Catalog
10 Shillings
| Issuer | Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony Government |
|---|---|
| Year | 1942 |
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| Value | 10 Shillings (1/2) |
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| Obverse description | Plain cream-coloured note of typewritten emergency issue format, with the heading GILBERT AND ELLICE ISLANDS COLONY in bold uppercase across the top centre. The denomination TEN SHILLINGS is set in bold letterpress at centre, flanked on both sides by the numeral denomination 10s. 0d., with the date 1st January, 1942 at lower left. A circular embossed colony seal is visible to the left, and two manuscript signatures appear at lower right above the printed titles Acting Resident Commissioner and Treasurer respectively. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse is entirely plain, printed on unadorned cream paper with no design elements, vignettes, or printed text. A faint embossed circular seal impression is discernible at centre-right, bleeding through from the obverse. The surface shows the characteristic creasing and aging of a wartime emergency issue. |
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| Comments |
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony notes of 1942 were emergency wartime issues, produced under circumstances far removed from normal colonial banking administration. Japanese forces occupied the Gilbert Islands from late 1941, and the colonial government was effectively displaced. These notes were authorized and issued by the remnant colonial authority partly to maintain some form of monetary order in areas still under Allied control — a practical measure rather than a systematic currency reform.
The embossed seal as the primary security feature reflects the extremely limited production resources available to a colonial government operating under wartime conditions. No major security printer was involved.