10 Moroccan Dirham #351

Front

A Moroccan woman in traditional dress selling oranges at a market stall, representing Morocco's citrus agriculture and domestic commerce. The scene depicts stacked oranges on display tables, symbolizing the country's agricultural economy and the role of women in traditional market trade. This motif appeared on the 10 dirhams notes issued by Banque du Maroc following Morocco's 1960 currency reform, when the dirham replaced the Moroccan franc at a rate of 100 francs to 1 dirham.

Back

The seal of Banco Nacional Ultramarino with the text 'PAGÁVEL EM MOÇAMBIQUE' (Payable in Mozambique) and 'LISBOA-1964'. However, this back appears to be from a different note (Mozambican 100 escudos) than the Moroccan 10 dirhams front, indicating a mismatched pair. The Banco Nacional Ultramarino was the Portuguese overseas bank that issued currency for Portugal's African colonies including Mozambique until independence in 1975.

History

This note belongs to the early dirham series issued by Banque du Maroc following Morocco's 1960 currency reform, which replaced the Moroccan franc at 100:1. The 1965–1970 series featured agricultural and cultural themes emphasizing Morocco's modernization. The printer attribution 'THOMAS DE LA RUE & COMPANY LIMITED' is visible at the bottom of the front. However, the back image shows a Mozambican escudo note from Banco Nacional Ultramarino rather than the correct Moroccan dirham reverse, which should feature King Hassan II's portrait or the Royal Palace of Rabat. This is a clear mismatch between front and back images. The Pick number P-53b refers to the 1965 signature variant of the 10 dirhams note.