...Mauritania - 100, 200 And 1000 Ouguiya Unissued 1975-1977

 الجمهورية الإسلامية الموريتانية

(The Islamic Republic of Mauritania)

 

البنك المركزي الموريتاني

 (Central Bank of Mauritania, Est.1973)

Currency - Ouguiya (MRU)

 

Early this year, two unissued notes of 1000 ouguiya appeared in the numismatic market for sale. Now more have been released and below, I have posted the three notes of 100, 200 and 1000 ouguiya. These notes were printed back in the 1970s, but were not released into circulation and now the central bank has given collectors around the world the opportunity to get them as souvenirs. It is not sure why these three notes were not released then. These notes are dated 1975 (100 ouguiya) and 1977 (for the 200 and 1000 ouguiya) and all notes were reportedly printed by Thomas De La Rue & Co (DLR). The signatures on all the three notes are also the same. These are the only three remaining unissued notes and are now available to collectors. There are plenty available in the market right now. Prior to these releases, only the printer's specimen notes were available.

According to the standard banknotes catalogue, these notes form part of the four unissued notes printed from 1975 to 1981. The 1981 note is also a 1000 ouguiya. However, I have not included this 1981 note here as this note has a different signature combination. The standard catalogue reference for this 1981 note is 3D, whilst the three notes posted here are 3A, 3B and 3C.

The designs for these three notes are just magnificent. The designs reflect the country's rich culture and historical heritage. The designs are much better looking than those subsequent series of banknotes issued by the bank. They are unique and should be popular among serious collectors. As these were printed in the 1970s, in today's standard, the 1000 ouguiya is considered as a large size note.

The three notes posted here all have matching serial numbers of A30 005513.

 

One Hundred Ouguiya

 

Front - Young man with turban, two women with one serving tea. To the right is a bush.

 

Treasurer General - Unknown

Governor - Ahmed Ould Daddah (tenure 1973-1978)

Date - 1975.11.28

Watermark - Image of a man

Dimensions - 147.5mm x 69mm

 

Back - A fisherman showing his catch with fishing trawlers in the background. Fishing is one of Mauritania's main economies, which represents around 40% of the country's exports. To the left is a man holding something and it is hard to say what he was holding in his hands.

 

Two Hundred Ouguiya

 

Front - Portrait of the late President Moktar Ould Daddah* (b.1924-2003), two men and a woman with a camel traveling in the desert. To the right is a smiling woman in black walking and in her right hand she is holding what appears to be a bag.

Treasurer General - Unknown

Governor - Ahmed Ould Daddah (tenure 1973-1978)

Date - 1977.6.29

Watermark - Image of a man

Dimensions - 160mm x 82mm

 

Back - Two antelopes in the center. To the left is a man and camel traveling together in a desert. To the right are 18 birds flying in formation.

 

* A website listed this man as the late President Moktar Ould Daddah* (b.1924-2003). I personally believe this portrait is related to a real life person. However, I have no confirmation to say that this is the late President. I am unable to find an image of him to compare with this portrait when he was young. Those images that you can find on the Internet are all showing him when he was much older. I understand that he was the Prime Minister of Mauritania when he was 33 years old, and then President when he was 36. This note is printed with the year of 1978, when he was 53 years old. Unfortunately I am unable to guess the age of this man printed on the note. Perhaps, this is to showcase his achievement in politics at such a young age. If I am wrong, I still believe that this portrait is based on a real life person and not just another artist's impression.

One Thousand Ouguiya

 

Front - Portrait of a young woman, two people with cows and a donkey gathering at a water well. In the background are palm streets. To the right is a man walking holding a bag each in his hands walking with a donkey. About that is an image of a harbour with port gantry cranes.

 

 Treasurer General - Unknown

Governor - Ahmed Ould Daddah (tenure 1973-1978)

Date - 1977.6.29

Watermarks - Image of a man

Dimensions - 168.5mm x 91mm

Back - An iron ore mining processing plant. Iron ore is the largest mineral found in the country. Other minerals found in the country are copper, gold, petroleum, gypsum and others.