Tanzanian shilling

Amount in the Tanzanian shilingi is written in the form of x/y, where x is the amount above 1 shiling, while y is the amount in senti. An equals sign or hyphen represents zero amount. For example, 50 senti is written as "=/50" or "-/50", while 100 shilingi is written as "100/=" or "100/-". In common, daily use, the symbol TSh is used.

This pattern echos the notation in Britain before decimalisation, when amounts were written in some combination of pounds (£), shillings (s), and pence (d, for denarius). In that notation, amounts under a pound were notated only in shillings and pence: sixpence was written "-/6" or "-/6d", 2 shillings as "2/-" or "2s/-", 2 shillings and 6 pence as "2/6" or "2/6d", and so forth.

A 200 tz shillings front.

In 1966, coins were introduced in denominations of 5, 20 and 50 senti and 1 shilingi, with the 5 senti struck in bronze, the 20 senti in nickel-brass (copper-nickel-zinc) and the 50 senti and 1 shillingi in cupro-nickel. Cupro-nickel 5 shilingi coins were introduced in 1972, followed by scalloped, nickel-brass 10 senti in 1977. This First Series coins set, in circulation from 1966 up to 1984, was designed by Christopher Ironside OBE.[2]

In 1987, nickel-plated steel replaced cupro-nickel in the 50 senti and 1 shilingi, and cupro-nickel 5 and 10 shilingi coins were introduced, with the 5 shilingi decagonal in shape. In 1990, nickel-clad-steel 5, 10 and 20 shilingi were introduced, followed by brass-plated steel coins for 100 shilingi in 1993, 50 shilingi in 1996 and copper-nickel-zinc 200 shilingi in 1998.

Coins currently in circulation are the 50, 100 and 200 shilingi. A 500 shilingi coin was issued on the 8 September 2014.[3]

Tanzanian shilling coins
Image	Value	Composition	Diameter	Weight	Thickness	Edge	Issued
	5 senti	bronze	23.24 mm (dodecagonal)	4.0 g	1.33 mm	Smooth	1966-1984
	10 senti	nickel-brass	25 mm (scalloped)	5.03 g	1.49 mm	Smooth	1977-1984
	20 senti	nickel-brass	24 mm	5 g		Smooth	1966-1984
	50 senti	copper-nickel	21 mm	4 g	1.6 mm	Reeded	1966-1984
	50 senti	nickel-plated steel	21 mm	4 g	1.8 mm	Reeded	1988-1990
	1 shilingi	copper-nickel	27.7 mm	8 g	1.62 mm	Reeded	1966-1984
	1 shilingi	nickel-plated steel	23.5 mm	6.5 g		Reeded	1987-1992
	5 shilingi	copper-nickel	31.5 mm (decagonal)	13.8 g	2.2 mm	Segmented; five smooth and reeded parts	1972-1980
	5 shilingi	copper-nickel	27.5 mm (decagonal)	8.3 g	2 mm	Segmented; five smooth and reeded parts	1987-1989
	5 shilingi	nickel-plated steel	27.5 mm (decagonal)	8.52 g	2 mm	Reeded	1990-1993
	10 shilingi	copper-nickel	29 mm	9.7 g	2 mm	Reeded	1987-1989
	10 shilingi	nickel-plated steel	29 mm	10 g	2.25 mm	Reeded	1990-1993
	20 shilingi	nickel-plated steel	32 mm (heptagonal)	13 g	2 mm	Smooth	1990-1992
	50 shilingi	brass-plated steel	22 mm (heptagonal)	7.91 g	2.9 mm	Smooth	1996-2015
	100 shilingi	brass-plated steel	24.5 mm	9 g	2.7 mm	Reeded	1993-2015
	200 shilingi	copper-nickel-zinc	26.8 mm	8 g	2 mm	Segmented; five smooth and reeded parts	1998-2014
	500 shilingi	nickel-plated steel	27.5 mm	9.5 g	2.4 mm	Reeded	2014

On 14 June 1966, the Benki Kuu Ya Tanzania (Bank of Tanzania) introduced notes for 5, 10, 20 and 100 shillingi (also denominated in shillings on the first series of notes). The 5 shillingi note was replaced by a coin in 1972. 50 shillingi notes were introduced in 1985, followed by 200 shilingi in 1986, 500 shillingi in 1989 and 1000 shillingi in 1990. The 10, 20, 50 and 100 shillingi notes were replaced by coins in 1987, 1990, 1996 and 1994, respectively. 5000 and 10,000 shillingi notes were introduced in 1995, followed by 2000 shilingi in 2003. A new series of notes came out in 2011. These new notes include many security features that prevent counterfeiting.[4][5]

Banknotes in circulation today are 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 shilingi.

Older Series
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	Watermark
		10/- (Ten Shillings)	-	Green	Julius Nyerere	Arusha Declaration Monument	Giraffe	-
		20/- (Twenty Shillings)	-	Blue-violet	Julius Nyerere	General Tyre East Africa Plant
		100/- (One Hundred Shillings)	-	Red	Julius Nyerere	Maasai

2003 Series
Image		Value	Dimensions	Main Colour	Description			Date of issue
Obverse	Reverse				Obverse	Reverse	Watermark
		500/- (Shilingi Mia Tano)	130 × 63 mm	Green	African Buffalo	Nkrumah Hall, University of Dar es Salaam	Giraffe	2003
		1000/- (Shilingi Elfu Moja)	135 × 66 mm	Blue	Julius Nyerere	Statehouse, Dar es Salaam
		2000/- (Shillingi Elfu Mbili)	140 × 69 mm	Orange-brown	Lion, Mount Kilimanjaro	Old Fort, Stone Town, Zanzibar
		5000/- (Shillingi Elfu Tano)	145 × 72 mm	Purple	Black Rhinoceros	Geita gold Mine and House of Wonders Zanzibar
		10,000/- (Shillingi Elfu Kumi)	150 × 75 mm	Red	Elephant	Bank of Tanzania headquarters in Dar es Salaam
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixel per millimetre. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

• Economy of Tanzania

Notes

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Money of Tanzania.

• Bank of Tanzania page on circulating banknotes
• The banknotes of Tanzania
• (in English, German, and French)