Morocco’s first polymer banknote appeared in September 2019 as a commemorative issue: Bank Al-Maghrib dedicated it to the twentieth anniversary of King Mohammed VI’s accession to the throne. The front is vertical, an unusual layout for Morocco in which the monarch’s portrait takes pride of place.

The back is a kind of report on two decades of rule: stylised images of the major projects of those years — the Mohammed VI Bridge, the Noor 3 solar power plant, the Mohammed VI satellite and the Al Boraq high-speed rail line, opened in 2018 as Africa’s first high-speed railway.

The note carries more than ten security features, including microtext and anti-scan patterns, and along the edges of the front run twenty raised bars that a visually impaired person can tell apart by touch. It was issued in a limited number, yet it is legal tender and circulates alongside the regular 20 dirhams.

Morocco’s first polymer note, its vertical format and its commemorative occasion make it a key piece in a collection of the country and a welcome one in a set of polymer and vertical banknotes of the world. UNC condition means the note has never circulated: no folds, no wear, no soiling, even corners — just as it left the press.

If you are just starting a collection, the VPcoins catalogue makes it easy to find banknotes to build it around.