Liberian dollar
Liberian dollar | |
---|---|
![]() A current $5 banknote | |
ISO 4217 | |
Code | LRD |
Denominations | |
Subunit | |
1/100 | cent |
Symbol | $, L$, LD$ |
Banknotes | $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, $500 |
Coins | 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, 50¢, $1[1] |
Demographics | |
User(s) | ![]() |
Issuance | |
Central bank | Central Bank of Liberia |
Website | cbl |
Valuation | |
Inflation | 7.7% |
Source | The World Factbook , 2015 est. |
The dollar (currency code LRD) has been the currency of Liberia since 1943. It was also the country's currency between 1847 and 1907. It is normally abbreviated with the sign $, or alternatively L$ or LD$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies. It is divided into 100 cents.
First Use[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/LIB-10A-Republic_of_Liberia-25_cents_%281880%29.jpg/250px-LIB-10A-Republic_of_Liberia-25_cents_%281880%29.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fb/1862_Liberian_One_Dollar.jpg/250px-1862_Liberian_One_Dollar.jpg)
The first Liberian dollar was issued in 1847. It was pegged to the US dollar at par and circulated alongside the US dollar until 1907, when Liberia adopted the British West African pound, which was pegged to sterling.
Coins[]
In 1847 and 1862, copper 1 and 2 cents coins were issued and were the only Liberian coins until 1896, when a full coinage consisting of 1, 2, 10, 25 and 50 cents coins were introduced. The last issues were made in 1906.
Money notes[]
The Treasury Department issued notes between 1857 and 1880 in denominations of 10 and 50 cents, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 dollars.
Reintroduction[]
United States currency replaced the British West African pound in Liberia in 1935.[3] Starting in 1937, Liberia issued its own coins which circulated alongside US currency.
The flight of suitcase-loads of USD paper by Americo-Liberians following the April 12, 1980 coup d'état created a currency shortage. This was remedied by minting of the Liberian $5 coins. The 7-sided coins were the same size and weight as the one-dollar coin; this prevented corrupt members of elite society leaving the country with Liberia's money.
In the late 1980s the coins were largely replaced with a newly designed $5 note modeled on the US greenback ("J. J. Roberts" notes). The design was modified during the 1990-2004 civil war to ostracize notes looted from the Central Bank of Liberia. This effectively created two currency zones—the new "Liberty" notes were legal tender in government-held areas (primarily Monrovia), while the old notes were legal tender in non-government areas. Each was not considered legal in the other territory. Following Charles Taylor's arrival in Monrovia in 1995, the J.J. Robert's bank notes were legally accepted in most parts of Monrovia for purchases. Banking and some majors institutions did not accept the J.J. Robert's bank note as legal tender during this period.
Following the election of the Charles Taylor government in 1997 a new series of banknotes dated 1999 was introduced on March 29, 2000.
Coins[]
In 1937, coins were issued in denominations of ½, 1 and 2 cents. These were augmented in 1960 with coins for 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 cents. A $1 coin was issued the following year. Five-dollar coins were issued in 1982 and 1985 (see above). According to the 2009 Standard Catalog of World Coins (Krause Publications, Iola, WI), numerous commemorative coins (featuring U.S. Presidents, dinosaurs, Chinese Lunar-Zodiac animals, etc.) in denominations ranging from 1 to 2500 Dollars have been issued beginning in the 1970s through the present.[4]
Banknotes[]
Five-dollar notes were introduced in 1989 which bore the portrait of J. J. Roberts. These were known as "J. J." notes. In 1991, similar notes were issued (see above) which replaced the portrait with Liberia's arms. These were known as "Liberty" notes.
