The 50 dirhams dated 2002 belongs to the series bearing the portrait of King Mohammed VI, who came to the throne on 23 July 1999. Next to the portrait on the front is a dam: for a dry country, reservoirs are a matter of harvest and survival.

The back shows an old building of a ksar, a fortified village of mud brick of the kind built for centuries in the oases of southern Morocco. Thus modern engineering and traditional architecture meet on a single note.

The note joins a Morocco collection as an early portrait of Mohammed VI, and a topical set under two themes at once: water engineering and the earthen architecture of southern Morocco. 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.