Ethiopian Birr
OriginEthiopia
First Minted1894
MaterialSilver/Gold
TypeCoin
About Ethiopian Birr
The currency of Ethiopia since 1894. Emperor Menelik II introduced the birr after modernizing the country. The first birr coins featured the Lion of Judah. Ethiopia was the only African country to mint its own coins before colonization. The Ethiopian birr is still used today, one of the few African currencies not derived from colonial currency. The 1897 silver birr of Menelik II is a classic African coin.
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