterling, the Canadian pound was never at par with sterling's pound.
British involvement in the Middle East began with the General Maritime Treaty of 1820. This established the Trucial States and the nearby island of Bahrain as a base for suppressing sea piracy in the Persian Gulf. Meanwhile, in 1839 the British East India Company established an anti-piracy station in Aden to protect British shipping that was sailing to and from India. Involvement in the region expanded to Egypt in 1875 because of British interests in the Suez Canal, with a full scale British invasion of Egypt taking place in 1882. Muscat and Oman became a British Protectorate in 1891, and meanwhile Kuwait was added to the British Empire in 1899 because of fears surrounding the proposed Berlin-Baghdad Railway. There was a growing concern in the United Kingdom that Germany was a rising power, and about the implications that the proposed railway would have as regards access to the Persian Gulf. Qatar became a British Protectorate in 1916, and after the First World War, the British influence in the Middle East reached its fullest extent with the inclusion of Palestine, Transjordan and Iraq.
Preceded by: Indian rupee, Maria Theresa Thaler and other foreign currencies Ratio: Various | Currency of Colony of Aden 1951 – 1963 | Currency of Federation of South Arabia 1963 – 1965 | Succeeded by: South Yemeni dinar Ratio: 1 dinar = 20 shillings | |
Currency of Aden Protectorate 1951 – 1959 | Currency of Federation of Arab Emirates of the South 1959 – 1963 | |||
Currency of remainder of Aden Protectorate 1959 – 1963 Note: throughout this time period, various states within the protectorate joined the federation | Currency of Protectorate of South Arabia 1963 – 1965 | |||
Preceded by: Zanzibari rupee Ratio: 11⁄2 shillings = 1 Zanzibari rupee = 1 Indian rupee | Currency of Zanzibar January 1, 1936 – 1964 | Currency of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar) 1964 – 1969 | Succeeded by: Tanzanian shilling Reason: currency independence Ratio: at par Note: independent shilling introduced in 1966, but EA shilling not demonetized until 1969 | |
Preceded by: East African florin Ratio: 2 shillings = 1 florin | Currency of East Africa (Kenya, Tanganyika, Uganda) 1921 – various dates of independence | |||
Currency of Kenya 1963 – 1969 | Succeeded by: Kenyan shilling Reason: currency independence Ratio: at par Note: independent shilling introduced in 1966, but EA shilling not demonetized until 1969 | |||
Currency of Uganda 1962 – 1969 | Succeeded by: First Ugandan shilling Reason: currency independence Ratio: at par Note: independent shilling introduced in 1966, but EA shilling not demonetized until 1969 | |||
Preceded by: Italian East African lira Reason: United Kingdom recaptured British Somaliland from Italy, and also occupied Italian East Africa Ratio: 1 shilling = 24 lire | Currency of British Somaliland 1941 – 1962 | Succeeded by: Somali shilling Reason: independence as part of Somalia Ratio: at par | ||
Currency of Italian Somaliland 1941 – 1950 | Succeeded by: Italian Somaliland somalo Reason: return to Italy (in 1949) Ratio: at par | |||
Currency of Ethiopia 1941 – 1945 | Succeeded by: Ethiopian dollar Reason: (Ethiopia) independence (Eritrea) federation with Ethiopia Ratio: 1 dollar = 2 shillings | |||
Currency of Eritrea 1941 – 1952 |