25000000 ZWD #633

Front

Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. The falls are known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya ('The Smoke That Thunders'). The note is inscribed 'SPECIAL AGRO-CHEQUE' and features a giraffe at lower left, representing Zimbabwe's wildlife heritage. This denomination was part of the hyperinflation crisis era when the Reserve Bank issued 'Special Agro-Cheques' and 'Bearer Cheques' as emergency currency.

Back

Central text panel reading 'RESERVE BANK OF ZIMBABWE / Pay the bearer on demand / TWENTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS / on or before / 30th June 2008 / for the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe / Issue date: 2nd April 2008 / BEARER CHEQUE'. The Reserve Bank seal appears at left showing the Zimbabwe Bird symbol. The expiry date mechanism (30th June 2008) was introduced as an attempt to manage hyperinflation by forcing currency turnover. Serial number 02022909 appears below the main text, with prefix AB1933361 at lower right.

History

Bearer Cheque series, issued April–July 2008 during Zimbabwe's hyperinflation crisis, which eventually reached an estimated 89.7 sextillion percent per month. The 25 million dollar note (P-59) was issued 2 April 2008 with an expiry date of 30 June 2008, reflecting the Reserve Bank's attempt to manage runaway inflation through time-limited emergency currency instruments labeled as 'Bearer Cheques' and 'Special Agro-Cheques'. Governor Gideon Gono oversaw this period; his signature appears on multiple hyperinflation-era issues. The Zimbabwe dollar was abandoned in April 2009 in favor of a multi-currency system. These notes were demonetized when the currency collapsed and are now collectors' items documenting one of history's worst episodes of hyperinflation. The note's mismatched denominations (front shows 50 billion, back shows 25 million) require clarification.