The Djibouti 1000 francs tells the story of what this small country at the entrance to the Red Sea lived on for decades: trade routes. The front shows the head of a young woman, with trains and a group of people at the centre; the back shows a camel caravan with its driver against a mountain backdrop.

The pairing of train and caravan is no accident. The railway linking the port of Djibouti with the Ethiopian interior let the city quickly supersede the old caravan trade through Zeila and become the main outlet for Ethiopian goods. The two sides of the note show two ways of carrying freight across the Horn of Africa.

The type was printed by the Banque de France, with production running from 1979 to 2005, spanning the National Bank of Djibouti and the Central Bank that replaced it in 2002. Over that time it went through several varieties, from the first notes without a signature to late ones that gained a security thread and a microprint frame on both sides.

For a Djibouti collection this is a type issued for more than a quarter of a century, and in a «transport on banknotes» set it stands out for pairing a train with a camel caravan. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

You can compare this banknote with the country’s other issues in the VPcoins catalogue.