| Description | The pound was the currency of Southern Rhodesia from 1964 to 1965 and Rhodesia from 1965 until 1970. It was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence.
The Rhodesian pound was introduced following the break-up of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, when Southern Rhodesia changed its name to simply Rhodesia. The Rhodesian pound replaced the Rhodesia and Nyasaland pound at par and the coins and banknotes of this earlier currency continued to circulate.
Like its predecessor, the Rhodesian pound was initially pegged to the British pound. When the British pound was devalued from US$2.8 to US$2.4 in 1967, Rhodesia switched its peg to 1 pound = US$2.8. In 1970, the pound was replaced by the dollar, at a rate of 1 pound = 2 dollars, so R$1 was US$1.40.
In 1964, coins were introduced for 6 pence, 1, 2 and 2½ shillings, marked as 6D, 1’-, 2’- and 2’6. These coins also bore a denomination in cents (5C, 10C, 20C and 25C, respectively) although Rhodesia did not decimalize until 1970. In 1968, 3 pence coins were introduced which did not bear a denomination in cents. All coins had the title of Queen Elizabeth II in English, rather than in Latin, as had been the case on the coins of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and Southern Rhodesia. |
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