São Tomé and Príncipe Banknotes

São Tomé and Príncipe are two islands in the Gulf of Guinea with two hundred thousand inhabitants, yet they still issue their own currency. This disproportion explains why their dobras have tiny print runs and appear so rarely in the European market.

Portuguese heritage in Africa

The dobra inherits the Portuguese colonial escudo, and the banknotes retain a recognizable Lusophone aesthetic: typography, layout, even the treatment of portraits. Those who collect Angola or Mozambique will find the same air here.

What they have printed on them

Tropical fauna, endemic birds, cocoa plantations—which were the wealth of the islands—and figures of independence from 1975. The 2018 redenomination removed three zeros and made previous series obsolete, which are now closed sets.

What you will find here

Dobras with Pick reference and actual conservation. It is one of the hardest countries to find from Lusophone Africa.

Shipping

Protected, in an individual sleeve, and tracked from Spain.

Discover more banknotes from the region in African Banknotes.