click images for more info

For the past 4 years, I’ve had the pleasure of designing commemorative, collectible, and a few legal tender bills, as well as trading cards - all produced on products made from precious metals. While I can’t show them here, I’d like to share with you some of the stand-out projects.

A Bank of Tanzania 1000 Shillings Legal Tender 24K Gold Bill with Commemorative Display Packaging
Designed for Valaurum, Inc., Portland, OR

For this project, I was asked to design a legal tender bill for the Bank of Tanzania, featuring the Cuckoo Catfish—a species found only in Lake Tanganyika, along the country's far western edge. As a Western designer creating currency that could circulate among Tanzanians, I approached the work with sensitivity and intention. Currency isn’t just a medium of exchange—it’s a vessel of national identity and pride. My goal was to create something that felt authentic and resonant for Tanzanians, while also appealing to a U.S.-based audience, the primary market for our product.

To bridge these priorities, I chose to tell the story of Tanzania itself. In 1964, mainland Tanganyika and the Zanzibar archipelago united to form the United Republic of Tanzania. The bill reflects this union: the obverse features the Cuckoo Catfish and the town of Kigoma—gateway to Lake Tanganyika and terminus of Tanzania’s central railway. The reverse celebrates Zanzibar, with imagery of the Sultan’s Palace and the endangered Red Colobus Monkey, native to the island.

Water became a central motif, flowing between the lake and the Indian Ocean and informing much of the color palette. To ground the design in local tradition, I drew from Tanzanian sculptural arts. A Tree of Life carving replaces the vertical security strip on the mainland side, while a traditional carved wood door from Zanzibar anchors the reverse. Decorative borders and seals are inspired by Kitenge textiles, adding rhythm and cultural specificity to the visual language.