10 Liri

Malta's 1979 series arrived shortly after the country had formally severed ties with NATO and declared itself a neutral state — a political realignment that prompted a broader effort to assert national identity, including through currency redesign. De La Rue had printed Maltese notes since independence, and the relationship continued uninterrupted through the transition away from the pound sterling–linked Maltese pound to the liri system, which had been adopted in 1972.

Pick 36 is among the scarcer denominations of the 1979 issue in uncirculated condition, largely because 10 Liri saw active transactional use rather than being saved. Notes that did circulate heavily tend to show fold fatigue at the center cross.