Catalog
1 Pound
| Issuer | Bahamas Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1919 |
| Type | Standard circulation banknote |
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|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | £1 THE CURRENCY NOTE ACT 1919 THE BAHAMAS GOVERNMENT HEREBY PROMISES TO PAY TO THE BEARER ON DEMAND ONE POUND SIGILLUM PROVIDENTIA C^ETERARUMQUE BAHAMA INSULARVM EXPULSIS PIRATIS RESTITUTA COMMERCIA 1 COLONIAL SECRETARY, COMMISSIONER OF CURRENCY. RECEIVER GENERAL, COMMISSIONER OF CURRENCY. COMMISSIONER OF CURRENCY (Translation: Seal of Providence and other Bahamas Islands. Pirates expelled, commerce restored.) |
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| Variants | P#4a - signature at left: Grant P#4b - signature at left: Burns |
| Comments |
The Bahamas Government issued its own currency under a system of direct colonial treasury notes rather than through a chartered bank — unusual for the British Caribbean, where private bank issues were the norm well into the twentieth century. This 1919 date places the note in the immediate aftermath of wartime financial strain, when sterling-linked colonial currencies were under pressure across the empire.
Canadian Bank Note Company's Ottawa plant was the dominant supplier to British Caribbean dependencies during this period, handling similar commissions for Bermuda and British Guiana. The series of which Pick 4 forms part remained in use for decades, with the 1919 issue representing an early iteration before the designs were progressively revised.