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1 Shilling on 1 Shilling 3 Pence German Occupation
| Issuer | States of Guernsey |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942-1943 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Paper |
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| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Yellow guilloche underprint covers the face, bordered by an intricate engine-turned frame with octagonal value cartouches bearing '1/3' at left and right. The issuer's name 'STATES OF GUERNSEY' appears in bold letterpress at centre, above the promise-to-pay legend and a panel inscribed 'ONE SHILLING AND THREEPENCE'. A bold red overprint of the numeral '1' is applied diagonally across the centre, denoting the revalued denomination of one shilling. The date '1st January 1943' is printed at upper centre, with serial number and Treasurer's signature at lower centre. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The entire field is covered with a dense, repetitive engine-turned guilloche pattern of small scroll motifs printed in dark brown. At centre, a composite vignette comprises three interlocking lobed cartouches: the central one bears the Guernsey arms of three lions passant guardant, surrounded by a circular legend, flanked on each side by a circular lozenge cartouche. The design is austere and uncoloured, relying entirely on the intricate geometric underprint for visual effect. |
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| Comments |
Guernsey's occupation currency presents one of the more unusual monetary improvisations of the Second World War. When German forces occupied the Channel Islands in June 1940, the existing currency stock was quickly supplemented and then exhausted, forcing the States of Guernsey to produce successive emergency issues. The 1 Shilling denomination was eventually overprinted directly onto unsued 1 Shilling 3 Pence notes, reducing the face value — a reversal of the far more common inflationary practice of stamping higher values onto existing stock.
Printing was handled locally under occupation conditions, with limited materials. The overprint itself is the distinguishing feature of this pick number, and forgeries are not unknown — the original substrate note adds a layer of complexity that makes authentication more involved than most wartime British issues.