Burundi new 2,000- and 5,000-franc notes (B234a and B235a) confirmed

The Central Bank of Burundi issued new 2,000- and 5,000-franc notes (US$1.60 and US$4.05, respectively) on April 7, 2009. The new notes are said to be “impossible to forge.” The existing notes of these denominations will remain legal tender until September 30, 2009. The basic designs of the new notes are unchanged, but they are physically smaller (140 x 71 mm for the Fr2,000 and 145 x 73 mm for the Fr5,000) and use Cornerstone watermarks, revealing that they are printed by De La Rue. The bank’s governor, Gaspard Sindayigaya, said that the nation’s smaller denominations notes could also be reissued.

B234 (P47): 2,000 francs (US$1.15)
Green and blue. Front: French and Kirundi text; holographic cattle head patch; coat of arms; boys picking tea leaves in field. Back: French and Kirundi text; unknown lake. Windowed security thread with demetalized BRB. Watermark: Cattle and Cornerstones. Printer: (De La Rue). 140 x 71 mm. Paper. a. 01-12-2008. Sig. 26: Bibara/Sindayigaya. Prefix T – Z, AA – AH. Intro: 07.04.2009.

B235 (P48): 5,000 francs (US$2.85)

Olive green and violet. Front: French and Kirundi text; holographic cattle head patch; coat of arms; Parliament House in Bujumbura. Back: French and Kirundi text; ships, cranes, and building on a dock. Windowed security thread with demetalized BRB. Watermark: Cattle. Printer: (De La Rue). 145 x 73 mm. Paper.

a. 01-12-2008. Sig. 26: Bibara/Sindayigaya. Prefix AK – AS. Intro: 07.04.2009.

Courtesy of Page’s Coins and Currency.