East African florin facts for kids

The Florin was a type of money used in parts of East Africa. These areas were then under British rule, like Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The Florin was used for a very short time, from 1920 to 1921.

One Florin was made up of 100 cents. Before the Florin, people used the East African rupee. The Florin took its place, with one Florin being worth one Rupee. After just one year, the Florin was replaced by the East African shilling. Two shillings were worth one Florin. The Florin was also equal to two shillings of British money, called sterling.

What Were Florin Coins Like?

Because the Florin was used for such a short time, not many of its coins were actually put into use. This makes them quite rare and hard to find today.

Coins were made in different values:

• 1 cent
• 5 cents
• 10 cents
• 25 cents
• 50 cents
• 1 Florin

However, not all of these coins were released for people to use. For example, the 50-cent coins were never put into circulation. Also, only about 30% of the 1, 5, and 10-cent coins that were made actually went out for people to spend.

What Were Florin Banknotes Like?

The East African Currency Board was in charge of printing the paper money. They made banknotes in several different values:

• 1 Florin
• 5 Florins
• 10 Florins
• 20 Florins
• 50 Florins
• 100 Florins
• 500 Florins

For the banknotes worth 10 Florins or more, they also showed the value in British pounds. For example, a 10 Florin note would also say it was worth 1 pound. A 500 Florin note would be worth 50 pounds.