On 29 March 2000, the Central Bank of Liberia introduced a new “unified” currency, which was exchanged at par for “J. J.” notes and at a ratio of 1:2 for “Liberty” notes. The new banknotes each feature a portrait of a former president. These notes remain in current use, although they underwent a minor redesign in 2003, with new dates, signatures, and the CENTRAL BANK OF LIBERIA banner on the back.[5]
On 27 July 2016, the Central Bank of Liberia announced new banknotes will be introduced with enhanced security features. All of the denominations are the same as previous issues, with the $500 banknote being introduced as part of this series.[6] On 6 October 2016, the Central Bank of Liberia introduced new banknotes, as announced.[7]
When the $500 note was introduced it was worth US$5.50. Its value has since dropped to US$2.50 as of 20 December 2019 and falling still.[8]
1999 series | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Images | Value | Background color | Description | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | Watermark | first series | Issue | ||
[9] | $5 | Red | President Edward J. Roye | Woman harvesting rice | Seal of Liberia | 1999 | March 29, 2000 | |
[10] | $10 | Blue | President Joseph J. Roberts | Rubber tapper | Seal of Liberia | 1999 | March 29, 2000 | |
[11] | $20 | Brown | President William V. S. Tubman | Young men by the road with scooters | Seal of Liberia | 1999 | March 29, 2000 | |
[12] | $50 | Purple | President Samuel K. Doe | Worker on a palm plantation | Seal of Liberia | 1999 | March 29, 2000 | |
[13] | $100 | Green | President William R. Tolbert, Jr. | Market woman and her child | Seal of Liberia | 1999 | March 29, 2000 |
2016 series | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Images | Value | Background color | Description | Date of | ||||
Obverse | Reverse | Obverse | Reverse | Watermark | first series | Issue | ||
[14] | $5 | Purple | President Edward J. Roye | Woman harvesting rice | Seal of Liberia | 2016 | 2016 | |
[15] | $10 | Blue | President Joseph J. Roberts | Rubber tapper | Seal of Liberia | 2016 | 2016 | |
[16] | $20 | Brown | President William V. S. Tubman | Young men by the road with scooters | Seal of Liberia | 2016 | 2016 | |
[17] | $50 | Red | President Samuel K. Doe | Worker on a palm plantation | Seal of Liberia | 2016 | 2016 | |
[18] | $100 | Green | President William R. Tolbert, Jr. | Market woman and her child | Seal of Liberia | 2016 | 2016 | |
[19] | $500 | Violet | Men and woman | Hippopotamus and its child | Seal of Liberia | 2016 | 2016 |
See also[]
Exchange rate[]
Current LRD exchange rates | |
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From Google Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From Yahoo! Finance: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From XE.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From OANDA: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
From fxtop.com: | AUD CAD CHF EUR GBP HKD JPY USD |
References[]
- ^ Currency from the Central Bank of Liberia Archived 2006-05-27 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 2008/03/19
- ^ Cuhaj, George S. (2010). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money General Issues (1368-1960) (13 ed.). Krause Publications. p. 801. ISBN 978-1-4402-1293-2.
- ^ "Tables of Modern Monetary Systems". 6 May 2006. Archived from the original on 6 May 2006. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ A complete list of the coins of Liberia Numista (https://en.numista.com). Retrieved on 2020-11-23.
- ^ Linzmayer, Owen (2012). "Liberia". The Banknote Book. San Francisco, CA: www.BanknoteNews.com.
- ^ "Liberia reported to issue new banknote family "shortly" | Banknote News". www.banknotenews.com. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "New Liberian Dollar Banknotes Released". cbl.org.lr. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "XE Currency Charts: USD to LRD".
- ^ Liberia 5 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 10 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 20 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 50 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 100 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 5 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 10 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 20 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 50 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 100 Dollars
- ^ Liberia 500 Dollars
- Krause, Chester L.; Clifford Mishler (1991). Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1801–1991 (18th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0873411501.
- Pick, Albert (1994). Standard Catalog of World Paper Money: General Issues. Colin R. Bruce II and Neil Shafer (editors) (7th ed.). Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-207-9.
External links[]
Media related to Money of Liberia at Wikimedia Commons
- Liberian banknotes
- Liberian banknotes on BanknoteNews
- ISO 4217
- Dollar
- Currencies of Africa
- Circulating currencies
- Economy of Liberia
- 1847 introductions
- Currencies introduced in 1943