Twenty rufiyaa of 1987 is a reissue of the twenty from the first series of the Maldives Monetary Authority, released in 1983. The Maldives Monetary Authority was established on 1 July 1981; before that, the country's paper money had been issued by the government.

A dhivehi odi sailing boat in full sail, a bunch of coconuts and cowrie shells: the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) kept this front design on all its paper notes from 1983 right up to the switch to polymer. The back shows boats at the wharf in the inner harbour of Malé, the capital. In 1987 the note was reissued with a new date and a new prefix B.

The signature on the sheet belongs to Maumoon Abdul Gayoom: president of the country from 1978 to 2008, he also headed the MMA from 1981 to 2004. After the polymer series came out, the old paper notes ceased to be legal tender after 31 July 2016; they could still be exchanged at the MMA for five more years, until 31 July 2021.

For a Maldives collection this is the second date of the first-series twenty, a pair to the 1983 issue, and for a maritime theme it shows the capital's harbour. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

Every item in the VPcoins catalogue tells a small story about its country and era.