Catalog
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| Issuer | Government of Malta |
|---|---|
| Year | 1914 |
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| Composition | Paper |
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| Obverse description | Brown note with dark brown letterpress print on an ornate guilloche underprint. The central text block carries the full legal tender law inscription, with the serial number positioned to the left. An embossed seal of Malta is applied at the center. |
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| Obverse lettering | Government of Malta TEN POUNDS STERLING. This Note, issued under the authority of Ordinance No. VIII of 1914, assented to by his Excellency the Governor with the special permission of His Majesty the King, is legal tender for all purposes, and is convertible into gold at the Treasury on days to be notified by Government Notice. 14th August, 1914. By Command JOHN E. CLAUSON Lieutenant-Governor and Chief Secretary to Government £ TEN |
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| Comments |
Malta's Government Note issue of 1914 was a direct response to the financial disruption caused by the outbreak of World War One. The British Treasury's suspension of gold convertibility in August 1914 forced crown colonies and protectorates to improvise emergency paper currency almost simultaneously, and Malta was no exception. These notes gave the colonial government a mechanism to keep commerce moving while specie disappeared from circulation.
The embossed seal as the sole security feature reflects the speed and austerity of the issue. Sophisticated intaglio printing was not the priority — getting paper into circulation was.